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Members of a six-county development group have created a plan to improve infrastructure in the area and attract federal funding. Pictured from left are Todd Dugan, Bunker Hill School District; Tonya Flannery, City of Litchfield; Elizabeth Nyman, Farmfront board director; Brad Tuttle, Jersey School District; Pete Visintin, Macoupin County CEO; and Kendra Wright, Imagine Hillsboro.
lessMembers of a six-county development group have created a plan to improve infrastructure in the area and attract federal funding. Pictured from left are Todd Dugan, Bunker Hill School District; Tonya Flannery,
... more
Members of a six-county development group have created a plan to improve infrastructure in the area and attract federal funding. Pictured from left are Todd Dugan, Bunker Hill School District; Tonya Flannery, City of Litchfield; Elizabeth Nyman, Farmfront board director; Brad Tuttle, Jersey School District; Pete Visintin, Macoupin County CEO; and Kendra Wright, Imagine Hillsboro.
lessMembers of a six-county development group have created a plan to improve infrastructure in the area and attract federal funding. Pictured from left are Todd Dugan, Bunker Hill School District; Tonya Flannery,
... moreJERSEYVILLE — A six-county Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy hopes to attract logstics and intermodal operations similar to those already seen in St. Louis and the Metro East.
About 50 representatives from Calhoun, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Christian and Montgomery counties have partnered to complete the Western Illinois River Valley Economic Development Strategy CEDS. They were joined in the work by U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville; state Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield; and state Reps. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, and Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville.
The planning was directed by Shari Albrecht, executive director of the Jerseyville Economic Development Council, and Jennifer Russell, Zach Kennedy and Will Andresen of the University of Illinois Extension.
“By completing this process and having our plan now in place, we are eligible for federal funding opportunities,” said Albrecht.
“Each local government has to be part of a regional economic development initiative to be eligible for federal grant funds,” she said. “Having this plan, this strategy, in place now lays out ways for us to pursue funding that was not an option before it.
“This is a ‘big deal’ for our area, as each of the six counties involved are interrelated,” she said. “We are all part of a bigger picture.”
The CEDS is a regional economic development tool that serves as a roadmap, according to Litchfield City Administrator and Economic Development Director Tonya Flannery.
“The plan gives specific details on projects that are identified within the region and serves as comprehensive plan for grant applications,” she said. “It can guide decision making on resources to leverage the greatest benefits on projects included in the plan.”
Participants in the process included three representatives from each of the six counties. Each county provided $1,900 for the effort, with an in-kind grant from University of Illinois valued at $45,000.
Further effort toward a final document came from a 30-member “CEDS Innovation Team” comprised of representatives from each of the counties who came together to provide additional input on the region’s economic development strengths and weaknesses and further define the plan.
The resulting document articulates a detailed demographic profile of the area with an analysis of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, as well as the potential for growth and an action plan for sustaining and growing the region’s economy.
“One of the strongest aspects of the CEDS planning work has been recognition that the real work begins after the plan is completed,” said Gillespie City Treasurer Dan Fisher who also is president of the Grow Gillespie initiative.
“The CEDS recognizes that attitudes are as much a part of a community’s infrastructure as its brick and mortar structures,” he said. “The plan is a real team effort and it’s a solid representation of the aspects and aspirations of our diverse region.”
The plan states the six counties are primed for regional logstics and intermodal operations as seen in St. Louis and the Metro East. Two such projects are already under way in Jersey and Montgomery counties, connected by Illinois 16.
• Jerseyville is in the initial stages of developing a rail facility and logistics park — the Mid-American International Gateway (MAIG) industrial park — along with Kansas City Southern (KCS) Railroad and the Stonemont Financial Group development firm based in Georgia.
Expanding KCS rail service within Jersey and Greene counties would bolster the new U.S. 67 corridor, planners state, aided by the proximity to the Mississippi and Illinois rivers and KCS’ established lines in the counties. With the recent addition of an Enterprise Zone, and with other economic development tools in place, Stonemont continues its commitment to the construction of the rail-served, inland logistics industrial park in Jerseyville, the plans states.
The economic “ripple effect” of Jerseyville’s MAIG development is expected to affect the entire region. Anticipated tenants include warehouse facilities, light manufacturing, assembly operations and other possibilities, creating 1,000 jobs. Targeted industries include automotive manufacturers and suppliers, business support services, trade and logistics, plastics manufacturers, agri-business and related sectors.
• Litchfield has developed two industrial parks and nearly 200 acres that has provided jobs for thousands over the past 40 years with a workforce of 700 employees currently, according to the plan. With limited space available in Litchfield’s current parks, development is under way of the Interstate 55 Commerce Center at the intersection of I-55 and Illinois 16.
The city bought 130 acres adjacent to the Litchfield interchange for the industrial park, with an additional 120 acres under option. It is designed to include 20-25 lots, with city officials anticipating about 20 new businesses and the potential of adding 600 to 1,000 jobs.
The project also includes extending utilities across I-55 on the west and servicing bulk water supply to regional water districts. It calls for improving Illinois 16 with an additional lane in each direction approaching the industrial park for truck-turn capacity and additional traffic.
“The main benefit of having a completed regional economic development strategy is that it provides a framework upon which to design and implement economic development projects,” said University of Illinois Extension Community and Economic Development Specialist Zach Kennedy. “While economic development can and does occur in piecemeal fashion, the establishment of common regional goals affords the opportunity to work toward regional success in a more organized and systematic fashion.”
“A secondary benefit, which should not be undervalued, is that having a regional strategy that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) recognizes makes the region eligible to apply for EDA assistance under its Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance programs,” Kennedy said. “This funding could be crucial for local communities to implement their identified projects, and subsequently move the region forward.”
Pat Pinkston, who works with the Carrollton Square redevelopment initiative, said access to federal funds is critical for the projects and efforts, especially in light of the pandemic.
”We are actively developing strategies and projects informed by the CEDS document that will qualify for the funding from the EDA and other federal and state agencies,” Pinkston said. “Getting this document in place lays a key cornerstone to the future for the region.
“I believe that rural America is at a turning point,” said Pinkston, “and COVID-19 can accelerate a change. Rural areas offer the lifestyle that many of us are seeking – relational, safe, affordable, etcetera – but rural America has not transformed to provide the amenities and services that people require like high speed broadband, modern day care, modern restaurants, coffee shops, and other amenities and activities that people have come to expect in more urban areas.
“If we can provide those kinds of services and amenities on top of the foundational characteristics of rural communities, many will choose to return or seek these towns,” Pinkston said. “Those that can demonstrate that those services and amenities are present, or are on the future roadmap, will have opportunities for growth and prosperity.”
JEDC Partners in Progress lists as its mission to increase the economic vitality of the Jersey, Greene and northern Madison County region. For more information, contact Albrecht at sharialbrecht@jedc-il.us or 618/639-5332, or visit jedc-il.us.
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