COEUR d'ALENE - The next phase of the Vision 2030 Project gets underway on Saturday during a four-hour summit in the Student Union Building at North Idaho College.

Anyone with an interest in shaping the future of Coeur d'Alene is invited to attend the summit - organizers say you do not have to be a city resident to participate in the process.

"The word 'anyone' is meaningful," organizers said in a press release. "Here is who should consider coming: You live in Coeur d'Alene, or you work in Coeur d'Alene but live in Post Falls, Hayden, Rathdrum, etc., or you only play in Coeur d'Alene but live and work elsewhere."

Project coordinator Nicole Kahler said the goal is to include as many stakeholders as possible.

Those who participate in the summit will get a free lunch - if they pre-register - while helping to prioritize input and issues that were gathered during a series of workshops and interviews that occurred in October.

"There is an analogy I like to use. It's kind of like landing an airplane," said Coeur d'Alene City Attorney Mike Gridley, who is chairman of the Vision 2030 effort. "We started out at 30,000 feet and we have been circling and circling, and now we are at 12,000 feet."

He said the community is honing in what is important to them right now. Six "key topic areas" have been identified in the process. More than 1,000 people have been interviewed or submitted comments into the process, and now it's time prioritize those ideas and thoughts.

Kahler said participants will start off developing an overarching vision for the project, and then they will be asked to select one of the six areas that they feel most passionate about. Those areas include:

• Growth and Development

• Education and Learning

• Community and Identity

• Environment and Recreation

• Health and Safety

• Jobs and Economy

Each group will review all of the information that has been gathered for that subject and help draft a vision for that aspect of the community.

"At lunch everyone will have an opportunity to poll on some of the other visions," she said, adding that organizers want to make sure that they are not missing anything.

After lunch, the groups will reconvene to develop "easy-win" projects and "game-changer" projects.

Gridley said the goal is to eventually put together implementation plans to accomplish those projects.

"For instance, if East Sherman redevelopment plan is a priority then we will brainstorm to figure out what resources we have available to accomplish that," he said.

Kahler said it is important to note that the vision statements will not be complete at that point, but a vision drafting team will be developed to refine the vision statements and release them back to the community early next year.

"We will have a Vision Roadshow and a validation survey at the beginning of the year," Kahler said, adding that is when the Vision will be rolled out for final adoption.

Participants are encouraged to pre-register for the event, especially if they want lunch. Pre-register by sending an email to nicole@cda2030.org, or calling (208) 415-0112.