Sharing Information | Encouraging Engagement
We had a great turnout for the first TCDC-sponsored Economic Development Public Workshop. This update provides an executive summary regarding this gathering.
GREAT TURNOUT
This meeting was open to the public and promoted in the newspaper and online. I estimate that we had between 30 and 40 people in attendance. It was a diverse crowd with residents and business owners from various parts of the county, county officials, journalists, representatives from regional economic development and workforce development organizations, and more.
STRONG ENERGY AND ENGAGEMENT
After introductions and informational updates, we invested most of our time together sharing ideas about economic development projects that could benefit Trinity County. We had to cut off the sharing of ideas to allow time for participants to share their thoughts about the long list of project ideas. Each participant indicated which project ideas they thought had the best chance for success via the CERF funding initiative (more on that later), and which projects they would volunteer to lead or support. The link below takes you to a spreadsheet that reflects the results of this process.
NEXT STEPS
There was a lot of interest in gathering for another Public Workshop in the near future – perhaps as early as the next few weeks. We will share more information as soon as we confirm the date, time, and location for our next public workshop. Tentative plans for the next meeting include:
- Share results of the first Public Workshop
- Gather additional project ideas
- Provide another opportunity for participants to volunteer for leading or supporting projects
- Use breakout sessions for projects with the highest ratings and strong support in the form of leaders and supporters.
- Wrap up with next steps
FUNDING SOURCES
One reason for the timing of these meetings is that significant funding will soon be available to support economic development projects via the CERF initiative. Initial decisions regarding which projects receive CERF support will likely take place in the next few months. It’s important to note that there are (and will be) other funding sources available to us. We just don’t want to miss out on opportunities related to CERF.
CERF stands for “Community Economic Resilience Fund.” This fund was created to promote a sustainable and equitable recovery from the economic distress of COVID-19 by supporting new plans and strategies to diversify local economies and to develop sustainable industries that create high-quality, broadly accessible jobs for all Californians. The North State region has been allocated up to $5 million in funds for initial support of project planning and development. This will be followed by over $25 million in funds for use in implementing selected projects. Click here to learn more.
TCDC
TCDC is short for “Trinity County Economic Development Corporation.” This (recently established) organization is committed to supporting the county’s economic development by helping to unite, organize, and execute community improvement strategies. You can reach members of TCDC at info@letsgotrinity.org. TCDC’s objectives for these public workshops include:
- Connecting supporters of economic development in Trinity County;
- Sharing information regarding the CERF initiative;
- Gathering and facilitating the prioritization of projects that could be submitted for CERF consideration;
- Curating a strong collection of economic development project ideas
- Facilitating and supporting efforts to secure CERF support.
MOMENTUM
I sense a great deal of momentum building here in Trinity County.
- We have a new County Strategic Plan, a new Placemaking Action Plan, and a new County Administration Officer.
- Our new General Plan is under development.
- Our Visitor Center has a new/better home.
- Organizations dedicated to increasing tourism have unified for greater impact and recently received a nearly 500% increase in funding to support their efforts.
- With the support of the Trinity County Arts Council, members of our communities were successful in winning $675,000 in grant funding.
- A process is underway to create new rules for the management of water coming in and going out of Trinity Lake.
- The Trinity County Cannabis Program now has over 215 active cultivation permits and an active retail operation. The rough estimate of additional revenues flowing into our communities through these cannabis-related businesses is over $40 million per year.
I hope you enjoy these economic development updates. Please feel free to reach out if you have questions, concerns, or suggestions. You can keep up with board-related matters using the link below.
BOARD AGENDA & MINUTES – click here to access current and past agendas and minutes. Note – work is underway to get current with the formal approval and publishing of minutes from board meetings.
BOARD VIDEO RECORDINGS – click here to access video recordings of board meetings.
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