A rundown of the October CDC meeting follows:

Executive Director's Report

Strategic Relationships: Director Nathan Origer reported on the various available buildings that he had shown to Kevin Bostic, campus dean of Ivy Tech – Logansport, as possible sites for classroom space in Winamac; he noted that Bostic had not yet set a date for a second review with the Ivy Tech – Kokomo chancellor, but hopes to have space available in time for classes beginning in January.

Origer provided assistance with, and submitted a letter of support for, an application submitted by Greenspace Winamac for a Pulaski County Community Foundation grant to beautify the southeast corner for the U.S. 35/Washington-Street intersection.

At the Indiana Economic Development Association’s workforce-development-themed fall conference in South Bend, Origer encountered ideas that he hopes will help PCED to improve the county’s workforce, and also learned of some state-level entrepreneurial-development opportunities of which he had been unaware.

In Francesville, Origer manned a booth at the Fall Festival in mid-September and hosted the PC-CARE Economic Summit on Sept. 22 at the fire station.

Following up on the Complete Streets program, and tied to the Pulaski Health Foundation’s (PHF) potential plans for downtown development, Origer met with PHF representative Sharon McKinley to discuss preliminary concerns about the potential conflict between the proposed development and the Panhandle Pathway. Having met with Mrs. McKinley and spoken with the project architect,  Origer said he was pleased with the plans; he is working to schedule a meeting with PHF and the Friends of the Panhandle Pathway.

Along with board secretary MacKenzie Ledley, Origer met with a Winamac resident employed at Ivy Tech – Logansport to discuss a college fair to be hosted in Winamac, one directed primarily toward adult/alternative college students.

Business Retention/Expansion and Entrepreneurial Development: Origer continued to work with Remington Seeds and Plymouth Tube on tax-abatement projects; the requests will be presented to the County Council on Oct. 10. Work with a local agri-business looking to expand square footage and production continued, although an appropriate site has yet to be found.

Origer is serving on the Chamber of Commerce Fundraising Committee; suggestions that may be pursued include a “Pulaskiopoly” board game and a grilling competition. Neither idea is without faults, but both will be presented to the full Chamber board.

A local business has sought preliminary consultation from Origer regarding development incentives and land in the Winamac Industrial Park.

Workforce Development: The first session of the welder-training course ended successfully; the second session will begin on Oct. 10. Some issues had arisen regarding responsibilities and a steel supplier that is backing out of the program, so a meeting will be scheduled to assess the issues, to assign clear responsibilities, and to discuss related workforce-development issues.

Origer reviewed unemployment rates for August, July, and August 2010. At 7.3 percent, Pulaski County continues to lead the region.

Financial Report: Through the end of August, PCED had expended $55,147, or just over 61 percent, of its budget. The CDC Donation Fund has a balance of $3,062. Commissioner Boswell noted that a final invoice from Rhein-Bach will still be arriving for the land-use maps. An inquiry was made about the presence of Five Loaves on the donation fund’s expenses; Origer explained that this covers gratuity for the on-site service provided at the Economic Summit.

Priority List and Monthly Calendar: The director’s schedule for the next month was reviewed; Origer especially highlighted the Oct. 20 “Branding Your Business” Economic Summit in Winamac; a regional-economic-impact workshop in LaPorte; and the Indiana Main Street conference.

Old Business

Strategic Plan — Economic Summits: Origer directed members’ attention to the list of to-date responses to the Oct. 20 “Branding Your Business” summit in Winamac. He reported that although attendance at the Francesville summit was not as impressive as hoped, the guest speakers at the PC-CARE summit were very interesting and informative, and those who did attend appreciated the information presented. The potential for economic development on this front is strong, although logistical and technical issues have to be resolved in the sector, particularly in regard to harvesting, transporting, and storing corn stover. Discussion about the existing CSX rail line — the old Monon line — that makes the west side of the county ideal ensued.

