John Guidugli, a member of the Hamilton Vision Commission and president and CEO of the Hamilton Community Foundation, has been with the commission since the beginning in 1999. In its 25th year helping shape and evolve the city of Hamilton, the commission itself has evolved.
It was born out of the Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan, being a City Council subcommittee charged with implementing that plan, and about a decade ago, it transitioned into a 501c3.
“I think the best part, from my perspective of the Vision Commission is that it’s been able to respond to the changing needs of the community,” said Guidugli. “It started out as a static plan, the Vision 2020 plan, and as the community needs changed and its interests changed and opportunities evolved, this group was able to keep up with that and make changes and be flexible enough to respond to the new opportunities.”
The Vision 2020 plan called for many amenities that exist today, such as RiversEdge, which was constructed in 2013 at Marcum Park. Before the park existed, the idea was to have it at the literal edge of the Great Miami River by the Fitton Center.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
The Great Miami Rowing Center, which was founded in 2007, was also born out of the Vision Commission as a way to help activate the river that flows down the center of Hamilton.
South Hamilton Crossing and the planned North Hamilton Crossing projects may not have been specifically identified as such, but they were areas where infrastructure improvements had been identified as a critical need. That’s the same with Lindenwald, where improvements were needed to improve that neighborhood’s business district.
The Hamilton Vision Commission is also adaptive; in 1999, Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill was never a thought. That project attracted additional development, including the Crawford Hoying project, which is still in the planning phase, and several hotel projects that are planned, under construction or soon to open.
The nimbleness of the Vision Commission is just as important as the discussions that happen during meetings in order to be able to respond to the changing needs of Hamilton.
“It started out as a static plan, the Vision 2020 plan, and as the community needs changed and its interests changed and opportunities evolved, this group was able to keep up with that and make changes and be flexible enough to respond to the new opportunities.”
Sonja Kranbuhl, director of the Fort Hamilton Hospital Foundation, which supports Kettering Health Hamilton, has been on the Hamilton Vision Commission for more than 20 years, and having different partners, from city leaders, business executives, and non-profit operators, sitting down and talking “is what’s exciting” about the group.
Beyond the projects it’s championed, the Vision Commission is where many leaders of today, including those on 17Strong’s advisory board, school board and city council, got their civic start.
“It’s helped encourage community engagement and multiple members ended up running for office,” Kranbuhl said. “It activated and engaged people to recognize people they have a voice and the potential to do really good things for our community. While there’s the visionary component (to the organization), there’s that personal component, where people individually, say, ‘I can make a difference.’”
The group is always looking for new people to be involved, including the next generation of community leaders because one of the big questions the Hamilton Vision Commission is asking itself is how do they attract more young people to Hamilton, “and make it a desirable community to work, live and play,” she said.
Guidugli said those new perspectives are important for ensuring the commission’s longevity.
“There are two things that make the Vision Commission work, and you need both of them to be successful,” he said.
One is the visioning part, where the group is continually looking for new things and ways to implement them. The second part is bringing people together where “community leaders have an opportunity to share information with each other and get updates.”
Smith said 80% of the Vision Commission’s success is getting people at the table in the first place.
“You are bringing a diverse people around the table that all bring a unique perspective to a problem or an idea, and that is how you achieve progress,” he said.
Smith is applying the Hamilton Vision Commission model to his work with the Butler County Finance Authority. In what he’s calling the Committee of 17, Smith is holding an inaugural meeting Friday with some of Butler County’s top employers and some of its smaller but fast-growing companies where they’ll address economic resilience in the county and challenges that need to be identified and addressed..
“Anytime you can collaborate and get broad consensus in moving in a specific direction, it’s critical and I think that’s what the Vision Commission has done,” he said.
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