Heart & Soul officials met Saturday, Nov. 16, to wrap up the “Explore Your Community” phase of the project. Held at the Cortez Recreational Center, the 3 p.m. meeting was designed to create the project’s value statements.

In January 2012, Cortez was awarded a Heart and Soul Community Planning Grant from the Orton Family Foundation.

Aimed to communicate with citizens in new ways, Heart & Soul of Cortez has collected stories and surveys to better determine the city’s future.

“We have compiled values and issues from over 900 surveys, held four neighborhood block parties, 21 community conversations and listened to over 10 hours of video interviews,” said coordinator Rocky Moss.

“We want to ensure our future decisions and planning efforts are made in harmony with the character of the community,” he said.

For information, visit the Orton Foundation at www.orton.org/what-we-do/heart_soul.