3 Big Takeaways from the One Dearborn County Stellar Community Survey Results

Throughout the month of August, the One Dearborn County Stellar Pathways region made a big push to get as many online community survey responses as possible. That push was successful, as we received 859 total responses over the month!?Here are three key takeaways which?really stood out. ?

1. Strong participation from Stellar participating communities

Participation in the survey came from all over Dearborn County including Lawrenceburg, St. Leon, West Harrison, Moores Hill and more! Twenty-eight percent?of respondents were from Greendale, 12% from the unincorporated county outside of Bright, and over 8% from Bright. Although Dillsboro is the smallest town in the Stellar Region by population, it accounted for over 17% of responses, showing a strong level of participation and vested interest from its residents despite its smaller size. We loved seeing this wide range of geographic participation in the survey. ?

2. Housing is a top priority for Dearborn County

When asked to rank Dearborn County's Big?8 Economic Drivers, respondents overwhelmingly prioritized Housing with nearly 40% of survey participants placing that driver?as the top priority for investment.?This tracks with what we have heard at multiple in-person community engagement sessions. Downtown Redevelopment?ranked second and Business Retention & Attraction ranked third. ?

3. Room for improvement in recreation and infrastructure

Respondents rated the need for better?bike and pedestrian trails?and enhanced?youth activities?as areas needing significant improvement. This shows a clear demand for enhanced outdoor and recreational spaces and also tracks very accurately with many of the conversations we had during the in person engagement events. Every community expressed a strong interest in improved outdoor recreational spaces, particularly safe and accessible routes for walking and biking.

You can view the full survey results at www.1dearborn.org/stellar.

These community engagement activities have really shaped how our region is putting together its Stellar Strategic Investment Plan. All of the feedback we have received is acting as an arrow, pointing our efforts and priorities toward projects that will help to address some of the things we have heard. Don't miss your chance to provide even more feedback on our strategic investment plan, which will be presented at the One Dearborn County Stellar Pathways Open House on Thursday, October 3, 6:00-7:30 p.m. at?Greendale Middle School.?We hope to see you there!

Gage Pace

Economic Development Manager