MIDDLESBORO — Local dignitaries, business owners and concerned citizens packed into the Middlesboro Community Center Tuesday morning for one purpose: to plan for the future. The second Bell County Summit on the Future was a combination of inspirational talk and brainstorming sessions designed to get the community focused on the future of the county. While this year’s summit repeated many of the same abstract plans for the future, there was a decided need by the speaker to develop a concrete project.

Lori Garkovich, a community visioning and planning specialist with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service who spoke at the December 2008 event, gave a presentation at Tuesday’s meeting to the hundreds of community members in the meeting hall. She said progress had been made, like completing a draft of a community plan and continued work towards developing a marketing plan for the county.

But Garkovich stressed the need for the group to develop a “quick start” project that could get off the ground quickly and be completed in the next 12-18 months.

Garkovich broke the audience up into brainstorming groups and decided on a few key projects to focus on.

According to Judge Executive Albey Brock, the groups narrowed down a priority list to three key projects. The main one, according to Brock, is to support a clean coal power plant to come to Bell County, which Brock said he was already working on.

The second is a centralized website as a “hub of information” for Bell County, with reports updated daily and help for area businesses wanting to open in the county. Brock said the site would be jointly funded by Middlesboro, Pineville, and Bell County governments and the Chamber of Commerce would hire someone dedicated to updating the website.

And third, Brock said the group decided to establish new signage to help “brand” Bell County distinctly.

Among a number of goals, Garkovich stressed the need to diversify businesses and employment opportunities. She said that in order for Bell County to establish itself in the coming years as an economically viable community, the area must develop “signature tourism attractions” and create tourist infrastructure with new facilities and services. She also suggested expanding the health services for older persons; addressing transportation needs in the community; and opening a community center with recreational and health education facilities and activities.

Brock said the meeting had a “good turnout”, in his opinion. During the gathering, members of Middlesboro and Pineville City Council as well as the Bell County Fiscal Court approved a joint proclamation to support moving Bell County to a brighter future.

Stephen Woodward is a Staff Writer for the Daily News. He may be contacted at swoodward@middlesborodailynews.com.