Goshen Environmental Perspectives Assessmentcommunity.resilienceguild.org/system/files/goshen... ·...

Community Resilience Guild

Goshen Environmental Perspectives

Assessment

Submitted by the Community Resilience Guild

November 2017

Community Resilience Guild Goshen Environmental Perspectives Assessment

Acknowledgements

In May, 2016, the City of Goshen’s Parks Department hired the Community Resilience Guild (a 501(c)(3)

community organization based in Goshen) to perform this assessment. We are grateful to Mayor Jeremy

Stutsman, Parks Superintendent Tanya Heyde, and Maintenance Development Director Aaron Sawatsky-

Kingsley for their direction and support during this study, and for the privilege and opportunity to

facilitate such a rich and extensive inquiry into Goshen’s environmental context.

We are also grateful to the many interview participants (listed in Appendix B) who took the time to

share their experiences and perspectives with us and whose diverse activities and efforts have helped

make Goshen a great place to live. We also acknowledge the many outstanding organizations,

businesses, institutions, and individuals who have cared and advocated for a healthy environment as an

integral component of the common good.

This report was prepared by Phil Metzler with support from Philip Thomas and Carina Zehr. We

benefited from editing and input provided by Beth Neff, as well as feedback throughout the project from

Aaron Sawatsky-Kingsley.

Revisions

This report was revised January 29, 2018 (r2) for minor grammatical corrections and quote redaction.

Notes on Quotes

This report relies on the words and expressions of almost 40 interview participants in order to convey nuance and perspective. Interview transcriptions are based on notes and recordings and have been edited for length and clarity.

Blue italicized text is used to highlight quotes from the interviews conducted for this study.

Green text represents excerpts from references listed in the endnotes and bibliography.


Contents

Executive Summary .................................. 1

Introduction ............................................ 7

Guiding Questions ............................... 7

Data Collection .................................... 7

Conceptual Framework ....................... 8

Comprehensive Plan .......................... 10

Outputs .............................................. 11

Ways in Which Goshen is Doing Well ...... 12

Water ................................................. 13

Trees .................................................. 13

Parks and Recreation ......................... 14

Bike Trails .......................................... 14

Stormwater Management ................. 15

Brownfields........................................ 15

Solar Energy ....................................... 16

Ongoing Challenges ................................ 17

Waste Management .......................... 17

Environmental Legacy ....................... 17

Surface Water Quality ....................... 18

Air Quality .......................................... 19

Negative Perceptions of Industry ...... 20

The Triple Bottom Line ........................... 22

Economic Development .................... 23

The Role of the Municipal Corporation ... 25

Accounting ......................................... 25

Investment ........................................ 26

Regulation and Protection ...................... 29

Regulatory Accumulation .................. 30

Stormwater Regulations .................... 32

Industry Concerns.............................. 32

Municipal Perspective ....................... 33

Autonomy and Responsibility ........... 34

Freedom and Individual Rights .......... 35

Environmental Legacy ....................... 36

Liability Motivation............................ 36

Incentives and Opportunities ............ 37

Brownfield Redevelopment .................... 38

Infill .................................................... 39

Innovative Development ................... 40

Redevelopment Funding and Support

........................................................... 41

Ecosystem Services ................................ 43

Resource Management .................... 44

Urban Forest ..................................... 45

Environmental Leadership ................ 46

Bridging the Gaps ................................... 47

Framing ............................................. 47

Urban Nature .................................... 47

Environmental Health ....................... 50

Values and Politics ............................ 51

Individualism ..................................... 52

Communication and Connection ...... 53

Council Formation .................................. 56

EAC Scope ......................................... 57

EAC models ....................................... 58

Authority ........................................... 59

Composition...................................... 59

Strategic Opportunities .......................... 61

Water City ......................................... 61

Goshen Dam Triumvirate ................. 62

Environmental Education ................. 64

Waste Reduction .............................. 66

Energy Conservation ......................... 67

Sustainable Business Roundtable ..... 69

Stormwater Management ................ 70

Community Resilience ...................... 72

Neighborhoods and Civic Engagement

.......................................................... 75

Strategic Opportunity Matrix ........... 76

Moving Forward .................................... 77

Conclusions ........................................... 79

Appendix A Database Contents

Appendix B List of Interviews

Appendix C Accomplishments from the

2004 - 2013 Goshen

Comprehensive Plan

Appendix D Position Description –

Maintenance Development

Director

Appendix E Works Cited


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Executive Summary

The purpose of this study is to assess current activities, resources, issues, and perspectives related to

Goshen’s overall environmental context. This report provides a snapshot of our context at this particular

moment to help evaluate the need and opportunities for an Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) to

support the Mayor’s Office, the Goshen Parks Department, and other City of Goshen bodies who

provide leadership and guidance on environmental issues.

The scope of work used to generate this report included:

identifying stakeholder groups involved in local environmental activities;

mapping key activities, programs, and resources;

reviewing and cataloging pertinent reports, articles, plans, and other documents;

interviewing government and community stakeholders; and

researching best practices and models for forming an EAC.

This work built on previous studies to develop a conceptual framework for defining what we mean by

“environment” for the purpose of forming an EAC. The City’s Comprehensive Plan and Community

Vision provided useful categories for organizing the results of the mapping activities and research into a

public online database at community.resilienceguild.org/GEP-Assessment.

Specific environmental strengths that stood out during the interviews include:

Water - Abundant groundwater for irrigation and drinking water as well as waterways that

provide recreation, habitat, and beauty.

Trees - An urban forestry program providing tangible economic and social benefits and

preserving Goshen’s “Maple City” identity.

Parks and Recreation - 27 park properties totaling more than 500 acres, and more than 100

recreation programs serving more than 50,000 people annually.

Bike Trails - Bicycle Friendly Community status with more than 30 miles of pedestrian/bike

paths and trails as part of the Maple City Greenway.

Stormwater Management - Successful investments in separating stormwater collection from

sanitary sewers, in stormwater retention infrastructure, and a stormwater management

program have put Goshen ahead of the curve.

Brownfields - Ambitious and innovative brownfields remediation and redevelopment efforts

have improved environmental health and brought additional funding into the community.

Solar Energy - The City of Goshen has an exceptionally high concentration of independent

installations and became the first city in Indiana to achieve a Gold Designation from the

SolSmart program.

These strengths have helped Goshen grow and thrive where others have struggled. However significant

environmental health issues and challenges are still prevalent, including:

http://community.resilienceguild.org/GEP-Assessment


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Waste Management - Residential and commercial waste generation continues to increase,

waste reduction efforts inhibited by “free” weekly curbside trash collection and low landfill

tipping fees.

Environmental Legacy - Harmful environmental practices as part of Goshen’s industrial past still

contribute to soil and water contamination today.

Surface Water Quality - Sediment loading and elevated nutrient and e. coli levels present

ongoing challenges to Goshen’s waterways.

Air Quality - Despite improvements over the past decade, air quality still represents a significant

concern for many Goshen residents due to the high concentration of industry and its proximity

to residential areas.

Negative Perceptions of Industry - Perceptions of industry as dirty and polluting, yet essential to

our economic prosperity, feed common tensions among the public with regard to preserving

environmental health amidst continued growth and development.

The economy and environment need not represent fundamentally competing interests, as they are

different aspects of the same integrated system. Cities increasingly recognize the need to factor natural

capital into long-term economic decisions. Negotiating sustainable pathways for development must also

equitably account for the fundamental needs of society.

Interviews frequently emphasized social values of equity, stewardship, responsibility, health, and the

common good. Participants connected Goshen’s overall culture and diversity to its environmental

context, and identified the need for appropriate language, communication, and inclusivity in addressing

environmental concerns.

