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COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR NORTHWEST LOUISIANA
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COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR NORTHWEST LOUISIANA
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Goals and Objectives are developed by the CEDS subcommittees, organized and prioritized by the CDC staff, and then considered and approved by the CEDS Committee, which is also the Board of Directors of The Coordinating & Development Corporation. Goals are presented here in priority order. 1. Promote development of businesses that are part
of the State-recognized seed clusters including Advanced Materials;
Durable Goods/Manufacturing; Energy, Oil and Gas; Agriculture, Forest and
Food Products Technology; Entertainment Industry; Information Technology;
Life Sciences/ 2. Decrease the level of unemployment while increasing employment opportunities by providing inducements for industries to locate, expand, and start new businesses in the region. 3. Promote export of services and products of the region. 4. Promote availability of capital for expansion of business in the region through local lending institutions. 5. Build on the success of local businesses and industries which have growth and expansion potential; promote programs and policies which will support the further growth of these industries. 6. Raise the quality of public facilities to a safe and healthy level. 7. Focus education on potential employment needs. 8. Promote advancement of existing medical hubs in the region through expanded and vertically integrated medical-related services and industries. 9. Expand water transportation on the Red River in Northwest Louisiana. 10. Develop the region’s forest resources to their highest and best use. 11. Upgrade major highway transportation routes to handle heavy commercial traffic and to access the interstate highway system. 12. Increase tourism in the region. 13. Improve area transportation in order to enhance the region’s cities as distribution centers. 14. Develop the region’s aquaculture and agricultural resources to their highest and best use. 15. Clean up the region’s environment in order to improve living quality of residents. 16. Improve the region’s general aviation airports. 17. Promote the balance between surface and subsurface water. 18. Develop retirement communities in the region. Each objective is designed to work toward the accomplishment of at least one goal. Objectives are developed by the CEDS subcommittees and approved by the CEDS Committee. GOAL 1: Promote development of businesses that are part of the State-recognized seed clusters including Advanced Materials; Durable Goods/Manufacturing; Energy, Oil and Gas; Agriculture, Forest and Food Products Technology; Entertainment Industry; Information Technology; Life Sciences/Biotechnology/ Biomedical/ Medical and Health Care; Logistics and Transportation; and Petrochemical/Environmental Technology. OBJECTIVE: Identify the industry clusters that are most likely to experience growth in Northwest Louisiana. OBJECTIVE: Reorganize the CEDS subcommittees to more closely reflect the State-recognized seed clusters. GOAL 2: Decrease the level of unemployment while increasing employment opportunities by providing inducements for industries to locate, expand, and start new businesses in the region. OBJECTIVE: Develop and market new industrial parks in those areas which have no industrial park, where existing industrial parks have little or no available space, or where specialized needs exist. OBJECTIVE: Establish and improve infrastructure at existing industrial parks to make them more attractive to industries seeking locations. GOAL 3: Promote export of services and products of the region. OBJECTIVE: Establish industries which make finished products from raw materials originating in Northwest Louisiana. OBJECTIVE: Identify the countries best suited to receive products from Northwest Louisiana by determining the most compatible currency conversion, those with high per capita income, those with the best trade incentives, those with the least restrictions upon imports, and those most compatible with Northwest Louisiana’s business methods. OBJECTIVE: Establish uniform market strategy for Northwest Louisiana Exports. GOAL 4: Promote availability of capital for expansion of business in the region through local lending institutions. OBJECTIVE: Develop and promote programs whereby lending institutions set aside funds to be loaned strictly to local businesses and industries which wish to expand within their own community. OBJECTIVE: Promote easing of restraints placed on lending institutions by the Federal government to allow more businesses to qualify for loans. OBJECTIVE: Facilitate matching of capital requirements to projects requiring funds. OBJECTIVE: Provide training to