BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

Martin County residents will soon be asked a simple but consequential question: what should their community become. Blueprint Kentucky and the University of Kentucky are launching a new, multi-month strategic planning process to gather local ideas and turn them into a roadmap for county decisions in the years ahead.

They are seeking input from residents about their thoughts, priorities and dreams for the county in three upcoming public meetings in January and February. Residents of all ages are encouraged to attend one of the following sessions to help create a plan that reflects the community from youth to the elderly: Jan. 20 at the Warfield Park Community Center; Feb. 3 at the Collier Center in Inez; and Feb. 10 at the Pigeon Roost Community Center in Pilgrim. All meetings will run from 6 to 8 p.m.

Organizers say the process is designed to give residents a direct voice in what projects and ideas the county should prioritize in the coming years. Representatives will lead participants through structured conversations about what they believe is most important or most needed now and in the future. A resident-first approach, organizers said, reflects Blueprint Kentucky’s practice of using community perspectives to drive local solutions.

A group of local leaders from OneKentucky, tourism, government, LiKEN, Extension and the business community will assist by providing support, advice and outreach.

Karen Rignall, a cultural anthropologist and assistant professor at the University of Kentucky who specializes in rural community development, said the timing reflects both opportunity and long-standing need.

“The strategic planning process is happening now because of good opportunities converging at the same time,” Rignall said.

She traced the idea to conversations in 2023, when Nita Collier, director of Martin County Tourism, described a growing number of initiatives underway in the county.

“We reflected on how there was no overarching plan that organizes these initiatives into a cohesive vision,” Rignall said.

At the same time, the university launched its Land Grant Engagement Initiative, which included grant funding for community collaborations.

“The initiative included a grant program to support collaborations like our strategic plan, so we went for it and got it!” she said.

Rignall said the plan is intended to provide direction rather than solve a single problem.

“There is always a need for a collective vision for economic development and resident well-being,” she said. “Maybe in a way, we are addressing a problem of resident participation in local government, offering this plan as a new point of entry for getting involved.”

Madison Mooney, community care coordinator at LiKEN, said the process builds on recent momentum in the county and involves close collaboration with Rignall, Collier and Tyler McDaniel, environmental health program coordinator with Blueprint Kentucky.

“There have already been so many amazing developments and growth,” Mooney said, adding that McDaniel brings a practical dimension to the effort “that will allow the community to have a concrete plan and vision.”

McDaniel, who will facilitate the meetings, said residents will be guided through prompts about what is working, what is not and what they want to see change.

“At the initial meetings residents will respond to prompts about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that they see locally,” he said. “While also sharing their ideas for the county’s bigger picture goals and needs.”

That information will be refined over several months through additional public meetings.

“Once we compile that data we will review and refine it through multiple meetings over the upcoming months,” McDaniel said. “Those meetings will be different than these initial ones, involving different prompts or activities such as looking at data and talking through different ideas that will give us a full picture of each action item and the steps needed to get there.”

Organizers said the sessions are intended to be informal and accessible.

“The main thing residents should expect is a space to talk about their worries and dreams for Martin County,” McDaniel said. “Depending on crowd size we may split into small groups for more involved discussions on each topic, but this will be an easygoing chance for residents to share what they love about Martin County as well as sharing the biggest needs that they see in their everyday lives.”

Later meetings will build on early discussions, with notices published in the local newspaper and on social media.

“Attendees should also expect the one thing that everyone loves — free food,” he added.

Organizers said the final document is intended to influence real decisions.

“By involving as many residents as we can in the planning process, we hope they receive the vision in the report as their own,” Rignall said. “The vision becomes a road map that county, school, and civic leaders can use as a metric to decide: does this new idea take our collective vision forward?”

She compared the document to an academic evaluation tool.

“In our classrooms (I am an educator), we often use a rubric in addition to a grade to inform students where exactly they’re strong and where they need to grow,” Rignall said. “This strategic plan can also work like a rubric, offering a framework for making and assessing decisions. It’s also about building our civic infrastructure so everyone can participate.”

For residents skeptical that their voices will matter, McDaniel acknowledged the concern.

“I will say as an outside facilitator who works in communities around the state that I’m sorry people feel unheard,” he said. “That feeling is a common one that I encounter a lot and don’t pretend to have an answer to. But, I hope that during this process folks will find some benefit in showing up and taking part in dreaming up a vision for Martin County that shows the biggest priorities while outlining steps to get there.”

He said the process differs from traditional public forums.

“This isn’t a public forum about a particular issue and will not be led by local officials,” McDaniel said. “I’m not here to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t think, these plans revolve around the idea that local people have the best knowledge and solutions to their local circumstances.”

He added, “It isn’t easy and it won’t happen in a week or even a year, but these first steps are crucial for long-term success.”

The initiative was developed by Rignall and Collier and later expanded to include LiKEN and the University of Kentucky. Organizers sought early support from the county judge-executive’s office, school officials, the health department, emergency responders, faith leaders and others before forming a steering committee.

That committee includes representatives from tourism, county government, the school board, the water board, One East Kentucky, the Big Sandy Regional Industrial Development Authority, Martin County Extension and local business.

Their role, McDaniel said, is advisory.

“At this point those partners’ primary role is to advise on locally specific questions and help with needs like recommending or reserving meeting spaces,” he said. “They may themselves participate in public forums but will not have broader authority in dictating what goes into the plan.”

The process is funded through grants and does not require county tax dollars. It is not legally binding and does not replace the county’s formal comprehensive planning requirements.

“This visioning process is a community building effort that is meant to inspire county planning and projects, whether it is by local government or community groups,” Rignall said. “It is meant to guide and inspire.”

Updates will be shared publicly, including through the Mountain Citizen.

“We will have write-ups after we meet with community members that we share through in-person meetings, social media, local media, outreach to key partners, and integrating this process into our ongoing community work,” Rignall said.

McDaniel said the final document will be presented publicly.

“At the end of the process we will also do a public presentation to showcase the final version and celebrate the hard work and shared vision of Martin County residents,” he said.

Organizers said the plan will remain open to revision throughout the spring.

“Over the next 4–5 months residents will have many opportunities to refine the plan,” McDaniel said.

Mooney said the goal is broad inclusion.

“This plan is for all Martin County residents and we want to make sure all voices, visions, ideas and even concerns are heard,” she said. “We want this plan to be realistic for our community and truly actionable to carry our community forward into the future for all present and future livelihoods.”

For questions, residents may contact Tyler McDaniel at tyler.mcdaniel@uky.edu.