This challenge of balancing social, economic, and environmental concerns is commonly referred to as

the “triple bottom line” of people, planet, and profit. In short:

Economy matters. People want good jobs where they can earn a living wage and enjoy a good

standard of living.

Environment matters. People want to live in a healthy place with access to nature, beautiful

surroundings, and a sense of place.

Community matters. People value relationships, shared identity, and opportunities to

participate in civic society and contribute to the common good.

As a municipal corporation, the City of Goshen is learning to manage its own triple bottom line in

overlapping business contexts: in its internal operations; with contractors and organizations on public

projects; and in developing and enforcing policies for the community. But accounting for new

environmental and social factors raises new challenges for budgets in the face of increasingly limited

revenue.

Interview participants described the challenge of arriving at policies and regulations that protect our

natural resources and the well-being of the public without becoming excessively restrictive or inefficient

for business. A consistent theme was that businesses want to do the right thing and that they

understand why regulations exist. Concern was more often focused on the question of who should

ultimately be responsible for determining best practices and policies so that regulations do not become

excessive or ineffective.


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Stormwater management was the most frequently-cited context for regulatory complexity at a local

level, where Goshen is often perceived as enforcing regulations more than surrounding areas. The

“accumulation” of regulations over time in response to changing needs, understandings, and available

technologies can also be a deterrent to development. While negative perceptions of regulatory

processes in Goshen may persist among industry, others see them as a strength that has enabled the

City to address environmental problems while creating a healthy environment for economic growth and

a high quality of life – a level of success that few Midwestern “rust-belt” communities of our size can

claim.

At the heart of these tensions are deeper ideological debates about the role of government in

controlling the actions of individuals in the interest of the common good. A common assumption is that

if deregulation at a Federal level were successful, then states, cities, and towns would have the

autonomy to step up and take more responsibility for environmental protections. Yet, Goshen is still

dealing with the legacy of environmental problems caused by industry before regulations were put in

place.

In some instances financial liabilities connected to past environmental contamination may provide more

motivation for businesses to act safely and responsibly than government regulations. Particularly with

brownfields redevelopment, environmental site assessments are closely scrutinized by all parties

involved, including banks and investors who could become liable as potential owners. For most

corporations, following regulations is far more cost effective than a potential clean-up operation or

future lawsuit.

As targets for redevelopment and infill, Goshen’s many brownfields represent opportunities as well as

liabilities. Because of the efforts of the Redevelopment Commission and Brownfield Coordinator Becky

Hershberger, Goshen has been recognized as an exemplary model for a community of its size. Goshen

has been able to access critical funding for remediating and redeveloping properties that would

otherwise have been unmanageable. Because brownfields often require creative solutions to address

existing complexities, they present unique opportunities to apply new technologies and building

strategies. The 9th Street Corridor, Millrace redevelopment, new Kauffman and Fidler Parks, and the

Hawks Building are just a few of the many success stories.

Goshen is also investing in development strategies to protect undeveloped land and natural resources.

Preserving “ecological infrastructure” is an increasingly important priority for municipalities as they

develop a greater understanding of the economic value that these natural systems provide. Goshen’s

urban forest and wetlands perform vital “ecosystem services” like stormwater management that would

otherwise need to be designed and budgeted into the built environment. The Parks Department

manages most of Goshen’s natural resources and aims to provide additional environmental leadership

through new responsibilities assigned to the City Forester, Aaron Sawatsky-Kingsley, including:

Researching new strategies for preserving Goshen’s ecosystems and assessing and monitoring

their health and performance.

Providing leadership to convene an EAC and/or other groups to explore where new

environmental policies and protections may be necessary.

Educating and training City staff, stakeholders, and community members regarding best

practices for environmental matters.1


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Developing policies and programs that protect the health of Goshen’s residents and its natural

resources—while preserving a healthy triple bottom line—will depend on two factors in particular:

Alignment with existing broadly shared values in the community;

Clearly defining and communicating this alignment in order to engage support and provide

direction and focus.

Different patterns of thinking based on people’s roles, awareness, and expertise lead to gaps in

understanding between experts and the general public, particularly with regards to urban nature and

environmental health. For instance:

While experts see nearby nature as necessary to human well-being and thus an essential feature

of urban landscapes, the public sees nature as a nice, but not necessary, add-on to urban life.2

If environmental health is “about” health, people reason that it must be about health care. So,

while experts clearly distinguish between environmental and public health, on the one hand,

and systems of health care provision on the other, the public often conflates the two.3

These gaps in understanding are often compounded by concerns about ideological differences and a

politically-polarized community. Recognizing the need for effective communication and community

engagement in environmental issues, this study looked for common ground in the form of shared

values, goals, and identity. The overall sense of pride in Goshen’s environmental accomplishments in the

face of a challenging environmental legacy offers one starting point. Commonly-held social values

provide another. As evidenced by proactive investment in the City’s CSO’s and current leadership in

solar energy, local environmental initiatives can be sources of pride and progress rather than

polarization. A valuable EAC function would be to facilitate communication between different

constituencies in the interest of finding common ground, much as the Community Relations Commission

has done for cultural diversity.

Typically, “an Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) is a group of community residents, appointed by the

elected officials, to advise them and other municipal officials about the protection, conservation,

management, promotion and use of natural resources.”4 Based on current perceptions of collaboration

and communication internally and with the community, city personnel emphasized the need for clearly

defining the purpose, composition, scope, and authority of an EAC at the start. Clear communication

and inclusive, interdisciplinary participation were also valued. Pennsylvania’s EAC Network and

Handbook offers particularly useful references to help guide the formation process.

An EAC would provide unique environmental leadership by helping facilitate multi-stakeholder

engagement, dialogue, and investment in sustained collaboration. In addition to specific projects,

coalitions, or working groups, an exploratory approach would help develop the internal capacity to

grapple with questions and challenges concerning the complexity of environmental and civic issues in

the long term. A variety of strategic opportunities for EAC focus emerged from the interviews:

Water City - Coordinating more integrated and strategic management of water resources, from

groundwater and rivers to stormwater management, including education and outreach that

complement current urban forestry programs.


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Goshen Dam Triumvirate - Helping develop a long-term strategy and vision for the

dam/river/millrace system that can inform related policy and infrastructure decisions for the

many stakeholders involved.

Environmental Education - Focusing on environmental education to help address root issues of

ecological awareness and literacy among the general population, and to promote appreciation

for nature, sustainable practices, and a deeper sense of place.

Waste Reduction - Evaluating cost options for residential trash collection and curbside recycling,

including education and outreach strategies and collaboration with industry to reduce waste at

home and in the workplace.

Energy Conservation - Supporting residents, institutions, businesses, and city departments with

energy conservation and efficiency measures to lower demand, save money, and reduce energy

dependency.

Sustainable Business Roundtable - Convening a sustainable business roundtable for businesses

to identify common concerns and share best practices related to resource management and a

triple bottom line approach to business.

Stormwater Management - Improving communication and understanding regarding stormwater

management regulations and best practices, including the promotion of green infrastructure

strategies and the evaluation of flooding and infrastructure risks related to peak precipitation

events.

Community Resilience - Helping to guide communication and manage ideological polarities in

the interest of building community relationships and connections essential to community

resilience in the face of extreme environmental events.

Neighborhoods and Civic Engagement - Cultivating healthy relationships with civic groups and

individuals and soliciting feedback through inclusive community engagement and collaboration.

