Ronan Revitalization Committee meets with engineering firm
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RONAN — The Ronan Revitalization Committee met with their newly selected engineering firm to discuss the upcoming work planned for downtown Ronan.
KLJ Engineering representatives Neil Putnam, Ian Butler-Severson, Gary Johnson, and Becky Bey attended the meeting via Zoom and explained KLJ was interested in the project due to their passion for helping small, rural and tribal communities. KLJ was recently selected by the committee to create both a downtown master plan and economic development strategic plan for Ronan.
KLJ is based out of Bismarck, North Dakota, with an additional office in Kalispell. The planning and consulting firm specializes in aviation, environmental, funding resources, land development, oil and gas, power, public works, right-of-way, structural, survey, telecommunications, transportation, and water.
The master plan will provide a cohesive roadmap for the future of downtown Ronan for everything from physical improvements to public engagement initiatives. The economic development strategic plan, meanwhile, will identify opportunities to attract new businesses to the downtown area and support the growth of existing businesses. Both of these plans are important for Ronan to become eligible for larger grants in the future, as well as fulfill part of the requirement for participating in the Montana Main Street (MMS) program. The master plan and economic development strategic plan are expected to be completed within 12 months.
The planning process will begin with a concentrated amount of data collection for both mapping and public input. KLJ plans to meet with local stakeholders, examine the scope of the project to outline needs, and then formally launch the project with a kick-off meeting. After that, public engagement will begin, and lists of “areas that need attention” as well as wish lists are encouraged. While KLJ won’t be working closely with the Revitalization Committee as a whole, focusing more on key groups, the committee will still be kept in the loop through regular meetings and emails.
Additionally, KLJ will create a landing page for community members to go online and stay both up to date on the proceedings and provide their own input. Other means of public outreach, including “pop-up meetings” around town will also be implemented to ensure a diverse mix of voices are heard for the process. The KLJ representatives expressed that they are coming into the project without preconceived notions and welcome feedback on techniques that will work best for Ronan itself.
More information will be shared in the coming weeks as the process begins. The next Revitalization Committee meeting will be held on Aug. 21 at 1 p.m. at Mission West. Those interested in getting involved with planning or revitalization efforts in Ronan can learn more by calling Whitney Liegakos at 406- 833-0570.
