Speech Transcript - Growth Partnership Division 'State of the Union'
Speech Transcript - Growth Partnership Division 'State of the Union'
ERIE, Pa. (Dec. 14, 2007) — The following is a transcript of prepared text remarks by B.J. Lechner, chair of the Growth Partnership Committee, and Mary Bula, executive director, delivered to Growth Partnership members on Dec. 13.
The Growth Partnership is a division of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership (ERCGP) and is made up of the top decision-makers from silver, gold, and platinum ERCGP members.
Remarks by B.J. Lechner, Chair
The Growth Partnership just finished up its first year in full swing, and it's been quite a productive one. I think we can be very proud of what we've accomplished so far, and 2008 is shaping up to be a very busy year as well.
Before I turn it over to Mary to briefly highlight our projects, I do want to mention the recent addition of Jim Dible to the Chamber's staff. Jim will begin his tenure as CEO of the Chamber on January 1, at which point Jake will concentrate his efforts and expertise on regional economic development initiatives as vice president of the Chamber's economic development division. This is an exciting change for the organization, and we're thrilled to work with both of these top notch professionals in their new roles.
With that, let me turn it over to Mary to give a brief project update.
Remarks by Mary Bula, Executive Director
Thank you.
As BJ said, in 2007 we really hit the ground running, and we've accomplished a lot from a project perspective. But before I give you some highlights, I'd like to take a minute to thank the Growth Partnership Committee which has devoted a tremendous amount of time and effort to our activities and has provided me with invaluable strategic input and direction over the year. Also, I'd like to thank those of you in this room who have been personally involved in our projects. Without your commitment and participation, we could not do the things we do.
- Community college
- Erie International Airport runway extension
- Mayoral Advisory Group
- Gaming revenue
- Community service mentoring
Regarding the community college, as you know in September the gap analysis steering committee convened by The Erie Community Foundation concluded its work and recommended a free standing community college for northwest PA. The County Executive is now leading the charge to create a community college here, and the Growth Partnership will be leading the private sector's involvement in shaping the community college to assure it meets the needs of the business community.
With respect to the runway extension project, as you know, agreements have been reached between the City, County and airport authority to make the authority more regional in nature, and for the County to provide up to $25.7 MM to complete the safety and capacity portions of the extension. The FAA has pledged $48MM in support of the project. Next steps include finalizing the project's timeline, construction and financing plans, securing financial commitments from the state, and getting the project completed. The Growth Partnership will remain close to and involved with the project to help ensure its timely and efficient completion.
Regarding the Mayoral Advisory Group, recently we prepared and posted on the Chamber's website an Interim Report of Activity, Findings and Recommendations. Our intent is to continue to assist the City with recommendations to improve its fiscal condition.
Regarding gaming revenue, as you know we presented our framework to the County in June, and I participated on the County Gaming Revenue Committee chaired by councilman Joe Giles that submitted its recommendations in September. The Giles committee plan is very similar in nature to the Growth Partnership's framework. On December 18, County Council is expected to vote on the Giles plan. We have offered our continued assistance to the County as they finalize their priorities for funding.
Finally, regarding the community service mentoring pilot project, the objective of this program is to match experienced community leaders with less experienced professionals to help them become better prepared for impactful community service. The pilot is managed through a Growth Partnership steering committee that is currently focused on structuring the program – including development of program goals, admission criteria, processes for matching and project identification, and program metrics. This work will continue into 2008, along with the five pilot mentoring relationships that are currently underway and new relationships that are formed moving forward.
That's a high level overview of our current projects. We've also spent a significant amount of time determining where we'd like to focus our efforts in 2008, doing due diligence around 10 additional initiatives that this body, the Chamber board, and additional community leaders have identified as top areas of interest. Everything that's in the hopper somehow relates to one of our three overarching objectives:
- Vibrant downtown
- Strong public/private partnerships, and
- Pursuit of regionalism.
Our due diligence has involved discussions with other organizations who are somehow tied to the areas we're exploring to learn more about the projects and determine if and how we can work together to advance these initiatives.
Areas currently under exploration include:
- Erie Events Complex (necessary renovations to Tullio Arena, Jerry Uht Park, and surrounding landscape)
- Possible regionalization of the Erie Zoo
- Neighborhood revitalization
- 12th Street Corridor revitalization
- Comprehensive land use and development plan for the Erie Metropolitan area
- Assistance to Presque Isle State Park
- Erie County public safety regionalization opportunities
- Bayfront Parkway reconfiguration at State St. intersection to improve traffic flow
- Regional cultural complex
- Regional sports/athletic complex
Our next step will be to choose which of these projects we will pursue moving forward.
Does anyone have any questions or comments for me?