Pursuing the various measures outlined in the Comprehensive Plan and Community Vision (2025) would

be congruent with addressing the strategic opportunities described above. The Plan offers a solid

platform for broadly defining the scope and informing the direction of an EAC. As a non-binding

document, it’s up to the City to discern how and when to apply the Plan’s goals to specific contexts. An

EAC could help keep the Plan in focus for City and community projects and assist in developing new

strategies for implementation.

Achieving these goals would position Goshen as a leader in environmental innovation, collaboration,

and progress in the region and the State. Goshen is already recognized as a model for stormwater

management, bike trails, brownfields, solar energy, and urban forestry, among other areas. An EAC

could be instrumental in sustaining these efforts and in exploring new opportunities as they emerge. An

EAC could would also help chart Goshen’s successes and environmental progress to help keep our

overall context in perspective and support the pursuit of awards and opportunities that would benefit

the community.

The many diverse issues, observations, and questions addressed in this study can be further distilled as

follows:

Goshen can be proud of a wealth of natural resources and a history of successful initiatives to

protect and develop them.


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The City’s environmental context cannot be understood separately from the economic, political,

and social perspectives and values that shape our community and define the “common good”.

Understanding the environmental legacy of Goshen’s industrial past and present and cultivating

collaborative relationships with local businesses and organizations are essential strategies for

insuring a more resilient future.

The City of Goshen’s Comprehensive Plan and Community Vision provides an excellent

foundation and guide for building a more sustainable community.

By leading the region as an environmentally-conscious community, Goshen can continue to

promote a high quality of life that attracts and retains the talent necessary for sustainable

community and economic development.

Quotes from the interviews are used extensively in the report to convey the range and nuance of

perspectives. The following quotes highlight examples of the diverse opinions and insights that have

informed this study:

I think we are at the stage right now that creating systems that are both good for people and the

planet are easy to do. There’s still a lot of low hanging fruit. (Ryan Sensenig)

I believe the protection of our watershed and air are ultimately the measure of success.

Regulation on industry is a key factor to achieving that goal. I do not feel we need more

regulation, just diligent enforcement of the regulations we have coupled with educating

individuals in the workforce on the importance of their actions in the workplace as it pertains to

environmental quality of life. (Jim Skillen)

Concern about development in Goshen is a big concern for [the Chamber] – it sends a bad

message about our community to potential business. It’s important for us for these concerns to

be heard by an advisory committee. It’s great that Goshen is ahead of the curve with water

quality, but how do you continue to be forward thinking on one side, and yet not put more

regulations and more steps in a process that needs to be [less bureaucratic]? (Nick Kieffer)

Probably the vast majority of people in Goshen and the county would say they favor doing things

that will protect them from environmental hazards, but you would have a similar number of

people say they are opposed to environmental regulations. It’s just semantics. (Dan Nafziger)

One of the values that I think exists in every faith community is thinking of the next generation .…

Another value is wanting health; what kind of health do we want? Safe water to drink and good

air to breathe, good food. That’s where the leadership for working on this can focus: what is

needed for future generations and what will make us as a community healthier? (Luke Gascho)

If there’s a sense that something needs to be done in the community, it doesn’t start at the top,

it starts at the bottom.… As we approach environmental problems, the stakeholders have to be

involved with part of that decision making process. (Lew Naylor)


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Introduction

The purpose of this study is to assess current activities, resources, issues, and perspectives related to

Goshen’s overall environmental context. Goshen’s context is shaped by diverse social, economic, and

ecologic issues and ideals and a prosperous but complicated legacy of industry and growth. Because

these factors are constantly changing, this report represents a snapshot of our context at this particular

moment for future reference and for weighing current opportunities.

The findings of this study will be used to help evaluate the need and opportunities for an Environmental

Advisory Committee (EAC) to support the Mayor’s Office, the Goshen Parks Department, and other City

of Goshen bodies on environmental matters. This report and its related outputs are intended to help set

the table for an EAC or other group tasked with providing leadership and guidance on environmental

issues.

The actual work of convening an EAC would be supported by Goshen Maintenance Development

Director, Aaron Sawatsky-Kingsley, who is responsible for developing a committee to “serve and advise

the City on Environmental policy and implementation of policy” and to “study what policies to adopt in

order to protect the City's environment from adversity.”5 This report also addresses related

responsibilities for environmental education, research, and leadership assigned to the position.

Guiding Questions The following questions guided our exploration of Goshen’s environmental context:

What do we mean by the term environment?

What are the important environmental challenges facing Goshen?

What broader issues are also relevant?

How is Goshen currently positioned to address these issues and challenges?

What is working well?

Where are the gaps in policy, understanding, and practice?

How are key stakeholders thinking about environmental issues?

What are the important patterns and trends that can inform environmental decision-making?

What can we learn from other communities?

How could an environmental advisory committee provide leadership?

How could such an advisory committee be formed?

Data Collection The primary tasks we performed to address the guiding questions included stakeholder mapping, asset

mapping, document review, internal and community stakeholder interviews, and research.

Stakeholder Mapping

Stakeholder mapping identifies the ecosystem of actors in the community doing environmental work.

This mapping was used here to identify key perspectives with which the assessment might engage.

While not comprehensive (we are all stakeholders when it comes to the environment), the initial list of


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more than 75 entities (see Appendix A) serving the local community in environmental areas highlights

the abundance and diversity of stakeholders involved.

Asset Mapping

Asset mapping seeks to identify and to organize them into one accessible online database. While not

exhaustive, assets gathered here included geographic locations and features, programs and events,

reports and documents, and additional artifacts.

Document Review

More than 50 local reports, articles, plans, and other documents cataloged as part of the asset mapping

process provided an important means of exploring Goshen’s environmental context historically and

through the lens of specific projects and perspectives. The issues addressed and the ways they were

framed in the different documents informed the conceptual and organizational structure of this report.

Stakeholder Interviews - Internal

The internal interviews focused on City of Goshen staff and operations to gauge perceptions of the City’s

role and responsibility for environmental services, including needs and opportunities that might be

addressed by an EAC. 14 interviews were conducted with City personnel including department heads,

Goshen Council members, committee members, and eight people serving the County and State in

different capacities. (see Appendix B)

Stakeholder Interviews - Community

We also interviewed 16 community stakeholders — identified through the internal interviews and

stakeholder mapping — to take the pulse on current interests, concerns, and overall awareness of

Goshen’s current environmental context. We identified interview subjects based on:

expertise in specific content areas;

relevant roles and responsibilities;

familiarity with current activities in different sectors;

involvement in multiple private and public initiatives;

exposure to broader perspectives in the community; and

acquaintance and familiarity with the interviewers and City personnel.

Community interviews included educators, industry leaders, citizens, community partners, and experts

representing different disciplines. (see Appendix B)

Research

Research explored environmental councils, policies, and activities that might provide useful models or

case studies to help guide the formation of an EAC in Goshen. The research included best practices for

the adoption and implementation of policies by rural and urban communities to protect environmental

resources. Social research was also reviewed to supplement community perspectives and characterize

general patterns of thinking related to the environment in lieu of a formal survey.

Conceptual Framework Like most communities, Goshen’s culture and development have been strongly influenced by the natural

resources and environment around us. We have transformed these features through our activities,


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resulting in dynamic relationships between the built and natural environments with unclear boundaries

and definitions. This interdependence affirms that we do not just inhabit our environment; we are an

integral part of it. The complexity of these relationships is evident in the evolving language used to

describe it (see sidebar).

What do we mean by ‘environment’?

