RED DENOTES KEY PRIORITY IDEA

• Commitment to providing access to infrastructure for all
• Provide hardware access to community
• Provide public access places
• Provide access to people with diverse needs
• Commitment to providing access to information resources
• Offer reliable and responsive service to users
• Facilitate the provision and exchange of local information/ services
• Provide information about actions in town that is timely and useful
• Calendar of events
• Subject oriented
• Cross referenced/related data
• Lodging, other events
• Promote Pekin
• Focus on all areas or sectors, not just city
• Improve communication/collaboration among users
• Solve community problems at grass-roots level
• Eliminate/Reduce duplication of services
• Bring the generations together
• Provide Educational opportunities (broad based)
• Help individuals and organizations achieve their goals/mission
• Coordinate educational services, health/medical services, governmental (One stop access)
• Provide access to databases and other services
• Commitment to providing access to citizen participation/ collaboration
• Promote participation and exchange of ideas
• Empower citizens to become more active and informed
• Support democratic use of electronic technology
• Ensure privacy of the system
• Commitment to sustainability of an integrated community network
• Improve the network.
• Explore use of innovative applications
• Solicit feedback for improvement
• Build a system that can serve as a model for other communities
• Become part of the regional, national, and international community
• Provide reliable human and fiscal resources

• Telecommunications infrastructure to address needs and maximize opportunities through the power of technology
• Ease of accessibility
• Need high capacity information network and solid base of well educated workers in order to compete and participate
• Community connectivity
• Enhances Information Infrastructure
• Telecommunications infrastructure to support interactive video and multi-media
• Equal access regardless of income level
• These "high tech" connections enhance "high touch" opportunities
• Better Quality of Life
• Economic linkages
• Exposure to diversity
• Economic development
• Job creation
• Better, more comprehensive public service
• Ease in voter registration
• Improved efficiency
• Cultural interchange among and between communities
• More community involvement (participation) due to knowledge learned
• Improved recruitment of professionals to a smaller community
• Community growth
• Creates "progressive" environment
• Positive image for Pekin
• More for Less
• Sharing resources creates economies of scale that allow more services for all for less cost to each
• Shared network usage
• Lower costs for all participants
• Maximized facility usage
• Automated processes that save dollars for all agencies
• Space savings via electronic storage, faster data retrieval and access

• Infrastructure Services/ Internet Access
• E-mail
• Listservs and Mail lists
• Forums/ Chat
• File Transfer services
• Navigating and searching
• Security
• Training - at all levels; for all services
• Technical support
• Server to host Web Pages
• Web page development
• Telephone system of information
• Education
• Online access to library resources
• Local newspaper on-line
• Checking & reserving books from library
• Homework assignments/ help
• Published school projects "spotlight"
• Training (job, internet, etc.)
• Interactive Lessons - drawing on community resources
• Teacher conferences/grades
• Student web access
• Democracy
• Government documents
• Contact government officials, public officials with e-mail
• On-line legislation, regulations, other government information
• Health and Well-Being
• Ability to schedule appointments (dentist, doctor…)
• health maintenance/assessment
• Access to health-care information
• Self-help forums
• Economic Equity, Opportunity, and Sustainability
• On-line job prospects/training
• Employment opportunities
• Labor news
• Community development projects
• Unemployed, laid-off, and striking worker discussion forums
• Want ads, garage sales
• Information and Communication
• Volunteer coordination
• Help desk
• Community resources
• Buy & sell things - goods
• Community Schedule of Events/ Calendar
• Parks and Recreation information
• Public announcements
• Special interest info: i.e. Boys’ Club, Mission, etc.
• Travel arrangements
• Access to on-line data bases
• Access to on-line periodicals, wire services

• Culture
• Volunteers
• Churches
• Hobby Groups
• Arts organizations
• Boys and Girls Club, Union Mission
• Parks and Recreation
• Education
• Students/teachers/schools K-12
• State college and universities, community and junior colleges
• Private colleges and universities
• Trade and technical schools
• Adult and continuing ed
• Preschools
• Research centers
• Democracy
• Government
• League of Women Voters
• Political parties
• Government agencies- city, county, state, federal, regional agencies
• Activist groups
• Law enforcement
• Judicial system
• Correctional facilities
• Health and Well-Being
• Potential health care patients
• Hospitals
• Pharmacies
• Physicians
• Social service clients
• Free clinics
• Referral services
• Self-help groups
• Fitness/ wellness programs
• Economic Equity, Opportunities and Sustainability
• Unemployed/ underemployed
• Labor unions
• Employment office
• Welfare rights organizations
• Co-ops
• Realtors
• Potential members of the community-business opportunities, individuals relocating
• Information and Communication
• Cable-access organizations
• Public TV and radio stations
• Newspapers
• Organization Leaders
• Non-profit groups
• Residents
• High tech and telecommunications firms
• Senior citizens
• Businesses- manufacturing and distributors
• Insurance
• Real Estate
• Financial Services and Banking
• Entertainment
• Public utilities
• Families
• Professionals
• Snowbirds
• Residential facilities
• Advocacy groups

