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Opinion Editorials Help define area’s economic needs
Help define area’s economic needs
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When an economic recovery, or stimulus, package gets approved on
Capitol Hill and is signed by then-President Barack Obama, what will be
in it for local communities like our own? If officials in Union County get their say, quite a lot. Union County has wasted no time in developing a list of potential public projects that would help rebuild our infrastructure as well provide jobs to help rebuild our local economy. The list, at this point, includes 101 projects that carry an estimated cost of $134 million. A group has been meeting for about a month to come up with the list of countywide infrastructure needs, 80 of which could be bid-ready in 60 days. On Tuesday the group will solicit input from the private sector about how federal dollars could aid their businesses, and, consequently, the local economy. A summit is planned for 2:15 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Blue Mountain Conference Center. The group wants to hear from anyone who has thoughts about how the stimulus monies could have a positive impact. Among the presenters will be Tom Insko of Boise Cascade, Greg Barreto of Barreto Manufacturing and Ron Nash of Northwood Manufacturing. All three businesses have been forced to reduce staff and cut or curtail production in the past several months. The summit is Phase 2 of a three-phase effort to have a strategic plan in place in the event federal dollars become available. The first phase was compiling a list of public projects, which range from water system improvements in Elgin to street and school building improvements in La Grande, and from county road needs to needed upgrades of facilities at Eastern Oregon University. The $134 million cost of the public-sector needs, or phase one, sounds exorbitant. The reality is that Union County’s needs won’t be fulfilled at that level, but most of the needs are real. Infrastructure, as evidenced by the condition of our roads and school buildings, has been neglected far too long. The second phase begins with Tuesday’s meeting. The third phase is the countywide plan. County Commissioner Nellie Hibbert, City Manager Robert Strope, La Grande Community and Economic Director Charlie Mitchell and UCEDC Interim Director Mike Sanford have been coordinating efforts to develop the strategic plan. All four stress the importance of bringing the private sector on board, and the need for the county to have a coordinated, team approach to being ready when funds become available. The officials and the entities have set politics aside. They are not debating whether a federal stimulus plan would be the right thing. They are working together to, as Hibbert said, have a plan and “provide hope’’ and bring jobs to Union County. And as Strope and the others agreed, “there is a sense of urgency.’’ The efforts that have gone on over the course of the past month, and which will continue Tuesday, could very well give Union County a leg up in the process. It’s great to see the various entities working together. The next step is getting the private sector involved to explain its needs and how stimulus money could have an impact. That component is essential for a truly coordinated, multi-faceted effort. |