local businesses, industries, and lending institutions as to how SBA, USDA Rural Development, EDA, HUD and other federal lending agencies operate. OBJECTIVE: Offer tax and financial incentives to small businesses similar to those offered to large companies. OBJECTIVE: Support conditions that make reasonable insurance coverage available for businesses of all sizes. OBJECTIVE: Notify businesses that there are programs available in which business participation would lower workers compensation costs. OBJECTIVE: Make regional and local economic developers aware of programs available to business and encourage them to place this information in the hands of small business. GOAL 5: Build on the success of local businesses and industries which have growth and expansion potential; promote programs and policies which will support the further growth of these industries. OBJECTIVE: Establish industries in Northwest Louisiana which utilize products made by existing industries or which produce products needed by existing industries. OBJECTIVE: Maintain a current business directory with information on each district manufacturing business. This will allow “cross matching” of local suppliers with existing industries, directing new businesses to available local suppliers and to use as a vehicle to inform businesses of programs available to them. OBJECTIVE: Provide a mechanism which makes local suppliers aware of local government contracts, and encourages them to compete for them. OBJECTIVE: Establish and improve working relationships with State level Department of Economic Development staff. GOAL 6: Raise the quality of public facilities to a safe and healthy level. OBJECTIVE: Upgrade or replace all substandard sewage treatment facilities to meet DEQ requirements. OBJECTIVE: Extend sewage collection to communities which have inadequate individual sewer treatment. OBJECTIVE: Provide high quality potable water to all rural and populate areas. OBJECTIVE: Provide adequate fire protection to all rural and populated areas. OBJECTIVE: Replace aging and deteriorated school facilities. OBJECTIVE: Provide adequate disposal of solid waste (including medical waste). GOAL 7: Focus education on potential employment needs. OBJECTIVE: Promote programs that teach “Work ethic” and its importance. OBJECTIVE: Provide more opportunities for the local work force to learn needed skills. OBJECTIVE: Provide funding for education programs which promote literacy. OBJECTIVE: Coordinate continuing education training across North Louisiana, Southern Arkansas, and East Texas. OBJECTIVE: Provide opportunities for people in the work force to retrain and cross-train in order to accommodate those who change jobs, desiring advancement, or who must take on more than one job at their regular place of employment. OBJECTIVE: Teach students the things they will need to be effective employees. “Soft skills” must be taught as well as awareness of the need to continue training and retraining. OBJECTIVE: Continue and expand formal forums whereby parish school systems, colleges and universities, and training institutes can exchange ideals and set up cooperative endeavors. OBJECTIVE: Strengthen public and private cooperative efforts and partnerships to provide training opportunities. OBJECTIVE: Redouble efforts to provide education and training to people and small businesses in remote, rural areas. GOAL 8: Expand water transportation on the Red River in Northwest Louisiana. OBJECTIVE: Continue to develop the public port in Natchitoches Parish. OBJECTIVE: Establish a public port in Red River Parish. OBJECTIVE: Continue to upgrade the public port in Caddo and Bossier Parishes. OBJECTIVE: Promote use of a navigable Red River by industries utilizing private river cargo handling. OBJECTIVE: Increase the depth of draft of the Red River channel from nine to twelve feet. GOAL 9: Develop the region’s forest resources to their highest and best use. OBJECTIVE: Encourage reforestation OBJECTIVE: Implement the Value Added Wood Products program for Northwest Louisiana that was undertaken in 1998. GOAL 10: Promote advancement of existing medical hubs in the region through expanded and vertically integrated medical-related services and industries. OBJECTIVE: Improve and expand health care and medical research facilities. GOAL 11: Upgrade major highway transportation routes to handle heavy commercial traffic and to access the interstate highway system. OBJECTIVE: Expand U.S. Highway 371 to four lanes from the Arkansas State Line to Interstate 49. OBJECTIVE: Expand U.S. Highway 84 to four lanes from Logansport to the east side of the region. OBJECTIVE: Expand Louisiana Highway 6 to four lanes form Clarence through Natchitoches and Many, to the Texas State Line. OBJECTIVE: Complete Interstate 220 Loop from Louisiana Downs to the Industrial Loop in the Shreveport-Bossier areas. OBJECTIVE: Improve local bridges, highways, and