Strategic Plan — PC-CARE: In the wake of the Economic Summit in Francesville, Origer is working with Roger Cummings to set up a meeting with Pulaski West Developers.

Land-Use Update: The Plan Commission will appear before the County Commissioners on Oct. 17 to ask them to approve the Unified Development Document

Complete Streets: One of the outcomes of the meeting with Mrs. McKinley was a request that the town and PCED look into implementing Complete Streets programming, especially in downtown and between downtown and the park. Origer was unable to obtain a proposal from the Active Transportation Alliance in time, but noted that one would be forthcoming. He asked that the board consider providing financial support for this project; discussion ensued, covering the question of using county money to support a project in one municipality, and how this could be done equitably with respect to other Pulaski County towns. The importance of community buy-in in such projects was emphasized. The board agreed to postpone further discussion until the director received a proposal.

“Jrunion EDC Board”: Although none of the area high school principals attended the meeting, all had expressed some interest in establishing this program. Origer will continue exploring this project with the local schools.

New tourism/marketing brochure: Origer brought back to the conversation the idea of producing a new brochure, highlighting the tourism opportunities that Pulaski County offers. He noted that the quantity of previous brochures on-hand had dwindled significantly. He explained some of his ideas for the brochure and asked for a committee, and related discussion occurred. The board instructed the director to seek cost estimates for a new brochure; Christy Perdue, as the board’s Chamber member, Carolyn Hildebrandt, Mrs. Ledley and Jim Fleury were appointed to serve on the committee. A question was asked about tourism content on the county website; Origer replied that a page exists, but little work has been done on it.

Pulaski County signage/billboard project: The PCED picked up a discussion previously tabled to put up Pulaski County billboards along highways, possibly U.S. 31 or I-65. Member Courtney Poor had spoken with a local billboard owner in the spring, and volunteered to drive both highways to see if similar signs are currently employed by municipalities or counties. Three members agreed to serve on a billboard committee. Another member expressed skepticism about the efficacy of billboards; discussion ensued regarding the return on investment for such a likely costly project.

Arens Field discussion: Having been tabled in August, the discussion of the proposed Arens Field runway extension was revisited by the PCED board. Members agreed to a silent-ballot vote on whether formally to endorse the project or not, and if so, whether to make a public statement as a board or simply to announce to the appropriate governing boards that the endorsement had been made. Two members present abstained from the vote. The board members voted 7-0 in favor of endorsing the project, with a four-person majority opposing a public board statement.

New Business

Transfer of Funds:  Origer requested permission from the board to ask the County Council to approve to fund transfers: $250 from Professional Services to Equipment (to take advantage of discounted prices on books related to economic development) and $500 from Professional Services to Advertising. The board approved.

Ivy Tech/Pulaski County Public Library College Fair: Origer further explained the aforementioned adult-oriented college fair discussed by himself, Mrs. Ledley, and Ivy Tech’s Krysten Hinkle. The board expressed support for it and offered thoughts on scheduling. The board voted unanimously to allow the director to expend up to $250 in advertising to promote the event when it happens, tentatively in mid-November.

Donation Fund: Origer noted that the balance of the donation fund had diminished and asked for suggestions on how to re-build the fund. Approaching private-sector businesses was deemed to be too risky, perhaps suggesting the potential for favoritism or quid-pro-quo situations; the director was encouraged more aggressively to seek support from utilities, which have been the strongest supporter in the past.

Financial-Support Request: Chamber director Angie Anspach enquired of Origer as to whether PCED would help to pay some or all of the advertising costs associated with the Chamber’s scarecrow competition. With it having been noted that the advertising budget is in need of a funds transfer, and that PCED already had provided significant support to the Chamber throughout the year, no one moved to provide this funding, and the issue died.

In other reports, Commissioner Boswell reminded the board that the Plan Commission would be presenting the Unified Development Document to the commissioners as early as possible at the Oct. 17 meeting. Origer noted that he had recently been contacted again by a wind-company representative who is interested in the progress of land-use planning in the county.