VisionWorks' Breakthrough Solutions
Community and Regional Success Stories
Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Make Strategic Investments for the Future - December 2004
Community leaders across America are pondering these strategic
questions:
1) What kind of community involvement and strategic investment does
it take to trigger investment from multiple sources associated with
your community?
2) If you had some seed money available from a local source, how
could you invest it in a way that it would lead to long term
sustainable development in the community?
These are exactly the questions asked by community leaders in Pine
Bluff and Jefferson
County. The results are very impressive, with lessons for all of us
about making a difference for the future.
Jim Crider is president and CEO of the Jefferson County Economic
Development Alliance. The Alliance includes the Greater Pine Bluff
Chamber of Commerce, the Jefferson County Industrial Foundation, and
the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Port Authority. Crider has been a
speaker at previous VISION 2010 seminars when he was with the
Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, and he brings broad experience and
expertise to this position. He discusses Pine Bluff’s efforts to
invest seed money from a recent grant:
"We have just received a grant from the Economic Development
Authority through the city," states Crider. "It is designated for
what is called the Lakeshore Pavilion at the Landings Project in
Lake Pine Bluff. One of the key things is we will be moving the
farmers’ market to be out on the lake. A bridge-type structure will
include a lake shore pavilion, which will allow the farmers’ market
to be moved into the brand new structure. The total value of the
project is $2.5 million."
The Lakeshore Pavilion Project is under the auspices of Pine Bluff
Downtown Development, Inc. "We are excited about it, and believe it
will be a real economic boon to our community," states Joy
Blankenship, Executive Director of Pine Bluff Downtown Development.
Long Term Vision and Leveraging Resources
"This is part of the downtown revitalization process," states
Crider. "It all started on Simmons Banks’ 75th anniversary, when
they committed $100,000 to be given to the city of Pine Bluff in
2003. This money was used to leverage the funds from EDA. Other
businesses also have donated money. We have raised at least $400,000
for this project."
The project clearly has the attention of the Economic Development
Administration. "Not only am I impressed, I am truly moved," stated
Pedro Gaza, Director of Region 6 EDA, out of Austin, Texas.
"This will start a massive redevelopment around all sides of Lake
Pine Bluff," states Crider. "On the west side of the lake is the
University of Arkansas - Pine Bluff, which plans to build a new
facility there. The eastern bank is in the regional park.
Ultimately, there will be a jogging trail all around the lake.
He continues,
"Once the planning committee came together and met, we decided to do
something that will have lasting value for the whole community. The
idea of using dollars in the local community to leverage outside
sources really appealed to us. We believe it will start a
revitalization process.
There will be a parking area along the banks of the lake, where the
vendors can have some cover. There will also be steps along the
banks all the way down to the water. People could fish or sit there.
It will be designed as an attraction and could be used for cross
country races, for weddings, and for gatherings of people. This
project will be in the Landings Area.
Continuing south across the expressway is the old town, down to the
railroad on 4th street. This revitalization was done under the theme
of Reinventing Pine Bluff. Absentee owners are not as likely to
invest in their properties. We are sponsoring an annual Christmas
parade with Christmas decorations. We are gradually starting to see
a resurgence of stores being built and redone. The old Pines Hotel
has been sold to a family in North Little Rock with plans to
revitalize that facility. They will commercialize the first two
floors, then put housing units in the next floors, with a
possibility of a restaurant on the top story.
People usually don’t want to invest in things they can’t keep
around. If they can’t see a photo and plans, they are not likely to
support it. If you have a master plan and project you can take
around, then people will have confidence it will have results.
People need to have a vision they can see, and they are most likely
to invest. You need an artist rendering of what it will look like in
finished form."
The Lakeshore Pavilion project is only one of the exciting new
developments in Pine Bluff. The Alliance is also adding a bioplex to
the community, and the city has recently been accredited by the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce.
Bioplex Project
Crider describes the size and scope of the bioplex project:
"The Pine Bluff Arsenal gave us (the Alliance) 1,500 acres, and The
National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) has 1 million
square feet under its roof. 600,000 square feet is occupied, and
400,000 square feet is currently under-occupied.
We are working to build a vaccine production facility for the
government. This has changed our scope, to use the bioplex for
cluster development of businesses that would support NCTR. We have
toxic chemicals stored in igloos. As the igloos are emptied, they
could be used to store the vaccines. The federal government can’t
lease properties, but the alliance can market this to companies. The
long term is that companies can look at building a vaccine
production facility - an incubator-type facility."
National Recognition
"It was recently announced that the Pine Bluff metro area ranked 8th
in the nation in new jobs created," states Crider. "Pine Bluff was
recently accredited with three star accreditation from the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce. Of the 5,000 member organizations of the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce, only 348 are accredited - four with five stars,
21 with four stars, and 34 with 3 stars."
In a letter to Crider, Thomas J. Donohue, President and Chief
Executive Officer of the United States Chamber of Commerce, stated:
"Accreditation is one of the highest honors bestowed on local
chambers fighting for pro-growth and job policies at the federal,
state, and local level. This distinction honors your commitment to
helping to advance the principles of free enterprise - the bedrock
of this prestigious award."
VisionWorks Breakthrough Solutions
Crider participated in the VisionWorks Breakthrough Solutions
workshop at the Community Development Institute (CDI) this past
summer. "The Breakthrough Solutions session at CDI was a wonderful
refresher course," stated Crider. "It was awesome."
Congratulations to Jim Crider and the other community leaders of
Pine Bluff and Jefferson County for their visionary, strategic
leadership. We look forward to visiting the farmers’ market at the
new facility, as well as the other great work underway.
To learn more about the work of the Pine Bluff Chamber of Commerce
and the Economic Development Alliance of Jefferson County, go to:
www.pinebluffchamber.com.
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