The term “environment” commonly brings to mind elements of nature such as trees, wildlife,

waterways, and weather. In this sense, nature is often idealized as all that is not “man-made” or as

something we escape to. However, we live among these elements in a built environment that

includes our homes and workplaces, parks and roads, as well as the water we drink and the air we

breathe. The challenge for municipalities managing this environment to sustain the health and

security of its residents, its businesses and institutions, and the natural resources they depend on.

Environmental science and ecology have provided us with increasing knowledge and awareness of

how eco-systems function, leading to greater appreciation for the way they support communities as

ecological infrastructure. Wetlands and forests provide ecosystem services such as stormwater

management and air filtration that can significantly lower the loads on municipal infrastructure,

saving communities money. The growing discipline of ecological economics helps quantify the value

these natural resources bring as natural capital6 to be wisely managed.

In a world with finite resources, sustainability asks how we can meet our current needs without

compromising the well-being of future generations. It considers how our actions today can have

both immediate and long-term impacts on the environment. While land use policies and practices

can transform entire landscapes in obvious ways, a leaking underground storage tank may

unknowingly contaminate soil and groundwater for many years.

The field of environmental health is most often associated with issues of water and air quality or

pollution. However it monitors a much broader array of social, economic, built, and climatic

conditions and their effects on the health and well-being of our communities. This involves

professionals dedicated to health promotion, education, policy, testing, and risk management.

Different scales of issues require effective coordination, communication, and capacity at multiple

organizational levels, from local health departments to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Overall, the environment can influence quality of place as much as culture and commerce. Many

quality of life indices include access to nature through parks, trails, open space, and other features

designed for recreation and relaxation. Experts point to direct ways in which nature improves our

well-being both individually and collectively, recognizing access to nature in urban environments not

as a luxury, but as a necessity for public health.7

Despite many conservation efforts to protect and preserve the natural environment, unsustainable

activities have left many ecosystems and natural resources severely damaged and depleted.

Restoration ecology seeks to help rebuild their capacity to regenerate and better perform their

essential functions. Resilience science provides a broader framework for evaluating how ecosystems

in the built and natural environments can withstand increasing disturbance without losing this

capacity altogether.


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Comprehensive Plan Many of the activities and initiatives through which Goshen shapes its environment are currently guided

by the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Community Vision.8 Most recently updated in 2014, the Plan

provides a compelling narrative and guide for improving and preserving quality of life in Goshen as it

explores needs and opportunities in the following areas:

Neighborhoods and Housing

Land Use

Economic Development

The Natural Environment

Community Services and Facilities

Transportation

The various topics addressed in the Natural Environment chapter are all directly relevant to this report,

anchored in the following vision:

Goshen will meet the needs of today’s generations without compromising the needs of future

generations. The City will respect and manage natural resources in a way that sustains, restores

and enhances the natural environment and protects parks, wildlife, waterways, wetlands and

open spaces.9

The previous Comprehensive Plan and Community Vision (2004-2013)11 achieved broad community

support through extensive public engagement and input. Based on this successful history and the

strength of the Plan, Goshen was selected by the American Planning Association as one of ten pilot

communities to help develop comprehensive plan standards aimed at achieving sustainable

communities. Standards focused on process, content, implementation, and best practices for six

principle categories: livable built environment, harmony with nature, resilient economy, interwoven

equity, healthy community, and responsible regionalism.12

Comprehensive Plan and Community Vision

The Comprehensive Plan is a policy document for the community, created by the Plan Commission,

with community input, and adopted by City Council. The plan states visions, goals and policies for

future growth and development.

The Comprehensive Plan is a result of an in-depth study and analysis of existing physical, economic

and social characteristics of a community.

Once adopted, a Comprehensive Plan serves as a guide for decisions and actions for the development

of the community. Indiana Code requires that communities give consideration to the general policy

and pattern of development established in the Comprehensive Plan when making decisions regarding

development. It provides a strong legal basis for land use decisions and helps ensure that public

resources are used efficiently.10


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Many of the specific focus areas around which the Comprehensive Plan is structured relate directly to

environmental topics that surfaced in this assessment. Thus, these focus areas provide a useful

framework for defining the scope of what we mean by “environment” for this report and for informing

the scope of a potential EAC. While still a subjective selection, the following categories from the Plan are

consistent with existing environmental efforts and thinking in Goshen:

Land Use

Transportation

Community Services and Facilities

o Water Resources

o Stormwater

Natural Environment

o Natural Habitat and Resources

o Open Spaces and Parks

o Urban Forest

o Environmental Education

o Environmental Health

o Waste Management

o Energy

o Sustainability

o Climate Resilience

The last category, Climate Resilience, expresses the City’s desire to consider proactive, long-term

strategies for protecting our natural resources based on emerging best practices in other communities.

For example, Goshen’s urban forest is threatened by greater frequency of drought and peak wind and

precipitation events, as well as by invasive pests encouraged by milder winters. More intense storms

also strain the city’s stormwater infrastructure, increasing risks of flooding and wastewater overflows.

Interviews and research within this report often addressed concerns regarding our ability to adequately

respond and adapt to the increasing stresses of a changing climate.

Outputs To help set the table for a potential EAC, this assessment identifies local environmental assets and

attempts to make this information more generally accessible. In addition to this final report, the

information gathered is organized in an online database13 including local activities, resources, and a

directory of current environmental stakeholders. Appendix A summarizes these results, capturing the

scale and diversity of the many relevant past and present efforts.


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Ways in Which Goshen is Doing Well

I do think that part of the reason we’re able to do the things we do and have some of the

creative flexibility here, is because Goshen does have this long-standing culture of doing things

that are green and environmentally friendly, that has spanned across multiple administrations.

(Mark Brinson)

When I think of environment, I think of Goshen as an environment of cooperation. The Chamber

of Commerce gets along pretty well with the City; we get along well with the School Corporation;

there are a lot of associations that work together to create the environment that we have in the

community -- that’s not air, water and dirt. (Allan Kauffman)

Goshen can boast a long list of accomplishments inspired by the 2004-2013 Comprehensive Plan that

were recognized by the City during the 2014 update process (see Appendix C). These include highlights

such as incorporating landscaping regulations into the Zoning Ordinance, establishing a Street Tree

Program, and expanding the City’s Neighborhood Association Program. Another marker of Goshen’s

efforts to sustain a healthy environment is its designation as a Green Community of the Year by the

Indiana Association of Cities and Towns in 2011.14 To help promote awareness of municipal efforts

across the state, this annual award recognizes cities of different sizes that are leading the way in low

impact development, energy conservation programs, sustainability initiatives, and other “green”

programs.15

Green programs are valuable to our environment and to our bottom line. In a time of extreme

needs to cut costs at the municipal level, many green concepts can save a community money,

while simultaneously conserving environmental resources and improving the quality of life for a

community. Improved quality of life, in turn, can help support economic development goals.16

As evidenced by the branding campaign led by the Goshen Chamber in 2011, Goshen’s accomplishments

contribute to a relatively strong sense of place, community identity, and pride.

Goshen residents’ sense of community contributes greatly to the overall quality of life. The

City’s tagline, “Common Good. Uncommonly Great,” captures Goshen residents’ commitment to

the greater good and involvement in the community.17

Many interviews reflected this appreciative tone.