railroad bridges to handle heavy traffic. OBJECTIVE: Widen and upgrade U.S. Highway 167 and Louisiana Highway 818 in the Ruston-Grambling area. OBJECTIVE: Expand Louisiana Highway 1 to four lanes from Oil City to the Texas State Line. GOAL 12: Increase tourism in the region. OBJECTIVE: Upgrade and expand local recreation facilities. OBJECTIVE: Continue to inventory and assess tourist attractions and facilities. OBJECTIVE: Create more public parks, recreation areas and resort facilities adjacent to the area’s lakes and other natural scenic attractions. OBJECTIVE: Create special man-made attractions for tourists. OBJECTIVE: Create more destination tourist attractions to develop the region as a tourist destination area. OBJECTIVE: Promote more outdoor and other adventure sports activities. OBJECTIVE: Develop family-oriented tourist attractions in the region. OBJECTIVE: Preserve and develop historic sites. OBJECTIVE: Support legislation at the State level that promotes tourism development. Develop an organized plan of political advocacy. OBJECTIVE: Encourage more local businesses and industries to open their doors for tourists. OBJECTIVE: Establish buffer strips along scenic highways in which clear cutting would be prohibited. OBJECTIVE: Promote establishment of construction of pedestrian walkways for transportation and recreation. GOAL 13: Improve area transportation in order to enhance the region’s cities as distribution centers. OBJECTIVE: Attempt to gain commitments from cognizant entities that highways four-laned in this region will also be four-laned in the adjacent areas outside of the region. OBJECTIVE: Continue and accelerate current highway projects such as I-49 to Kansas City, I-69 to Mexico, repair and repaving of I-20, and four-laning U.S. Highway 171. GOAL 14: Develop the region’s aquaculture and agricultural resources to their highest and best use. OBJECTIVE: Research and support local farmers in selecting and producing farm products with high value added profit (such as edible vegetables). Provide information to farmers on how to diversify. OBJECTIVE: Coordinate establishment of new farm product processing plants with the establishment of new farm products. OBJECTIVE: Establish farmers’ markets for local produce in each parish. GOAL 15: Clean up the region’s environment in order to improve living quality of residents. OBJECTIVE: Remove chloride from the Red River. OBJECTIVE: Increase community awareness of the need for a cleaner environment and enlist volunteer support to cleanup. Promote local “adopt-a-road” projects. OBJECTIVE: Help established organizations report pollution violators who must clean up their messes. Promote enforcement and toughening of existing pollution control laws. OBJECTIVE: After identifying specific locations of problems areas, increase local government clean up of public roads and buildings, vacant lots and rural dumping. OBJECTIVE: Educate children and youth about re-use and recycling through school programs. Educate adults and groups of businesses concerning ways and advantages of recycling. GOAL 16: Improve the region’s general aviation airports. OBJECTIVE: Make
improvements to local airports which will make the area more attractive to
industry. Improvements should include lengthening of runways, construction
of taxi-ways and/or turnaround, upgrading of navigation and landing aids,
obstruction removal, runway lighting, and additional hangers and
facilities.
OBJECTIVE: Construct new lakes and reservoirs, particularly in the Sparta Aquifer recharge areas. GOAL 18: Develop retirement communities in the region. OBJECTIVE: Identify retiree target groups and their needs (including military retirees). OBJECTIVE: Establish and promote retirement communities in those areas which would be most attractive to target groups. Goals are listed in priority order. In setting these priorities, consideration was given as to the following factors. What effect would the goal have on a development potential or problem? Every goal should be related, in some way, to the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities or threats that have been identified. Is the goal directed toward achieving short-, intermediate-, or long-term results? It should be noted that under some goals, the objectives vary in how soon they might see their accomplishment. Are there actions related to the goal that are already underway or planned? Some of the planned activities are being taken by State and federal government and these are not easily affected by the CEDS Committee or by any leader in the region. But those actions must be taken into account when setting priorities. What is the relationship of the goal to the accomplishments of other goals? Some goals have a more direct relationship to one another than do others. The Coordinating
and Development Corp. |
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