Can we count on you?

Carroll County residents have a great opportunity tonight (April 25) to participate in creating opportunities for economic development in this county.

A community forum to address "Marketing Carroll County for Economic Development" will be held in the Wabash & Erie Canal Conference Room in Delphi from 7 to 9 p.m.

The forum is a continuation of the visioning process for the county that began in 2004 with Carroll County at the Crossroads. From the visioning process several critical issues were identified and task forces were formed to address those issues. A few of the results of that process are the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Carroll County, and a full-time county economic development director.

At Wednesday's forum, presentations will be given by Richard Heupel, senior project director for the Office of Building Better Communities at Ball State University, and Bob St. Claire, president and CEO of the St. Claire Group, an Indianapolis firm specializing in strategic planning and marketing.

We think of ourselves as a rural, ag-based county, but we are more than that. We have history and heritage and some wonderful natural assets that we can share with visitors.

But our citizens need to participate in this process if we, as a county, are to be successful. Our welcome signs at the edges of the county boast that Carroll County is the land of endless opportunities. A little help in marketing those opportunities is needed. So plan to attend tonight's forum and be a part of an exciting new beginning for Carroll County.