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Minding our own business for April, 2005 DELTA COUNTY ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE Delta Force just completed its Economic Development Day, in which participants looked at where we are in Delta County, where we might want to be, what resources we have, and what processes are involved in pursuing community and economic development for positive change. As homework, the twenty-two participants were asked to do some visualizing and priority setting for either the overall county or for a part of the community that matters to them. Following are their ideas for priority projects that we might consider while we are looking at planning for our future. Receiving several nods was the beautification, or increasing the “curb appeal,” of our communities as seen by travelers. Participants felt the communities with DDA’s were making progress on this concept, but that many of our communities could do with a bit of a “make-over” in terms of paint, clean-ups, and remodeling. Just like first impressions help sell your house, we are making an impression on everyone who drives through our communities, and we want to “sell” our community as an appealing place to live, work, and play. Spring is the time we try to step back and look at the clutter and winter’s damage to our homes and yards; this is also a good time for community leaders to look at their “curb appeal” with fresh eyes and rally the troops to get out and spruce it up. Perhaps clubs and organizations can think about this as a service project. The EDA would certainly be pleased to serve as a clearing- house for projects and volunteer groups! High speed Internet and cell phone service were also items hitting more than one participant’s priority list. Getting broadband connectivity, extending cable television, and getting reliable cell service out to all areas of the county would provide a boost to those areas’ ability grow their tax bases by attracting both businesses and houses. The ability for visitors to use cell phones, particularly Verizon and other more national brands, has been a limiting factor for business people who are either visiting or looking at us as a potential location. It would also be a help to existing residents and businesses to have more of these services available to them. Several priorities involved providing or increasing recreational options for both residents and visitors. Some of these priorities included: utilitizing the fairgrounds as a racetrack, creating a “rails to trails” system of biking and hiking pathways, maximizing our fisheries, increasing usage of our park, increasing the ability to use the waterfronts through our parks, re-establishing a food court or putting in a restaurant in the mall, and creating more events to utilize our downtowns. The schools came up several times with a variety of ideas proposed. Suggestions for increasing the school’s involvement in community & economic development included: teaching entrepreneurship in schools, teaching students how to budget, and creating a student volunteer program to accomplish some community improvement goals (like the spruce-up days). One person suggested that Bay College tailor 4 year degree programs to emerging technologies, creating individualized degrees and “cross pollinating” academic programs. Next month is “Education Day,” so this fits right in! Other priorities crossed other boundaries of classification. After visiting Andex Industries and discovering that modern manufacturing is clean and high tech, the group applauded one person’s priority of devising ways to showcase manufacturing jobs to parents, school counselors, and people looking for a workforce direction whether they are students or people who are unemployed or under-employed. Concentrating on health and human safety also made more than one priority list. Looking at our environment, especially the water quality, was considered a priority for one, and another suggested establishing a “Bay Conservation Group” to foster impartial decision making when evaluating the ecology vs. economy compromises involved in proposed projects. Another suggested that while we are already a “safe” community, we need to remain focused on future trends and needs in safety and security, especially when it comes to ideas like the proposed port project. Spring is a time for looking forward, and while both cities are in the process of visioning and setting priorities for their new comprehensive master plans, this is a perfect time for thinking about where we would like Delta County to be in the future. It is our hope that Delta Force’s thinking will stimulate the thinking of readers, elected officials, and those serving on community committees and groups. All readers are urged, as were our participants, to take the next step and become involved in the comprehensive planning processes in your community, and to find the right channel to suggest or pursue a priority area. By Linda Hirvonen, Delta County EDA Director |
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