Glenn urges CDC to think ahead of the box

During Thursday?s Community Development Commission (CDC) meeting, MSU Extension Director, Dave Glenn, urged members to not only think outside of the box when it comes to pulling economic opportunity into Presque Isle County, but to think ahead of the box. He suggested the CDC lead in forming an ?action committee? that steers the community into the right direction when opportunities arise. Glenn said that he was part of a group that met in Gaylord recently to discuss the closing of the Georgia Pacific plant in Otsego County, which put 210 people out of work. He said that while at this meeting, he realized the issue that Gaylord is facing could easily find its way into Presque Isle County in the future. He questioned whether the county would be ready to deal with such a financial loss, and how the county would react in order to make an economic comeback.

?IT BECAME very clear to me that we need to pull together an action committee to take a hard look at possible economic opportunities,? said Glenn. ?We need a group that is willing to be proactive in pulling business into the community; we can?t wait for businesses to come to us.? Glenn made reference to a list of grants offered through a MSU Extension newsletter. He commented that unless someone is looking for the grants with a specific purpose in mind, the opportunity to receive monies is usually lost. ?We get passed up on grants everyday,? said Glenn. ?You have to be in the loop; you have to know what?s going on.? Glenn suggested to the CDC members that a sure way to ?get things happening? in northeast Michigan is to have a group of people dedicated to actively researching possibilities. ?There are opportunities for us out there, and that?s what excites me,? said Glenn. ?I want to plant the seed that we, as a community, need to be aggressive.? The committee that Glenn would like to see the CDC form, and that he would be willing to serve on, has to be, in his opinion, formed by people who want to get out and work toward bringing economic opportunities to Presque Isle County. ?This would need to be a diverse group of people who are shakers and movers,? said Glenn. ?We need people who aren?t just talkers; these people would be out there actively pursuing things.?

GLENN CONTINUED by explaining that members of such a committee would need to be able to follow up on leads, and be able to travel in order to research what other communities are doing, or what some businesses may be looking for in a location. ?Maybe we need to bring people into this community to see what we have to offer, or maybe we need to send people out of the county, state, or even country to see what other people are doing,? said Glenn. ?This kind of action would benefit us, and take us to a whole other level.? CDC director Bill Valentine agreed with Glenn and stressed the idea of having specific people who are aware of outside opportunities. ?We need to have someone that has some knowledge of things out there; ideas more directed to specific things we want to do,? said Valentine. ?We have five or six things that we want to build up a momentum for right now, and having (a committee) would give us resources and individuals that we can tap into.? Glenn concluded that having the right information is powerful when attempting to bring economic prosperity into a hard-hit region, such as Presque Isle County. ?If you don?t have the right information at the right time, then you are left in the dark,? said Glenn.

IN OTHER CDC news:

? Valentine discussed the recent letter to the editor in The Advance that disagreed with the coun

ty?s decision to use the Homeland Security Grant to possibly fund an aerial ladder truck for the fire department. Valentine stressed the grant applied for was through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, which is designed to assist local fire departments in protecting citizens and firefighters against the effects of fire and fire-related accidents. Valentine stated the grant has established 4,175 trucks for departments around the country. ?Why shouldn?t we get one?? asked Valentine. He stated the program is very competitive, and Presque Isle County has ?about a one in eight chance of getting a vehicle.?

? Valentine also reported to the CDC that an information technology business is ?specifically interested in locating in Rogers City? at the Renaissance Zone near the airport. According to Valentine, the business currently has one location in another city that is next to an airport, which would give the owner easy transportation to each. ?It looks like a real possibility, and it could bring 15-30 fulltime jobs to the city,? said Valentine. He has another meeting with the business owner in May.