Mark your calendars for Thursday, November 13, 2008, at 6:30 p.m. and head to the Indianapolis Art Center at 67th and Ferguson for an update on the Envision Broad Ripple process.

Since the first session was convened at the Glendale Library on Earth Day by Conrad Cortellini, president of Green Broad Ripple, more than 160 people have participated in one of the six monthly gatherings to brainstorm on strategies and tactics to preserve, enhance and sustain the Village.

At the November 13 meeting, presenters will offer an overview of the initial findings gleaned from the meetings as well as a field trip to Bloomington. They'll point out areas of concern and highlight some unique opportunities for safeguarding the Village "look and feel" like the upcoming Broad Ripple Avenue project and the Eli Lilly Day of Service.

Partners in planning the sessions include Broad Ripple Village Association executive director Sharon Butsch Freeland and BRVA Board member Tom Healy; Brenda Rising-Moore, treasurer of Green Broad Ripple; and Kathy Shorter, co-president of HARMONI - the historic Midtown neighborhoods initiative.

Throughout the process, these volunteers have been aided by two planners from the Department of Metropolitan Development, Robert Wilch and Kathleen Blackham.

The long-term goal is to craft design guidelines and standards that can become adopted as public policy in order to steer future development in "smarter", greener and more sustainable ways.

The group plans on additional public presentations in order to solicit feedback to fine-tune and polish the plans. If you'd like to receive notifications about upcoming Envision Broad Ripple activities or schedule a presentation to a community group in the area, please email: envision.broad.ripple@gmail.com