Organizers of a regional visioning initiative are hoping the 4.2 million residents of 32 counties in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia will circle Tuesday on their calendars.

That is the date Power of 32, named for the counties, hopes to hold meetings in all 32 counties to engage residents in community conversations.

"We want to look at year 2025 and imagine a successful, thriving region. What would we have done in 2010 to have a successful region in 2025? What actions, policies, decisions should we make now to be successful in 2025?" said Alex Graziani, the project's outreach coordinator for Westmoreland County, where two such conversations have already been held.

Local counties in Power of 32 are: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland.

In Allegheny County, the conversations will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at 880 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead; at 6 p.m. at 1 Veterans Way, Carnegie; at 6:30 p.m. at 16 Castle Shannon Blvd., Mt. Lebanon; and at 6:30 p.m. at 2700 Monroeville Blvd., Monroeville.

That same day in Washington County, a conversation will be held at 6:30 p.m. at 100 West Beau St., Room 104, Washington.

Tuesday's community conversation in Westmoreland County will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Fred Rogers Center at Saint Vincent College, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe.

"We picked the same date to show we're all in this together," said Selena Schmidt, executive director of the initiative, which is a two-year project funded through foundations, corporate sponsorships and individuals.

Its goal is to "put together a regional agenda that is citizen-led and driven with collaboration," Ms. Schmidt said.

The process is guided by a steering committee made up of a cross-sector of leaders, such as Heather Arnet, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania, based on the South Side.

There will be more discussions in coming months.

"We want to know what people think is special, and what they perceive as a challenge and what issues are our weaknesses," Mr. Graziani said. He is coordinating the initiative as executive director of Smart Growth, a nonprofit community development corporation.

In the fall, data collected will be examined by teams of business leaders, academics, elected officials and others for "doable, innovative, and practical solutions," Ms. Schmidt said.

Details:www.powerof32.org.

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