• The organizational structure should suggest both the tasks that need doing as well as whose responsibility it is to do them
• Key players include:
• Paid director/ staff ( full or part time) with shared costs
• Grant writers
• Advisory board/ Coordinating Council
• University or junior college involvement/ affiliation
• Users’ group
• Solid anchors - some larger/some smaller "players"
• Core of strong volunteers
• Organizational Considerations:
• Policies/procedure
• Method of implementing/enforcing policies and procedures
• Public/private partnership
• Simple, easy to communicate structure
• Broad based/ representing diverse segments/interests of the community
• Needs to develop a shared vision, a shared plan, and a shared voice.
• Structure supports the purposes
• Task force committees to address: technical, outreach, policies, services, and staff and facilities
• Key cornerstones: network providership; political champions to articulate the vision; enabling regulations and pricing; support from all major community groups; partnership board to coordinate the interests of all stakeholders
• Less fragmented community offers "one stop shop" site
• Long range plan to set priorities and ensure sustainability
• Concern - how to integrate with other established providers

• Staff considerations:
• Charismatic leadership
• Visionary leadership
• Technological skills balanced with people skills
• Training skills
• Technical skills
• Facilitation skills
• Strong communication/ collaboration skills
• Volunteer considerations:
• Guardian angel - dependable/frequent technical support
• Trusted volunteers
• Empowered volunteers
• Senior citizens - feeling of ownership
• Recognition of volunteers
• Education affiliation considerations:
• Use of high school students
• College interns
• University connections for training and technical support; research and evaluation
• Shared cost positions
• Support groups
• Blending of diverse goals to achieve the best possible solutions ex. Hospitals, school districts, banks
• Empower organizations to maintain their own sites with key contacts
• Tie in to existing collaboratives and networks

• Identify free services to be provided through the community network
• Guardian angels in Boulder providing orientation training and technical support
• Orientation class (free); more training (fee)
• Train the trainers
• On-line assistance, linkage
• Identify services to be provided through the community network for a fee
• High school students making WEB pages
• Train the trainers
• Mentors for follow up after initial orientation training
• Identify service providers to provide those services needed that will not be provided through the community network
• Web page development
• Training applications classes
• Technical needs
• Internet providers
• Provide an on-going needs assessment to know what skills and services are in demand
• Key contacts in partnerships
• Public access site surveys
• Community segment task force groups
• Advisory Board experts

• Fees
• Pay some to get some
• Fees for access after start-up
• Payment grace period (line charges)
• Monthly access fees
• Server space rental
• Partnership fees - sponsorship fees
• Grants
• NTIA
• ISBE
• IBM/ APPLE
• Other
• Other strategies for sustainability:
• 501C3 Status
• Library & other local government support
• Reduce expenditures versus increase revenues
• Shift appropriate responsibility to users
• Volunteer labor/student labor

• Format
• Deleting info that you would not update - keep things current
• Content grouping - collaboration between normally opposing factions
• Content focused on connecting community
• Date the pages
• Encourage interactive Web Pages
• Return to community site at end of each home page
• Development ideas
• Student development of Web Pages in exchange for access
• Train the trainers
• Responsibility of Web page - site not community network
• Ideas to promote
• Economic development & tourism
• Coordinating and incorporating as many community organizations as possible
• Help page to a Web site
• Online chat group
• Community forums

• Clear focus/mission
• Business plan/ financial plan in place
• Long range plan from each task force area to idenfity needs and actions
• Clear priorities
• Knowing what you are and what you are not
• Staffing needs to fulfill needs
• Paid personnel to manage/maintain network
• Clear job description for paid employees
• Shared costs from partners to support paid employees
• Clear job descriptions for volunteers
• A place to contribute for all the players
• Financial Strategies to consider:
• Face to face contact for clear communication to know needs/ wants/ costs
• Careful budgeting for no surprises
• Grant writers to continue innovation and expansion
• Outsource everything that you can
• Encourage new businesses to provide services not to be provided by the community network
• Providing reengineering strategies and assistance to agencies for a fee
• Reduce expenditures versus increase revenues
• Action oriented - need driven
• Get costs put into individual budgets
• Tie into government, education, and libraries resources
• Link to university resources
• Set up a community foundation
• Seek 501 C3 status

• Vision/ Purpose/ Mission
• Don’t do too much
• Thinking we have arrived at a stopping place
• No written strategic plan
• Dependence on "a few" visionaries
• Keeping ahead of competitors
• Should we be a competitor (ISP)
• Organization
• Too much central control
• Losing control - how its developed - no central control
• Personnel
• Not involving "Key Players"
• Burn out of initial players
• Attrition of volunteers
• Loose organization of volunteers
• Lack of ‘techies"
• Funding
• Dependence on "soft" money - grants
• Steer away from major fundraising
• Web page
• Ghost towns…sites - keep them up-to-date
• Infrastructure
• System security
• Users with low band width
• Lack of public access – "have nots"- equity issues
• Partner participation
• Avoid "elite" focus (i.e. only arts, only entertainment)
• Lack of city/county involvement
• Lack of high school involvement
• Information/access to non "techies"
• Lack of association with a local Cable Co.