Sunday, June 1, 2008
Building Our Economy
There has been a lot of discussion in the River Valley area about attracting new business. We’ve had some success over the years but need to continue our efforts. Steve Eldridge said in letter to the town at his departure something to the effect that building the economy of a community isn’t a sprint, it’s a sustained journey. Any ideas out there about how to build our Economy?
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I think it will help if we create a community businesses will want establish in. We have some wonderful things in place already including a gorgeous area with beautiful rivers, lakes and mountains, our school district is decent (although it looks like the cuts are significantly starting to hurt our children), we have great recreation opportunities (including Black Mountain, Sunday River, year round recreation programs, hiking, fishing etc), ample affordable housing, a decent work force and some really nice people. That’s a great start.
Another thing we must consider when we talk about businesses and growth is the fact that we need to keep the services we currently have to attract the business. That is why I am voting for the Selectmen request for the Police and Fire Departments. These budgets I feel are not funded to the appropriate level but they can work through this tough year with it and hope for better funds in the future once we see more growth., but I do stress we need these critical services to attract business. Vote for the Selectmen request on June 10th and for Buccina and Cameron! Let’s get back to business in Rumford!
One of the first things our businesses to do is learn how to market themselves. We have many small businesses that could grow if they were better advertised. We need to not only retain, but build existing businesses. We also need to bring some more industry to the area. Minimum wage jobs don't cut it. We need to have some high paying jobs to replace the ones lost at the mill. With oil prices soaring, I cannot believe we don't have anyone starting up a wood pellet mill. We also have to maintain our current infastructure (streets and sidewalks). Lately we have seen neglect of these items to fund pet projects such as the library walking path. This path will not bring any business to town, but it has caused our downtoan sidewalks to be neglected. The business park funds were diverted from street repairs and reconstruction. Our storm drains and road surfaces are falling into disrepair. The current industrial park has only three active tenants, but yet we had to develop another park without any commited leads. The Revitalization committee wants to have money spent for new street lights downtown. The current ones were installed in the 1980s, and we can see how prosperous it has made our town. Let's look at things that will make a change.
After living in a few Western Maine communities I'm glad I ended up here in Rumford. My experience with this community has overall been positive. I've not personally met anyone that was not friendly and have found it quite easy to make as many friends as I choose (excluding some who post on the local blogs). The one thing I have found though is that many people seem to have a lackadaisical attitude when it comes to growth for the River Valley area. Many seem more content thinking that things will stay forever the same. Some are even adamant in that mindset. They want the same level of service with no increase in taxes with less people to pay for it. Growing up in an area that relied heavily on tourism for their livelihood I'm seeing so much potential our community has that is being overlooked (or ignored). I'm seeing money spent in the name of "the big picture" that to me doesn't really seem well planned or spent. I credit many for going out and seeking grants to better the community but I've not seen many do it where it doesn't benefit their own interest first. It's sad to see that there are so many people in this community that have so much to offer but are often shot down for their efforts. That in turn discourages others who have much to offer because they've seen what the previous efforts were met with. It seems that unless the ideas are the brain child of a select few or are created at a cost by "professionals" (who don't personally know our community) that they aren't worth following up on. I think many can see what this area needs but there are no goals set. The "big picture" won't magically appear without the right tools. I guess we need to figure out what we have for tools, what we need and how we can put them to work for us.
Well stated C, I agree fully. There are ideas I suggested back when I was on the Board of Selectmen that took years to be considered. They had to wait until people forgot that I had suggested it, so that the right person could suggest it as if it were a new concept. Now, instead of presenting ideas on my own, I pass them through others who make them happen. I really don't need the credit anyway.
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