Bluffton hosted a kick-off workshop of Allen and Hancock County officials charged with improving the health of local residents. The two-hour session on Oct. 9 focused largely on increasing accessibility for bikers and pedestrians in Bluffton.

The workshop, led by Bluffton native Josh Unterbrink, Activate Allen County team leader, included a listening session from participants by representatives of Greenway Collaborative and Poggemeyer Design Group. The workshop started in the town hall. Later, participants walked Main Street Bluffton, discussing ideas.

Concerning the issue of “what matters for active transportation in Bluffton?” discussion centered on these questions:

• What are your hopes for the future – this may be a change in the way people behave, the way things look or the way that things get done.

• What concerns you the most – are there some specific places that are problematic or are there some general hurdles to overcome?

• Opportunities – what resources are at hand? These can include people, places and things.

That discussion centered on Bluffton’s downtown, surrounding neighborhoods and needs between Bluffton and Lima and Bluffton and Findlay.

Norman Cox from Greenway Collaborative, Ann Arbor, Mich., listened to suggestions and said that the workshop is one of many taking place in Allen County.

“We want to build a consensus on how to better accommodate pedestrian, bicycles and transit users,” he said. “We want to improve the overall safety of the transportation system, establish logical framework for implementation of the system and work toward a community’s quality of life.”

One of the program’s goal is simple: Make biking a perfectly normal mode of transportation around Bluffton (and throughout Allen County).

Cox said, “We are trying to set a new ‘normal’. We aren’t trying to kill the car. We are here to give options.”

He said that ultimately the “Activate Allen County – Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice” program will result in a better quality of life, keep the community competitive in a new economy, keep the “sense of place” in a community and rethink the use of streets in a community.

Representatives attending the workshop were from The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation, Hancock Handlebars Bike Club, Hancock health commissioner and Findlay Health Department, Bluffton Pathway board members, Activate Allen County group and Greenway Collaborative.