The Ottawa County Board of Developmental Disabilities has scheduled a public hearing for Dec. 13 to present a draft of the board’s 2011 action plan.

The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the board’s office at 235 N. Toussaint South Road, Oak Harbor.

Melinda Slusser, the board’s superintendent, said families and those being served by the board as well as interested members of the community will be allowed to offer their input on the proposed plan.

A common thread throughout much of the draft plan is to have staff and board members interact more with the community and to increase the board’s efforts to inform the public about what programs it offers.

The first initiative of the proposed plan, calls for a representative of the OCBDD to attend a monthly meeting of physicians at Magruder Hospital to update them on early intervention services the board offers as well as starting a “Coffee with the Superintendent” meeting to allow families to meet as a group with Slusser.

Notices about OCBDD services will also be listed in school newsletters.

The plan includes a goal of hosting a community resources fair next year and to have senior staff members joining civic groups or a board of community organizations.

The board also wants to establish a Facebook page and update its website to be more “family friendly.”

To raise awareness and bolster its fundraising, the board set a goal for early 2012 of starting a parent group.

By March of next year, the board plans to develop a written business plan to outline viable uses for building space not currently being leased.

The draft plan can be viewed at the board’s website: www.ocbdd.org or by calling (419) 898-0400, ext. 3113 for a copy.

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