Lt. Governor Fran Ulmer spoke to workshop attendees about the need for better planning by rural Alaskan communities.

The organizers, which included federal and state agencies, Indian housing authorities, for-profits and nonprofits organizations, developed strategies and techniques for communities to use for planning and infrastructure development. The collaborators also sought to encourage cooperation among the organizing entities.

More than 200 people attended the workshop, including the Lt. Governor Fran Ulmer; the federal co-chairperson of the Denali Commission, an innovative federal-state partnership established by Congress in 1998 to provide critical utilities, infrastructure, and economic support throughout Alaska; and the CEO of the Foraker Group, an organization set up by United Way to provide shared services - such as bookkeeping, grant writing and planned giving - to small non-profits in Alaska.

Jeff Soule, from the American Planning Association, gave a presentation on the elements of comprehensive planning.

Each day of the workshop was organized around a theme. The first day's theme was Comprehensive Planning and Coordination. One of the day's highlights was a presentation by Jeff Soule, policy director of the American Planning Association and a Fellow of the American Institute of Planners. A panel of community representatives spoke about their successes in creating and implementing comprehensive plans.

The second day, Partners in Community Development, focused on the variety of available funding sources, on how to access and use them successfully, how to leverage resources, and how to ensure project sustainability.

More than 200 people attended the three-day workshop organized by Alaskan housing groups, including HUD and state agencies.

The third day, Visions to Reality, addressed the tools needed to achieve a successful plan or project. Modular construction, elderly housing, jobs and a new rural mortgage program were some of the breakout session topics.

Participants' evaluations of the workshop were overwhelmingly positive, noting that they found the discussions of challenges and successes especially useful and that they received useful information. Many participants also asked that a follow-up workshop be developed after they have had the opportunity to try some of the techniques presented in this workshop.