Polson and Red Lodge, Montana and Saratoga, Wyoming are Heart & Soul Award Finalist Towns

The Orton Family Foundation has selected finalist communities for the second phase of its $10M five-year Heart & Soul Planning initiative to change the way small cities and towns engage their citizens and plan for the future.

Polson, Montana

Located at the center of the Flathead Indian Reservation and riding the momentum of a 2010 initiative called Envision Polson!, the City plans to engage the entire communtiy in a planning process, resulting in new codes and infrastructure plans that confront economic challenges.

Red Lodge, Montana

This ethnically and culturally diverse town–home to rodeos, art festivals and stunning wilderness areas–seeks to fuse the interests of its businesses, non-profits, citizens and officials to implement ambitious community development projects and keep Red Lodge from becoming Anytown, USA.

Saratoga, Wyoming

Known for its rich trout fishery and defined by the river that runs through it, this no-frills town wants to engage its dynamic leaders and tap local wisdom to develop a comprehensive river plan and Master Plan that will mitigate the threat of floods, connect parks, paths, the downtown and its people.

Congratulations to the following Finalists!

http://www.orton.org/projects/finalists

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(Many thanks to Ken Wall Geodata Services, Inc.

http://www.geodataservicesinc.com for bringing this news to our attention.)