Orange Township moving forward with rebranding

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Orange Township trustees on Monday authorized the Orange Township Outreach and Communication Committee (OTOCC) to post a request for proposals (RFP) from consulting services for the rebranding of the township.

“This is part of the comprehensive plan that we’ve done,” said Trustee Ryan Rivers. “We will be sending out and be looking for a vendor for our community identity piece. So tonight, we’re finally voting to put this out there and officially get things moving forward.”

In September, the township partnered with The Ohio State University’s City and Regional Planning Department to update the township’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The plan had not been updated since 2010.

In four meetings, starting in September, township residents and students discussed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and how residents perceived the future of the township. The final meeting was held in December, with students giving the final presentation.

“We got a lot of positive feedback,” said Planning and Zoning Director Michele Boni in a previous report. She said that almost 500 survey results were returned, and overall the project was a success.

Boni said it was the first time the program had tackled creating an active plan for a township. She said that the project was a big undertaking for a 15-week course where students created and distribute surveys out to residents via social media, mailings, and by going door-to-door to obtain as much input as possible.

Boni was instrumental in persuading the university’s program to work with the township. She said the plan had been nominated for an award through The Ohio State University.

According to Lee Bodnar, township administrator, trustees disbanded the Economic Development Committee last year to create the OTOCC, so as to “broaden the scope of the committee.”

As stated in the RFP, the OTOCC is “soliciting proposals from qualified firms for the development of a strategy to share and distribute information about the plans, policies, and operations of the Township with the public and perform related services.”

The scope of the work is to include conducting an analysis of similarly situated communities, particularly townships, in central Ohio, and reviewing the existing research, township plans, and information to help in achieving the project goals.

Firms replying to the RPF will propose a suggested plan of action with details, timelines, and an approach to information about the township’s unique qualities to help clearly identify and share who and what the township is and what it offers.

The OTOCC is asking that the research include residents, businesses, community leaders and target audiences outside of the region.

Firms are asked to develop a detailed implementation plan with key strategy elements, timelines and costs, including logo, marketing collateral, messaging platforms, and signage for communicating with the community.

Both Rivers and Trustee Lisa Knapp (Trustee Debbie Taranto was absent) voted in favor of the RFP and moving forward with the rebranding of Orange Township.

“This will be very exciting,” Knapp said. “I’m very excited.”

For more information, contact Bodnar by email at [email protected] or at 740- 548-5430.

Rivers
http://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2018/03/web1_Ryan-copy.jpgRivers

Knapp
http://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2018/03/web1_Lisa-KnappF.jpgKnapp

Bodnar
http://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2018/03/web1_DSC_3037F.jpgBodnar

By D. Anthony Botkin

[email protected]

Contact D. Anthony Botkin at 740-413-0902. Follow him on Twitter @dabotkin.

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