Bolling to Supervisors: Call me if VDOT gives your small businesses trouble

About 150 people crowded into the Luray VFW on Wednesday afternoon to watch the first-ever high-level panel discussion about economic development in Page County. The Page County Board of Supervisors, Virginia's Lt Gov Bill Bolling, State Senator Mark Obenshain, State Rep Todd Gilbert, and representatives from Virginia's economic development partnership and other commerce agencies met with Page County representatives, as citizens observed.

Lt Gov Bolling expressed surprise at the citizen turnout. He joked, "When we pulled into the parking lot, I thought we had the wrong place." Bolling apologized for only scheduling an hour and a half. He said if he had known there would be so much citizen interest, he would have scheduled a longer time period. He offered to come back another time, when citizen comments would be allowed.

The VFW was set up with a large U-shaped table. At the table were the state reps, the Page County Board, and selected invited guests from Page County government. The guests included reps from Page County schools, the Towns, the Chamber of Commerce, the Sheriffs office, and the Workforce Center, among others. The intention was to allow discussion about the specific problems of Page County.

Too much time was taken up with the obligatory politician motherhood-and-apple-pie speeches, but after they were over, Page County Board chairman Johnny Woodward gave a nice introductory speech. It was hard to hear him in the large room, but a key note of his speech was when he said: Page County's history, its present, and its future, center around agriculture, tourism, and small business, but we are open to bringing in industry.

J D Cave brought up the problem that small businesses in Page County are thwarted by VDOT rules to put in entrances on our two lane roads. Bolling said: Call me the next time that happens.

The state representatives primary message was: pick a specific objective for your economic development and go after it. Target types of companies and be proactive to call them. But economic development is not just about bringing companies into the county. It is also about working with companies who are already here, to help them expand. Liz Povar, state rep from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, suggested that encouraging entrepreneurship was also a positive tactic. She described an entrepreneurship center that had been done in another county.

Flohrline Painter, from Page County's Workforce Center, spoke about a grant which helps with job training. After the people are trained, however, their question is: so where do I report for work?

The meeting may not have gotten anything done in its two hours, but it did do this: it took the first step. The journey may be a thousand miles, but that first step has been taken. Rumor says a citizens committee is forming to offer research, survey the existing database of skills in the community, and prepare recommendations for the Supervisors' review. This citizens' committee would be made up of volunteers, not appointees, to allow full and diverse participation from the community. If you know where this citizen's committee is forming, and who is heading it, please post your information here. Also, please consider which of your friends should be part of this committee, and get them to join, too.

The next step is a Town Hall style meeting, where citizens will be the talkers instead of politicians.