To the Economic Development Council:

Introduction
Here are some suggestions for improving the economic future that have been
gather from other parts of the country, having been proven to work in the USA.
We should aim to attract business ideas that have a potential market in the
Northwest, or overseas, thus creating an export economy on a scale the county can
sustain. The first step is to identify our strengths.

We are our assets!

We welcome all Americans from the first to the newest, and every group
brings a new set of strengths.

We have a storied past that can be used to market our future.

Mason County Has a lot of low hanging fruit (quick ROI possible).

We train people to be welders, and have the ability to train people in other
blue collar occupations these skills are in short supply across the country and
command a premium.

Unrealized potential currently being held down by a culture of addiction,

there is a way to set the captives free, and it time to do so.

What can we do better?

Our local governments can work closer together, and need to.

Drug, juvenile and family courts work across the country, reducing recidivism
by 74% over other actions used by the courts. We need these courts here as
we suffering as a community from many of the problems, including destroyed
families, parentless children, and hopelessness. (See
http://www.nadcp.org/learn/drug-courts-work)

Vocational high schools that train students for jobs in high demand

Adult business education, we could be the home to many small contracting

companies that service customers in the richer parts of our state, bringing
some of that wealth home. (See http://www.enterpriseforequity.org)

Practical Solutions from Across the USA:

Functional Drug and Family Courts have been around for about seven years,
yet in the short span of approximately seven years, FDC has emerged as one
of the most promising models for improving treatment retention and family
reunification rates in the child welfare system. We have a drug problem here.
One lifelong resident told me, There is nothing here, and everyone that

moves here gets trapped in drugs and crime, it really makes me sad as this is
my home. For this county to succeed that cannot remain the same as it is
destroying families, creating a generation where crime and addiction is
learned as a way of life.

Market our closed landfills as offices parks for the state or federal
government office bringing high paying stable jobs to Shelton much as WCC
has done.

Economic development from the bottom up. Enterprise for Equity provides
training programs so that disadvantaged persons can become business
owners, using the skills they have to create wealth.

1 Gigabyte Internet as an incentive for businesses to move here. When

Chattanooga did this they created an incentive for high tech businesses to
bring their businesses to that city, landing an $8 Billion investment from
Volkswagen. We could attract investment from high tech companies as well.

One of way to do this is for a local municipal government to join the Olympic
Composite corridor. This would allow our county to welcome a proven
economic engine into our midst. Currently the OCC ends at the port of
Bremerton/ Mason County line. (See http://olympiccomposites.org/)

We could attract companies who work with Low impact development (i.e.
permeable concrete, asphalt, etc.) as it applies to our talent base any blue
collar work. This would allow Mason County to export our talents to Thurston,
Lewis and Pierce Counties, allowing for skilled workers to live, and bring a
better standard of living here in Shelton and Mason County. (See
http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/green/upload/lid-gi-programs_report_8-613_combined.pdf)

With a little effort we could extend the Shelton North Loop / Route 7 to run
down Johns Prairie Road to the Port of Shelton industrial park and PUD 3
during shift changes, thus allowing a more direct/less expensive way for
people to access their jobs. Perhaps in the future also create a new route
serving the airport, going down Shelton Springs Road and Johns Prairie road
to the same industrial park during shift changes.

I-937 is a golden opportunity, it creates a need for sustainable power

generation creates a market we can tap as is being done in New England and
Chicago, but not on the West Coast.

New England Hydropower generates electricity near the place it is used,

eliminating line loss and at the same time allowing salmon to migrate
through the turbine and thus creating renewable energy as defined by state
law, even returning currently blocked streams back to salmon
steelhead
habitat while producing power. (See http://www.nehydropower.com/what-wedo )

Aerotecture in Chicago builds rooftop wind generators that do not create bird
kills that normal windmills do. They do this by using the Archimedes screw in
combination with solar panels. If built here the turbines could be on every
roof and down the coast producing electricity at peak load periods due to the
timing of the sea winds. Energy Northwests Radar Ridge was an attempt to
capture these winds. Every power company in the northwest could be
installing a local product as a low-impact way to meet their obligations under
INITIATIVE 937. (See http://www.aerotecture.com/products.html )

For the long-term, we need to look at the possibility of creating an inland

port to make better use of our proximity to Grays Harbor, the deepest direct
ocean harbor north of California. If placed between Skookum Lumber and Mc
Cleary the valley could be developed into land for manufacturing while
leaving the Olympic Tree Farm on the surrounding hillsides to provide stability
and pollution abatement, as the trees could lockup any emissions in the form
of wood for decades. The railway leading to the port would be a heave link to
the sea and bus service to and from KTP and Mc Cleary along with new
parking lots would reduce traffic from workers on 108.

Also this project could improve cooperation between Grays Harbor, Mc

Cleary, the Squaxin Tribe, and Mason County, the ports of Shelton, Grays
Harbor and MTA. Such a corporation would be very helpful in future efforts
with the state and federal governments.

We must find ways to work with our core employers to reduce cost and gain
influence in the state government without giving away tax revenues.

Minding the Store:

Have sales be registered here, in Mason County or Shelton, and collect the
sales tax here.

Mandate use of local contractors and/or labor as a condition of permit

approvals on large projects, which is what the PUD did when they created a
separate bid to do the earth moving on their new buildings. This is known as
pre-offers in other states.

Do not allow property tax breaks if the sales are not being registered at a
local jurisdiction as our local governments must have some return on their
investments.

Have Hope
We have a lot to be proud of and a great future if we
grab it.