Toledo, Washington – February 7, 2011 – After a Christmas Day fire destroyed an historic building in downtown Toledo and two other businesses were forced to close due to economic slowdown, this small Southwest Washington town on the Cowlitz river is proving that it won’t be kept down for long. Within days of the fire, Toledo was dusting itself off and planning a comeback.

“Ideas to fix up the town were coming from every corner,” said Toledo Mayor Jerry Pratt. “It became such a movement, we gave it a name.”

The name – Vision:TOLEDO – has come to represent a grassroots, hometown effort to breathe new life into this tiny city. A community meeting to launch Vision:TOLEDO will be held 7-9PM, Thursday, February 17th at Toledo Middle School.

The meeting will begin with a prepared presentation followed by facilitated break-out groups where participants can discuss specific topics at length. The mayor also plans to introduce a customized web-based tool to survey residents and compile responses electronically.

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Contact:
Jerry Pratt, Mayor
City of Toledo
360-864-4564