I love the branding statement that came out of that study. ‘It’s uncommon to find so many

people working together for the common good’. I’ve only lived in Goshen all my life so I don’t

know really how uncommon all of that is. We just take it for granted. (Allan Kauffman)

The Parks Department is way ahead of the ball game. Wastewater and everything that they’ve

done, they are way ahead. One of the things that’s been our big thing here is that people don’t

realize how good they’ve got it. You go to a lot of other towns and places and these people just

don’t realize how good they’ve got it. (Denny Long)


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I tend to think of Goshen as a semi-remarkable community, just in terms of its sense of self,

sense of community and willingness for people to help each other and try to deal with problems

that arise in the community. I tend to think that we’re ahead of the curve. (Dan Nafziger)

Interview participants were well aware of our history as a Midwestern manufacturing town and the

complicated environmental legacy we now have to manage. They recognized that, despite many

instances of contamination and damaging land use practices over the years, we still have a beautiful

riparian corridor through the heart of town and strong networks of parks and trails providing abundant

access to nature and connections between our built and natural environments.

While the interviews identified a wide array of strengths and accomplishments, the following elements

were frequently cited as highlights within the bigger picture of Goshen’s environmental context.

Water Goshen is fortunate to have abundant groundwater for irrigation and drinking water as well as

waterways that provide recreation and habitat while adding character and beauty to the overall

landscape.

One of the best things is the fact that we saved that riparian corridor along the Elkhart River

running through Goshen. That is a godsend that is just amazing. (Larry Neff)

That’s our gold. It’s our mountains; it’s our beach. It’s our water. It’s all we have, really, as a

standout feature of our natural environment. (Laura Coyne)

We have an abundance of water; most of Indiana doesn’t have the resources we have. Indy is

running out, and we have to protect ours from being exported elsewhere. (David Daugherty)

Trees Known as “The Maple City”, Goshen is distinguished by the many public and private trees enhancing our

urban environment. From forward-thinking street tree plantings 100 years ago, to the creation of the

Shade Tree Board and hiring of an urban forester through the Parks Department, to the recent

formation of the Trees for Goshen non-profit, Goshen has been committed to enhancing and protecting

its urban forest. The City of Goshen and Goshen College18 have been designated as official “Tree City

USA” and “Tree Campus USA” communities by the Arbor Day Foundation for their effective forest

management programs. Because of these investments, Goshen’s urban forest represents important

ecological infrastructure providing tangible economic and social benefits.

In terms of urban forestry and the work we’ve done in Goshen, we are on the leading edge of

Class 3 cities. (Aaron Sawatsky-Kingsley)

There used to be a lot about ‘what do we need a tree guy for?’ I used to be one of them, but I’ve

come to appreciate it. We need to educate people more about how they can help take care of

trees, and how they can support the program. I think the urban forest has been of service to the

community. (Jim McKee)


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People around town went from saying ‘why do we have a tree guy?’ to ‘oh man, we have a great

resource.’ (Gina Leichty)

Parks and Recreation The Goshen Parks and Recreation Department manages 27 park properties totaling more than 500 acres

and more than 400 acres of open space with approximately 30 miles of trails and greenways. The

Department provides more than 100 recreation programs each year to over 50,000 people.19

I think we have a great park system, especially for the size of our community …. It’s amazing to

see the usage ... I don’t know that I’ve ever gone to a park or a trail and not seen them being

used. (Tanya Heyde)

Community involvement with Arbor Day – and many of our events and programs we offer – is

tremendous. I can’t tell you the last time we put a program out there, or an event that was

unsuccessful. (Tanya Heyde)

We have great parks and bike paths. We have a lot of little pocket parks, and they’re very well

cared for …. Compared to other communities, I think we are pretty tightly staffed, but I think that

Goshen has done an excellent job with our parks. I always see our parks and think they look

wonderful. (Julia King)

Bike Trails Goshen has made significant progress towards becoming more bicycle and pedestrian friendly, receiving

an “honorable mention” as a Bicycle Friendly Community in 2010 by the League of American Bicyclists.

The Maple City Bicycle Advisory Committee and Friends of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail have helped

local government and park systems develop the Maple City Greenway Master Plan,20 supporting more

than 30 miles of pedestrian/bike paths and trails. In 2016, Goshen College also received an honorable

mention as a “Bike Friendly University”.21

Goshen has probably done a better job than anyone else in this region in developing bike paths.

(David Daugherty)

Bike trails are featured as an amenity and a selling point for Goshen – we’ve featured that in

some of our Good of Goshen stories as an attraction. I know that the County is really trying to

elevate awareness of our bike trail resources and further connect the communities throughout,

which is not only huge for recreation, but for transportation. (Gina Leichty)

I’ve always felt like Goshen was way beyond most other communities in Northern Indiana. But

putting together the 2017 Trail Guide for Elkhart County and looking at how much we have in

Goshen, it’s amazing. (Andrea Milne)

A number of years ago, there was a Michiana area workshop on walkable communities that met

in Goshen. They invited a guy from Florida that works with walkable communities and he

surveyed Goshen before his workshop. He mentioned the Millrace path was the nicest urban

path in a natural environment that he’s seen in the country. (Allan Kauffman)


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Stormwater Management Goshen residents take pride not only in the community’s natural water sources, but in the way it

handles its stormwater and wastewater as well. Goshen’s stormwater management program was

developed in accordance with the Clean Water Act to protect and improve water quality by preventing

surface water contamination. By preserving wetlands and tree canopy, installing retention structures,

and increasing the use of permeable pavement and other forms of green infrastructure, Goshen aims to

improve water quality as it flows through the City. By separating stormwater collection from sanitary

sewers and investing in a new Wet Weather Detention Facility, Goshen has saved money while reducing

sewage discharges and improving water quality.

One of the things I was most pleased with was the Combined Sewer Overflow project. That was

the largest infrastructure project the City has ever undertaken so far …. When I came into office

we were already started in the process of having to come up with a long-term control plan to

eliminate the sewage discharges to the river. We were one of the first communities in Indiana to

complete its long-term control plan. (Allan Kauffman)

We were able to take care of it all in one project. There are other communities with long-term

control plans, and it’s going to take 15 to 20 years to fix the problem, whereas we were able to

take a couple of years and stop continued overflows from occurring. (Jason Kauffman)

Brownfields Goshen’s manufacturing and industrial past have left an extensive legacy of brownfield sites throughout

the City. Starting with efforts to identify brownfields and monitor potential contaminants in the 1980’s,

City and County Redevelopment Commissions have proactively developed plans for brownfields

assessment, remediation, and redevelopment. Since hiring Becky Hershberger as its brownfields

coordinator in 2010, Goshen has developed strong relationships with government agencies to begin

major redevelopment projects. These include the River Race (Millrace) and the 9th Street Industrial

Corridor, for which Goshen was selected as one of 23 communities for a Brownfields Area-Wide

Planning Pilot Program.22

Becky Hershberger has established a really good working relationship with the EPA, and so was

very successful on getting brownfield cleanup grants to remove the Street Department and some

of the other buildings along the Millrace. (Allan Kauffman)

I would never want to talk about brownfield problems without celebrating the significant things

we’ve been able to do in brownfield remediation in the last decade …. The whole Western Rubber

cleanup was done. And the whole Millrace project, as long and laborious as it’s been, Becky’s

been able to get the funding and get it done in ways that very few communities have been able

to do. Now we’re in the midst of a couple of other big projects. She has a much better handle on

its failures and successes than I do, but sitting from where I observe, I think it’s huge what she’s

been able to do. (Glenn Gilbert)


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Solar Energy Goshen is one of the leading communities for solar energy generation in Northern Indiana.

