Students to gather county feedback

By Susan Drumheller
Reader Contributor

Graduate students from the University of Utah’s College of Architecture and Planning will be gathering information via public “listening sessions” and surveys throughout Bonner County on Sept. 20-23.

The students were invited by Project7B to listen and seek to understand the challenges, character, values and goals regarding the future of Bonner County.

Project 7B is an effort by county citizens to prompt thoughtful discussion around land use issues and encourage involvement in land use decisions in Bonner County and the area communities. 

The group received an Equinox Foundation grant to bring in the Architecture and Planning team to conduct listening sessions in the rural areas, in order to learn what people value about their neighborhoods and environs and their relationships with the land.

Students will meet with groups and hold public listening sessions to gather information. They hope to have robust conversations with people in rural areas to learn about their concerns and aspirations for their neighborhoods. 

They will also create a survey to collect input, which will be available both online and at in various locations around Bonner County while they are visiting.

The resulting information will be compiled into a document that can be shared with the public and community leaders to help inform discussions and decisions regarding community planning. The goal of the listening sessions is to engage the public in decisions that affect the future of our communities.

For a listening session nearest you, visit Project7B.org or the Project7B Facebook page. 

You can also email [email protected].

 Project 7B maintains its Facebook page and website to inform the public about land use issues and other public involvement opportunities.