Prior Lake community shares input for city's vision, strategic plan

Prior Lake American

Prior Lake city staff and local stakeholders met for more than three hours on Tuesday evening to discuss an update to the 2040 Vision and Strategic Plan.

Nearly 100 attendees met to discuss seven key elements to the strategic plan — community assets, economic and community development, effective city resources, natural resources, a safe and healthy community, transportation and communication.

“There were a whole variety of people, some of whom we don’t hear from real often and that’s exactly what you want,” City Manager Frank Boyles said.

Topics within these categories included having more and retaining city staff, including police officers and firefighters, community education, the impact of Uber and Lyft and driverless cars on traffic, a community center, clear and effective city communication and more restaurants, among other things.

“It wasn’t the same old repetitive stuff, it was new and diverse,” Boyles said.

The vision and strategic plan are part of the city’s comprehensive plan, the overall planning document for the city that charts a course for the next 20 years of the city’s life and it’s updated periodically. The vision is also part of the capital improvement plan.

The discussions were a hopeful outlook to the future, Mayor Kirt Briggs said.

“We’re leaning forward on the fronts of our feet, it’s very positive,” Briggs said.

All of these documents are used by the city when evaluating projects and priority for the city. The vision and strategic plan break specific goals into three categories for evaluation and completion — short-, mid- and long-term.

Stakeholders included Prior Lake residents, government staff from Prior Lake and surrounding communities, county staff, Metropolitan Council representatives and Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community leaders.

“Prior Lake is not alone — we are in a community that extends beyond our city and corporate boundaries,” Briggs said. “I’m really appreciative of the folks that came out. The small-town feel is because the town cares and them showing up tonight demonstrated it.”

The process is far from over, Boyles said.

“What matters every bit as much now is what we do with it because we’re really at the beginning of this entire process,” Boyles said. “The real meat and potatoes is interpreting, adopting and implementing.”

Consultants will now take the information and work with city staff and council on Oct. 26 to refine the feedback. A draft will then be made up and sent to those who attended the event. Once the document is done it will be printed and sent to residents and businesses in Prior Lake.