Environmental stewardship and investment opportunities have driven residential and commercial

demand in urban areas, while practical and economic value has led to an exceptionally high

concentration of independent installations throughout the area. The City of Goshen recently became the

first city in Indiana to achieve a Gold Designation from the SolSmart program by making it “faster and

cheaper for residents, businesses and others to go solar.”23

The City of Goshen is entering into NIPSCO’s Feed-In Tariff Program and within 12 months will

be installing a 192 kW array at our municipal waste water treatment facility. As a major hub for

manufacturing, Goshen also has a unique opportunity to locate solar energy systems on the

rooftops of industrial buildings. Several million square feet of rooftops could be used for solar

applications. We just approved a $500,000 investment for an industrial rooftop installation and

several others are in the planning stages.24

We have a lot of solar, and there certainly is nothing distinctive about why this town should have

solar as opposed to any town in the Midwest in terms of quality of sunshine or anything else ...

people have just picked up on it. (Glenn Gilbert)

We’ve had a tremendous head start getting solar out there ... you fly over Goshen and there are

some massive solar arrays that are out there on the [business] rooftops. (Mark Brinson)


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Ongoing Challenges

Some of the perceived strengths addressed above are relative to Goshen’s overall context as a

manufacturing community that has managed to grow and thrive where others have struggled. But

increasing economic volatility and growing ecological awareness have made the challenges we face

seem increasingly complex. Despite best intentions to balance the needs of business, community, and

environment, environmental health issues are still very prevalent.

Waste Management The increasing generation of residential and commercial solid waste presents unique challenges for

Goshen. “Free” weekly curbside trash collection for residents and fees for recycling provide little

incentive for domestic waste reduction. The high concentration of business and industry in Goshen also

generates extraordinary amounts of waste, typically destined for landfills with low tipping fees due to

abundant capacity. Despite concerns about increasing waste volumes, City and industry efforts to save

money, and increasing environmental awareness, waste reduction efforts in Goshen have been slow to

improve.

Growing up, every property had its little trash pile out back. And if that filled up, you just kind of

filled it with dirt and dig a new hole and that was your trash pile. Of course, we didn’t have the

extraordinary numbers of plastics, but we didn’t really think about what it was we put in those

places. So, that’s what we’re facing now – we’re paying for that thoughtlessness back then.

(Glenn Gilbert)

It’s easy to throw things in the trash, and it’s easy to get that trash hauled out every day. When

you start doing the separation, there’s more work on the front end . . . our overall recycling rate

is at about 98% landfill avoidance, but the remaining 2% is still sizeable. There’s still ample room

for improvement – a lot of the stuff that goes into the trash is a matter of behavior. (John

Horwarth)

I think that we’ll approach a crisis situation in our county – what are we going to do with all the

wood waste from cabinet manufacturing, from RV manufacturing? There’s just literally tons and

tons a day of particleboard and plywood waste, hardwood waste, and MDF waste …. I think the

County heads and businesses need to get their heads together and figure out what are we going

to do before things get out of hand. (John Horwarth)

When you’re in a manufacturing town the waste stream is astronomical, and now it’s the largest

it’s ever been. (Jim Skillen)

Environmental Legacy Much of our environmental context continues to be negatively affected by past harmful activities.

Residential, commercial, municipal, industrial, and agricultural practices have all contributed to pollution

that still contaminates soil and water today. Natural processes are helping to mitigate some pollutants

over time and modern regulations are preventing many new problems, but we are still left with asbestos

and lead-based paint in many homes, leaking underground storage tanks, and soils and sediment laden

with toxic chemicals. While Goshen’s economic development and prosperity have benefited greatly


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from the strength of its manufacturing and industrial base, defunct operations like the Johnson Controls

site and Ramirez Salvage Yard are unfortunate examples of the problematic legacy left behind.

We used to be perhaps the rubber capital of the United States – we had rubber plants all over

Goshen …. Western Rubber is the one that’s ready to go now – so much of that stuff, I think we

were just ignorant about – we didn’t know, ‘pour it down the drain, it’s gone’ .… We have other

buildings like the old Goshen Rubber, like the old Essex Feed building that at some point, they’re

going to be an environmental issue, I promise you. (Jim McKee)

We do have legacy issues that still haunt us, like PCB contamination. PCB is still in the sediment

at the bottom of the river. (Daragh Deegan)

The baseline for an industrial-based community like Goshen is that they are not that clean

because at the beginning of that revolution safe practices weren’t put in place and the chemicals

being made, there was really no safety. Like paints were all solvent-based paints and today you

can buy water-based paints. A lot of the contamination occurred a long time ago …. I think there

are nine superfund sites in Elkhart County and for our population it’s a very high ratio. And there

are more they just haven’t been discovered yet. And they are really only discovered through

subsurface investigation and water testing. (Jim Skillen)

Surface Water Quality Goshen waterways have a variety of water quality issues. Sediment loading (particularly in the Goshen

Dam Pond) is accelerating eutrophication and increasing suspended solids in the water. While erosion

and runoff within the City add some contaminants, more pesticides and fertilizers are added upstream

by agricultural runoff, along with elevated nutrient and e. coli levels. Lake management is a concern

throughout the Elkhart River Watershed, and many of its streams are classified as “impaired waters” by

IDEM.25 Many of these tributaries have also been modified for drainage, exacerbating erosion and water

quality issues downstream.26

Our stream water quality is really poor. E. coli contents of 60,000 at Rock Run Creek. Much of

this is due to poor quality coming in. As hard as we’re working, there are components beyond

what we have any impact on – that’s a tough one to handle. (Dustin Sailor)

In the Chamberlain neighborhood, the river is smelly. It’s very polluted and so it creates a

problem. If you are a homeowner you don’t want to have your house next to a dirty river. Not

only that, the value of your house declines because of the river. Instead of being an asset, it’s a

deficit. (Jose Elizalde)

Despite the challenges described here, water quality was observed to be improving overall.

I grew up on the Elkhart River (our land bordered the Elkhart River), I’ve canoed and fished my

whole life. It’s much, much cleaner today; you may not agree with that, but it was a sick hole – it

was really bad. (Larry Neff)


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We’ve actually had a pretty significant improvement in quality of water, based on testing done

over the years and continuing to focus on efforts to improve water quality to the point that the

St. Joe River now in Elkhart is so clear, that we have problems with algae and weed growth ...

sunlight is penetrating to the bottom where it can generate weeds, so now we’re beginning to

request help with weed control, and it’s due to the clarity of the water. (Mike Yoder)

On a municipal level we have done a lot of things to improve water quality, so a lot of things that

were enacted or talked about from the Clean Water Act dealt with municipal issues like point

sources of contamination. Goshen has already eliminated its combined sewers, so that’s no

longer a problem. We have regulations in place to protect the habitat along our rivers and the

wetlands along our rivers. (Daragh Deegan)

Air Quality Air quality in Elkhart County has also been improving over the past decade; the current average daily air

particulate matter density (11 micrograms per cubic meter) is just above the Indiana average.27

However, air quality still represents a significant concern for many Goshen residents. Increased local

incidences of asthma and respiratory problems are perceived to be attributable to poor air quality

caused by industry. While local industries may be fully compliant individually with federal standards, the

concern is that the unusually high concentration of industry in Goshen and its proximity to residential

areas may combine to contribute to unhealthy conditions overall.

I can remember playing Little League in the late 50’s and early 60’s and just barely being able to

breathe the air because of the smells of glue and other things like that from the woodworking

industry. (Larry Neff)

When it’s warm enough to have the windows open, and you’re driving down 33 at Kercher Road,

boy, you get your sinuses cleared with the smell of fiberglass resins in the air ... it’s so strong.

