By Gregg Foster, RREDC Executive Director
Published
by the Times-Standard, September 14, 2003
The popular phrase “May you live in interesting times” is often cited as an ancient
Chinese curse. (In actuality, it¹s neither old, nor Chinese.) Locally, we are
living in interesting times both politically and economically. We¹ve got
recalls, massive state budget deficits and resulting cuts in local services,
continuing conflicts over timber harvesting, an unprecedented rise in housing
prices, and on and on.
It’s easy in these times to get bogged down
in the negative. Yet, across this county, good things are happening. Many of
these projects are the result of years of hard work by community leaders,
business owners, organizations and volunteers.
Some examples include:
-Willow Creek recently completed a project to
improve its commercial area to make it more pedestrian friendly and encourage
tourists and locals alike to patronize local businesses. The town¹s ³Main
Street² has been transformed from essentially a four-lane highway to a pleasant
boulevard complete with benches, planters and more than 60 new trees.
-Rio Dell is beginning a major improvement
project for its northern gateway. The city continues to implement a downtown
revitalization program and is completing the second season of its new Farmer¹s
Market.
-Arcata is redeveloping vacant industrial
parcels to increase their environmental and economic value. One of the
long-vacant corners of the Arcata Plaza is now home to a beautiful new building
and another corner is currently being developed.
-Eureka continues its efforts to support
private investment in its downtown and waterfront. Projects are moving through
the permit process and the next wave of groundbreaking ceremonies will soon
commence.
-Fortuna’s successful redevelopment of the
Riverwalk area proceeds apace with the planned relocation and expansion of a
local car dealer and other retail and industrial projects.
This is not, of course, a complete list of
recent accomplishments but it does illustrate the shared commitment of our
communities to downtown revitalization and redevelopment of abandoned and
underused properties. Furthermore, each of these projects involves the private
sector and leverages public support with private investment.
However, while these individual achievements
are commendable, there are a number of important issues that can only be
addressed on a regional level. These include:
-The redevelopment of abandoned and blighted
areas around Humboldt Bay. This
effort took an important first step when the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation
and Conservation District, the city of Eureka and county of Humboldt joined
together to fund a revitalization plan. Their joint funding of this study was a
clear recognition that each entity plays a key role in the future of the bay
and its environs. Now, it¹s time to implement the plan; continued regional
cooperation is critical to its success.
-Improvement of our transportation
infrastructure. It seems that the list of transportation needs for Humboldt
County grows longer each day. Air transport, highway improvements, harbor
improvements and the railroad all vie for our attention and investment.
Deciding which is the highest priority for Humboldt County is a regional
decision and must be based on a realistic understanding of “market forces.” In other words, we must
critically assess which transportation investments will result in the greatest
return to the citizens and economy of our area. The new Regional Transportation
Plan being prepared by the Humboldt County Association of Governments is
addressing these and other transportation issues.
-A coordinated regional response network for
business inquiries. Humboldt
County does not currently have a coordinated, regional system for handling inquiries
from businesses looking to relocate or expand, whether they are from within
Humboldt County or from outside the area. There have been good individual efforts
and we have successfully helped small businesses locate here from outside the
area, but to be more effective, we need to develop a faster, more comprehensive
regional response network.
It’s easy to get distracted as new and
pressing challenges face our community. However, we¹ve all worked long and hard
toward improving our communities and it¹s especially important in these “interesting
times” to maintain our resolve and to leverage our resources to continue the improvement
of our region.