Discussion set for Dec. 3, on community priorities in Eureka, Montana. Follow up to MEDA Resource Team Analysis

In October a panel of outside resource advisors identified assets and challenges in the Tobacco Valley.

Now a December follow-up offers residents a chance to participate in setting planning priorities, according to organizers that brought a resource team to Eureka.

The Montana Economic Development Association http://medamembers.org/resourceteams.php sponsored the six-person panel of experts in the field of economic development. Over a two-day period, the panel conducted interviews and accepted written comments.

By Steve Newman
Of the Tobacco Valley News

Since then, the resource team has completed a resource report highlighting its ideas, suggestions and comments along with financial and technical resources.

The next step is the community meeting, scheduled for Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. in the commons area at Lincoln County High school, said Tracy McIntyre, director of Eureka Rural Development Partners, which served as the local coordinator of the resource team along with the Tobacco Valley Community Development Council.

The purpose of the Dec. 3 follow-up is to set community priorities, and as many people from throughout the valley as possible are encouraged to attend, McIntyre said.

The agenda calls for individual priority setting, then group discussions, all part of "developing suggestions for improving the environment, social and economic future of the area," according to the report.

Free babysitting by members of the junior class is available.
"The stage is now set for the future of the Tobacco Valley," said team coordinator Gloria O’Rourke in the report’s introduction.

"There are a number of short term and long term accomplishable recommendations that the resource team has provided in this report. Each of you individually must decide what it is that you want to do?Äîwhat kind of project you want to tackle. It is also important for the entire community to be involved in finding ways to accomplish its goals."

Montana is hardly alone is coping with one major challenge ?Äî providing good paying jobs that support families, said grant writer Carolyn Keller, who summarizes Helena’s collaborative committee tackling the same issue on a regional basis.

Along one avenue of economic development -tourism – Keller suggests "branding" the community. "It is a new way to strategically analyze the community and make direct improvements," Keller said.

Housing is a key issue for the workforce, noted Charlie Wright of the state Department of Commerce. "No houses ?Äî no jobs," he said, referring to a Labor Day speech by Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

Noting that there is no short-term answer to adequate housing, Wright suggested " that private industry, community, and government leaders join forces to seek workable solutions."
Concerns over infrastructure ?Äî roads and utilities, for example, were prominent in the team’s first visit to Eureka. To address a host of related issues, Wright suggests a comprehensive growth plan.

In the competitive race to attract new businesses, committee member Mike Strotheide of Kalispell recommends that "an employment study (be) conducted of the area to determine the skills of the workforce, the available workforce and the numbers of potential employees that would move to higher paying jobs if they would be available."

In tourism, Strotheide noted "a concern of many that there was inadequate motel space in the area."

He suggests contacting chain hotels such as Holiday Inn and Hampton to inquire about selection criteria.

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