They had an IDEM permit, but still, they were pumping so much stuff into the air that it just reeks

on some days there. (Tim Cataldo)

I know that there’s a lot of resistance to good air quality confrontation, because it pretty quickly

comes back to the RV industry’s contributions. And lots and lots of small businesses add to an air

quality problem – it’s not the big polluters, it’s the many, many small polluters. (Glenn Gilbert)

I haven’t looked at the stats on that recently but our air quality here is not good. Just because of

the industry that we have and the air particulate matter that we have ... whenever you look up

Elkhart County we rank low. I think we’ve improved over the years, but that continues to be a

problem for us and I don’t know how we can address that outside of federal and state legislation

to tighten up. You’re not seeing that at the federal level now. (Julia Gautsche)


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These local factors are compounded by poor air quality from the surrounding industrial region in

Northwest Indiana.

In terms of air pollution in Goshen, my feeling is that some of this we generate on our own with

our own vehicles, but a significant amount of what’s in our air is blowing over from other

sources. We are better able to control what happens with our water and our built environment

than we are going to have over our air. (Dan Nafziger)

In some ways we have a little more control over the water than we do the air. Since some of the

pollutants in our air can be coming from a greater distance, whereas some of the plumes that

are in our aquifer are coming from regionally located spills or long term release of chemicals into

the ground. None of those being easy to fix. (Luke Gascho)

Negative Perceptions of Industry The prevalence of industry in Goshen and Elkhart County factors heavily into our environmental context.

Generating more than half of the County’s GDP, local manufacturing supports the highest concentration

of production jobs in the country.28 This industrial activity has historically also been the source of many

of the environmental issues experienced by the community and was often referenced in the interviews.

The purpose of this section is not to evaluate industry’s current or past environmental performance and

its effects on Goshen, but to acknowledge it as an area of particular concern in the community.

For many in the community, the RV industry in particular is stigmatized as generating its profits at the

expense of the health of our environment, despite the livelihoods it creates and any efforts to operate

more sustainably. Perceptions of the industry as dirty and polluting, yet essential to our economic

prosperity, feed a common tension between environmental and economic interests.

I don’t know if this is intentional or not but it definitely feels like we turn a blind eye toward the

RV manufacturers. They are an important part of our local economy and what Elkhart County is,

but they get lots of subsidies from the local governments and from other governments. In a way,

they have it easy and they can get away with a lot of what they are not paying for. They are not

paying for the cost of quality of life that everybody else is having to deal with. (Jose Chiquito)

That’s where the rubber meets the road, when you start saying ‘we’ve got these big polluters,

we’ve got to stop polluting.’ Well, ‘big polluters’ are the hands that feed us. (Glenn Gilbert)

These tensions are particularly strong where continued growth and development have brought

residential and industrial zones into close proximity. Many industrial sites were initially developed away

from residential areas, before most regulations were in place; now they must manage noise, dust, and

water quality concerns that may not have been factored into their original site and facility designs. A

challenge for industry is that the environmental regulations for industrial properties close to residential

areas are generally far more stringent than in rural areas.

There are residential homes in direct contact with industrial applications …. We have industry

surrounded by houses and that’s where the greatest environmental risk is for the property owner

of the industrial property. (Jim Skillen)


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Let’s get back to the (contaminant) interaction between residential and industrial. What do

people think about ‘environmental’? It’s a totally different thing: it’s noise pollution, it’s dust,

and it’s visual – trash blowing up against the fence line, or a non-paved surface and vehicles

going across it creating dust. It’s the pounding of a stamping machine, the grinding of

something, the high pitch of a saw – that is more ‘nuisance’ than it is an environmental threat.

But the interaction between residential property and industrial property is where the biggest

complaints come from. (Jim Skillen)

Two prominent examples of the interface between residential and industrial properties are the 9th

Street Corridor and the Goshen Industrial Park (see sidebar). The 9th Street Corridor is currently being

redeveloped with community engagement and guidance from the Comprehensive Plan and Community

Vision as part of the process. The Goshen Industrial Park was established in 1961 as an (M1) Industrial

District and has been an ongoing point of tension with some nearby residents.

Despite its overall functionality, the 9th Street Corridor is nevertheless saddled with a legacy of

intense industrial use. It also sits squarely within the central city – in-between two of Goshen’s

central neighborhoods. Its future lies in how existing businesses and future land uses address

the need of past environmental contamination and integrate efficiently with residential uses.29

Goshen Industrial Park

In recent years, community members from Greencroft Goshen, Goshen College, and the neighborhoods adjacent to the Goshen Industrial Park have organized efforts to document the history of the Park and share current perspectives and concerns about the relationships between the Park, the City, local residents, and the natural environment.

Residents from the 1960’s forward have been annoyed by various neglected restrictions that were promised to residents by city officials who voted for the park. The dilemma is whether city officials are in charge of the quality of life of our community, and if not, who

controls the Goshen Industrial Park?30

All decision making is based upon those who own the largest pieces of property and therefore have the voting power to permit a proposed action to take place. In short, it’s the fox watching the hen house. The affected residents, local citizens and park employees are left vulnerable to significantly reduced enjoyment of life, as well as loss of health along with the resulting expenses, both individually and corporately. Since the 1970’s residents have been complaining about the air, noise, vibration, and resulting traffic impacts from the industrial park. We need to find a way to take care of ourselves, the Goshen Industrial Park,

and the broader Goshen community.31

There are over 3,000 people surrounding the industrial park. This includes local residents, Greencroft residents, Goshen College residents, and the larger community traffic users in the area. Residents have no knowledge of who will come into the park, how much noise and fumes there will be, nor how much traffic will increase with factory expansion. The city officials voted for the park to be established. Restrictions and covenants were made, but City Officials have nothing to do with enforcement. Who is responsible for the quality of life

in the Goshen community?32


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The Triple Bottom Line

It’s always been a struggle; we’re hearing it in the national forum right now of putting

economics ahead of the needs of humanity …. We have the attitude that [industry] is something

that is higher priority than our human existence, so to speak – the air we breathe and water we

drink …. We have to get on that mind frame that those are things we have to cherish more than

the economics. (Larry Neff)

Right now, people are prosperous, but they are a different prosperous than they were prior to

2007, 2008. They’re more conservative conscious, they’re more environmentally conscious. I

think they’re more responsible ... and if you can take advantage of that feeling right now of

responsibility, you can show them [the economic benefits]. People only look at the initial costs

sometimes, which can be imposing; conservation is in the long run profitable. (Vince Turner)

Lessons learned from more than half a century of ecological awareness combined with the gradual

decline of many small Midwestern cities suggest that economy and environment need not represent

fundamentally competing interests. Rather, they are more usefully perceived as different aspects of the

same integrated system. Cities increasingly recognize the need to factor natural capital into long-term

economic decisions, and that negotiating sustainable pathways for development must equitably account

for the fundamental needs of society.

While thinking about environmental and economic concerns separately presents a false dichotomy,

failing to account for social concerns is even more problematic. Our interviews showed that Goshen

residents hold values of equity, stewardship, responsibility, health, and the common good in high

esteem. Participants connected Goshen’s overall culture and diversity to its environmental context, and

identified the need for appropriate language, communication, and inclusivity in addressing

environmental concerns.

In business and planning circles, the complicated task of balancing social, economic, and environmental

concerns is commonly referred to as the “triple bottom line” of people, planet, and profit. Although

rarely addressed explicitly in these terms in the interviews, this conceptual framing was evident in many

of the ways participants incorporated environmental concerns into predominantly economic and social

perspectives. Table 1 uses the triple bottom line frame to highlight some of the values and priorities

expressed in the interviews.


