HARLINGEN — Valley leaders plan to drill down on the important topics that will help shape the region’s future as a whole at upcoming meetings.
HARLINGEN — Valley leaders plan to drill down on the important topics that will help shape the region’s future as a whole at upcoming meetings.
The plan is to create an economic development strategy with goals for the Valley through a series of forums and an online survey. The name of the strategy is RGV2020.
Area leaders, stakeholders, elected officials and community members are expected to attend the forum in their area.
“The Valley is one of the fastest growing regions,” said Ron Garza, executive director for the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council.
“We want to think creatively and plan for projects that need to be done by the year 2020.”
The Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council is helping pave the way by coordinating the meetings throughout the Valley.
Garza said the input and ideas from the general community will help create a successful vision for the future of the Valley.
This provides a coordinating process for individuals, organizations, local governments and private industry to engage in a meaningful conversation about the economic direction of the RGV.
“We narrowed down some of the focus areas, and education and workforce always stand at the top of the list,” Garza said.
All the data gathered from the meetings and survey will be evaluated by a steering committee and projects will be proposed to the Council’s RGV2020 board of directors.
The Council is required to lead economic efforts in the Valley as part of its federal designation.
It’s a job they have been doing for the past 50 years.
He said the Valley is growing fast and the time is now for coordination of the more than 40 Valley cities to work together.
“We are going to set the goals and have projects that can be implemented by the year 2020,” Garza said. “The general public’s input is just as important.”
• Wednesday, Feb. 14, Pharr Events Center, 3000 N Cage Blvd., Pharr
• Thursday, Feb. 15, HCISD Administration Building, 407 N. 77 Sunshine Strip, Harlingen
• Friday, Feb. 16, Reber Memorial Library, 190 N 4th St., Raymondville
Complete RGV2020 Survey
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RGV2020
