Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for the East Alabama Region ALABAMA REGION IV Revised 2011 Prepared by East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission September 2011 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for the East Alabama Region ALABAMA REGION IV Revised 2011 Prepared by East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission September 2011 Acknowledgements Reproduction of this document in whole or in part by a user is permitted, provided proper citation of author(s), title, publisher, and date is given. The preparation of this report was financed in part through a federal grant from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. For information, address: East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission 1130 Quintard Avenue Quintard Tower - Suite 300 P.O. Box 2186 Anniston, Alabama 36202 First Printing: September 2011 Printed in the United States of America Source of Copies: East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission 1130 Quintard Avenue Quintard Tower - Suite 300 P.O. Box 2186 Anniston, Alabama 36202 This document will be instrumental in assisting local units of government in programming balanced growth and development. This document was prepared as an update to the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, 2007. The Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy will be updated annually, or more often if required to insure that the Commission's strategy and implementation plan are consistent with evolving opportunities for, and constraints upon, development. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION............................................................................................1 PART I. BACKGROUND ..............................................................................................7 Chapter 1 Population ..........................................................................................................9 Chapter 2 Workforce Development and Use....................................................................19 Chapter 3 The Regional Economy....................................................................................29 Chapter 4 Geography, Environment, Natural Resources .................................................41 Chapter 5 Transportation Access & Other Development Resources ...............................53 PART II. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS & OPPORTUNITIES ....67 Chapter 6 Economic Development Problems...................................................................69 Chapter 7 Economic Development Opportunities............................................................79 PART III. DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES AND ACTION PLAN .........................87 Chapter 8 Goals, Objectives, Action Plans, and Performance Measures.........................89 Chapter 9 Suggested Projects ...........................................................................................95 Chapter 10 Vital Projects..................................................................................................123 PART IV. APPENDICES..............................................................................................133 Appendix A Additional Information about the EARPDC..................................................135 Appendix B Adoption Process ...........................................................................................145 Appendix C Detailed Background Data.............................................................................161 INTRODUCTION A comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS) is designed to bring together the public and private sectors in the creation of an economic roadmap to diversify and strengthen a regional economy. The East Alabama CEDS provides an analysis of the regional economy and serves as a guide for establishing regional goals and objectives, developing and implementing a regional plan of action, and identifying investment priorities and funding sources. 1 2 The East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission serves as the Economic Development District (EDD) for a ten-county region in northeast Alabama. The area served includes the following counties: Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Etowah, Randolph, Tallapoosa, and Talladega. The Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) is a regional planning and implementation process designed to create jobs, foster more stable and diversified economies, improve living conditions, and provide a mechanism for guiding and coordinating the efforts of persons and organizations concerned with economic development. Through the planning process, the CEDS document is developed which: outlines the region’s problems, needs, and resources; identifies the goals and objectives of the development program; presents the strategies and action plans devised to achieve those goals; and outlines criteria for evaluating the program's achievements. The program is intended to provide greater economic and social stability for the region and its people and to assist existing and guide new economic development activities in the region. This document is being prepared to bring the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for the East Alabama Region into greater compliance with the requirements of the Economic Development Administration Reauthorization Act of 2004 and the implementation regulations published on September 27, 2006. These regulations added some new sections and focus areas to the CEDS document. The EARPDC presently intends to update the CEDS annually, until each section has been brought into full compliance with the new regulations. Thereafter, it will be comprehensively updated once every five years, or more frequently if significant changes occur within the region. Annual reports will be prepared in the interim years to summarize and assess the past year’s activities and present new or modified program strategies for the next three years. The CEDS Annual Reports will serve as part of an ongoing development program for continuing appraisal of the district’s needs, resources, and economic development potential. These reports will be structured to review only those CEDS components that have shown significant changes affecting development within the region. Public Participation Various groups and individuals from throughout the region have had an opportunity to participate in the CEDS process. During CEDS preparation, EARPDC staff contacted municipal and county staff to obtain lists of projects to be included in the CEDS. Staff also mailed project surveys to all school superintendents, college and university presidents, 3 housing authority directors, and community action agency directors. Chamber of Commerce or Industrial Development Authority directors updated the major plant closings list. The EARPDC Board of Directors, the CEDS Strategy Committee, the Region 5 Workforce Development Council, economic development organizations, and those who received project surveys received an announcement of the public review period. The announcement included the address for the EARPDC website–where the CEDS was posted– and contact information should they need a paper copy of the CEDS. The announcements invited them to submit their comments via e-mail, fax, or letter. The EARPDC did not request that the CEDS Strategy Committee members meet for a face-to-face review session, as it has been difficult populating this Committee and retaining members. However, the EARPDC Board of Directors did conduct its regular monthly meeting on September 00, 2011, at which time it adopted the CEDS by resolution. The Board meeting was advertised in accordance with Alabama’s Open Meetings Act. Finally, each County Commission within the region has endorsed its support of the CEDS in a letter to the EARPDC’s Executive Director. The EARPDC hopes to increase participation of the Region 5 Workforce Development Council (WDC) in the future. The Region 5 WDC includes nine of the EARPDC’s ten counties. Chambers County is in Region 8. One EARPDC staff member serves on the Region 5 WDC, which is operated under the oversight of the Governor’s Office on Workforce Development. EARPDC staff will continue collaboration with the Regional Chairs on coordinating the CEDS with their regions’ plans in 2012. The EARPDC recently applied for and was awarded funds through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program. This funding will enable the East Alabama Regional Partnership for Sustainable Development (EARPSD) to become involved in the CEDS update process as it addresses the six Livability Principles, which include enhancing economic competitiveness. It is hoped that these partnerships will encourage local individuals and organizations concerned with economic development in the region to coordinate their efforts with established goals and objectives set forth in the CEDS. Coordination with the State and Federal Agencies In 2006, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) awarded a grant to the Alabama Association of Region Councils (AARC) for the preparation of a statewide CEDS, which also was to include an economic recovery program for areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. The AARC passed the funds through to each of Alabama’s twelve regional councils for project implementation. Regional council staff combined their twelve CEDS into one overarching CEDS for the State of Alabama. That project was completed in the Spring of 2007. In Fall, 2008, the AARC applied