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Table 1 – Triple Bottom Line Values

People (social) Profit (economic) Planet (environmental)

Our children’s future

Health and well-being

Freedom and independence

Equity and fairness

Aesthetics and beauty

Quality of life

Faith and religion

Education

Stewardship

Livelihood

Development

Growth

Economic diversification

Talent attraction

Charity

Waste reduction

Sustainability

Energy conservation

Nature connection

Recreation

Interdependence

Natural resources

Renewable energy

Economic Development The values defining a triple bottom line approach to business are also applicable to larger notions of

economic development. This is especially evident in the gradual shift in strategy from business attraction

to talent attraction, accompanied by an increasing emphasis on quality of life (see Talent Attraction

sidebar).

In short:

Economy matters. People want good jobs where they can earn a living wage and enjoy a good

standard of living.

Environment matters. People want to live in a healthy place with access to nature, beautiful

surroundings, and a sense of place.

Community matters. People value relationships, shared identity, and opportunities to

participate in civic society and contribute to the common good.

These values contribute to the broader concept of quality of place, indicative of a town or city capable of

attracting and retaining a healthy community and workforce. Goshen has benefited from the place-

making efforts of Downtown Goshen Inc. and the collaborative efforts of the Goshen Chamber of

Commerce, Goshen Community Schools, Goshen College, and the City of Goshen through the Good of

Goshen campaign, promoting the City as a great place to live, work, and play.

In the time that I’ve been involved, from the early 2000’s, I’ve seen a shift from when you’re

presenting to a city council about quality of place initiatives – you still have to make a viable case

about return on investment, that hasn’t changed – but there is no longer the immediate

dismissal of projects like that as being ‘frou-frou’. It’s now at least threaded through the

narrative that these two things have to go hand in hand for us to have a viable economy. Solid,

well designed and delivered quality of place projects and other forms of economic development

do work together for optimal success. I would say there’s more general acceptance of that idea.

(Gina Leichty)

Most recently, the statewide Regional Cities initiative and Elkhart County’s Vibrant Communities

movement reflect larger strategies to promote quality of place as a pathway to economic


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development.33 These initiatives ultimately require large financial investments as well as strong

leadership. While successful projects may attract further grants to support additional efforts, local cities

must still be willing to allocate enough capital to prime the pump and develop enough political will

among businesses, residents, and government to invest it accordingly.

I still think in [Elkhart County] there’s not a good understanding of what the role of government

is to create quality of place. Even at state level with Regional Cities initiative, the majority of the

money will have to come from the private sector (>75%). In other successful communities, it’s

heavily supported with public funding. (Mike Yoder)

We tend to throw small amounts of change at problems from a government standpoint, where if

we would just really focus and say ok, we’re going to be all in and we’re going to make the major

investment, I think we could make significant progress…. I see the benefit of doing that, and I

would not have said that ten years ago. (Mike Yoder)

Talent Attraction

We’re seeing this big shift to talent attraction as an economic development strategy …. I think

Goshen is a good example of a community that, over a long period of time, has made investments

and are now paying off. A lot of communities are looking seriously at Goshen and what’s

happened here. (Mark Brinson)

The economic development guys are talking more and more about what these companies are

looking for their workers, and it’s parks, it’s bike paths, it’s strong downtowns. So the more those

guys talk about it that are representing those big companies, the easier it is to get people on

board locally. (Jeremy Stutsman)

When it came from a Republican governor, Pence – talent attraction and quality of place matter,

we are going to develop these regional place initiatives – to recognize that and formalize that, I

think it helped formulate people’s awareness too. It wasn’t some Democrat with lofty ideals but a

very pragmatic approach to economic development that incorporated quality of place. You can

deliberate on the merits of its pragmatism or its fairness or any other critique, but you did include

quality of place as part of the State’s economic development strategy and I think that carries

weight to the local communities as well. (Gina Leichty)


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The Role of the Municipal Corporation

We’re not in the business to make money, but the City is a business and you have to treat it like a

business. You have to have a long-range plan. (Jim McKee)

Money is the driving factor. We are trying to be good stewards of the environment, as well as

being responsible to the City and the dollars that we spend. That’s a fine line to walk a lot of days

here. (Denny Long)

The City of Goshen has its own triple bottom line to manage. As a municipal corporation, The City of

Goshen operates under different state statutes than private corporations, does not have shareholders,

and is not operated for profit. Still, the city’s mayor acts as the chief executive officer and manages the

city’s services and affairs34. With fiscal year budgets exceeding $37 million35 and a full line of city

departments and services to administer, adopting efficient management practices is a practical strategy

for maintaining a professional workforce and working with the private and social sectors. To fully

incorporate the triple bottom line and to acknowledge the role of the environment in economic

development, Goshen would need to more fully account for environmental concerns in its budget and

operations and do so in multiple overlapping business contexts: in its own internal operations, working

with contractors and organizations on public projects, and in developing and enforcing policies for the

community.

The following sections explore several areas where environmental issues can present challenges for the

operations of local government. These include economic opportunities as well as potential budgetary

and ideological pitfalls.

Accounting Looking at the world through an economic lens implicitly assigns value to everything within it. The

concepts of “ecological footprint”36 and “full cost accounting”37 attempt to account for environmental

resources and costs that are often otherwise neglected, such as pollution or resource depletion.

Redefining costs in this way presents a unique and complex challenge for a local community.

Cost is going to be another major value, because it’s one of the quantifiable things, the actual

cost to do something. Helping more businesses, nonprofits, etc. do the harder work of full cost

accounting is a piece that the City could provide some tools or expertise – a team of helpers to

help organizations think through full cost accounting. Most business people know that it’s not a

simple straight line of dollars in dollars out, that there are other costs that need to be accounted

for. (Luke Gascho)

It’s capitalism. The whole idea is that you try to minimize the period of time for return on

investment, and externalize costs. I really think that what it boils down to is either a lack of

awareness or an unwillingness to pay the real cost of what it is that we want to consume. (Tim

Cataldo)


26 | P a g e

Thinking about culture, county zoning ordinances may provide an indicator of where we put our

values. I’ve worked for years to put a higher value on farmland and open space than on

residential or manufacturing space, but there’s been a brick wall there. There’s a strong cultural

value that says that we value manufacturing, we value economic growth and industry, we value

residential housing over and above some of the other issues. Again, something that might be

changing a little bit, but there’s still that very strong influence that we are a county that builds

stuff. (Mike Yoder)

Municipal budgets and expenditures can be assisted by positive economic contributions from ecological

infrastructure. Ecological economists assign monetary value to the work of natural systems such as

forests and wetlands for performing essential services such as stormwater management and air

filtration. The 2011 tree survey estimated that Goshen’s city trees annually contribute more than

$830,000 in net economic benefits to the community.38

Because ecological infrastructure represents natural capital that only accrues over long periods,

developing and planning with ecosystems in mind is often in tension with short-term thinking about

resources. For instance, removing or otherwise failing to protect a forest or waterway can shift a

significant economic burden back to the municipality in additional stormwater management

infrastructure or flooding risk. (This subject is addressed further in the Ecosystem Services section of this

report.)

Investment Over the past few decades, Goshen has increasingly considered a long-term view while making strategic

capital investments that support a healthy triple bottom line. These investments include:

establishing programs and hiring personnel to focus on brownfields, stormwater management,

and our urban forest;

constructing more than 30 miles of bike and pedestrian paths to increase access to nature and

connectivity;

implementing the wellhead protection ordinance.

In the early 2000’s, Goshen proactively made one of its biggest municipal investments ever to improve

water quality in local waterways and assist wastewater treatment operations by separating stormwater

and wastewater through the elimination of many

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