By Wayne Allen
Common Staff Writer
On Wednesday, March 14th economic development consultants with Fluor-B&W Portsmouth released their South Central Ohio Regional Economic Development Strategy at a luncheon with the Pike County Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Buzz Canup and Jim Bruce are serving as consultants to Fluor-B&W Portsmouth on the development and implementation of this strategy.
According to released information, Canup is president of Canup and Associates and Bruce leads Bruce Facility Planning Consultants. The two have more than 60 years of combined experience in site selection and economic development activities, the two have participated in the siting of more than $42 billion in capital investments.
The strategy is being released at events in Scioto, Jackson, Pike and Ross County. It is being released in Scioto County today at the plumbers and pipefitters hall on Gallia Street in Portsmouth at 1:30 p.m.
Highlights of the strategy include, encouraging each of the counties to look at economic development from a four-county approach.
The strategy states advantages of looking at economic from a four-county approach include, raising the profile of south central Ohio among prospective supporter and investors.
The strategy also highlights county assets including, “clear evidence in four-counties of assets, features leading to strong business case for new investment, jobs in region.”
According to the strategy the next steps include regional group meetings in early April. At the meetings the goals would be to reach an agreement on plans for a new regional economic development organization, develop framework for that organization, marketing plans, define the organizations roles and responsibilities and identify resources and funding.
In August of 2010 the United States Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a $2 billion dollar contract to Fluor-B&W Portsmouth for Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D) of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon. A stipulation of the contract being awarded was that a Community Commitment Plan had to be developed.
A part of the plan was to develop the economic strategy.
For more information about Fluor-B&W Portsmouth visit fluorportsmouth.com.
A novel idea, Regional Economic Growth and Development strategy. We are too too busy being the "unhealthiest county," keeping the pill mills closed, servicing the addicts with scad's of federal and state monies, like the SOGP USDA monies, tearing down a couple hundred un-ocupyable houses, cleaning up the trash, lane stripping Gay Street at the shift in lanes, Sorry Fluor-B&W Portsmouth, we are really busy, maybe on our twenty year plan with the Combined Sewers for the EPA's.
This is not negativity, Ryan and CAVER's, it's laying out the to do list, no list, nothing done.
And what are they doing? This list is an "includes but is not limited to" list. We tax payers only know what we read in the papers.