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In Erie and throughout the nation, communities proceed to battle with a bunch of challenges, together with the continued results of the pandemic. In response, the federal authorities has launched into an enormous effort to spur equitable financial restoration, creating new prospects for older industrial cities like Erie. Nevertheless, the federal funding is arriving by dozens of various packages and companies, making it important that cities and counties get organized to navigate and leverage these federal funding alternatives.
In our view, failing to plan is planning to fail. In Erie, Pennsylvania that’s merely not an choice.
To assist our neighborhood grasp this second, we, alongside a number of different neighborhood leaders, have created “Erie’s Inclusive Progress: A Framework for Motion.” This effort begins with a personalized funding playbook containing a portfolio of about 35 particular initiatives that may maximize federal investments, spur long-term development and cut back long-standing inequities in our neighborhood. These initiatives are grounded in native experience, rising from interviews with almost 50 native stakeholders and the evaluation of greater than a dozen strategic plans.
The playbook first features a collection of initiatives that stretch throughout Erie County. These initiatives would increase Erie’s distinctive place in next-generation industries similar to plastics recycling and superior manufacturing, assist improve our area’s crucial digital, transportation and vitality infrastructure and develop the quantity and dimension of minority-owned companies.
The playbook additionally features a collection of “catalytic” initiatives within the better core of Erie and different areas of the county which have an outsized affect on job development. These initiatives would leverage the area’s focus of anchor establishments and proceed the revitalization of the downtown, the waterfront, the 12th Road industrial hall in addition to the East and West Bayfront neighborhoods. These place-focused initiatives leverage distinctive Erie alternatives round housing, small enterprise, brownfield remediation and extra.
To facilitate entry to federal funds, the funding playbook lays out an in depth course of for matching native makes use of and federal sources and staging and sequencing public, non-public and civic capital. Erie’s Inclusive Progress framework might be held up by a central “nerve heart” that helps to align the work throughout sectors. In the meantime, the county has created, staffed and launched a complementary strategy, the Fusion Cell, which can coordinate with this effort, working upward and outward throughout county and state strains to maximise collaboration all through your complete area.
The funding playbook is structured to scale initiatives already underway: the revival of the Bayfront and Perry Sq., the reuse of long-dormant industrial factories and the regeneration of city cores and corridors all through the county.
All through, we notably concentrate on methods that may:
- Construct on the Erie area’s distinctive property and benefits;
- Scale up success by leveraging market momentum and promising initiatives all through the better core;
- Drive an inclusive restoration by baking in neighborhood wealth methods and initiatives all through; and
- Unlock native capital to make sure the best entry to — and return on funding from — federal funds.
This work has been guided by a devoted steering committee made up of leaders from the town of Erie, Erie County, Erie Regional Chamber & Progress Partnership, Jefferson Academic Society and Numerous Erie in addition to funders together with the Erie Neighborhood Basis, Erie Insurance coverage and the Erie County Gaming Income Authority.
This playbook is a dwelling doc — it’s not excellent. It’s designed to evolve and crafted with a bias towards motion. We created this playbook as a result of we knew that if we didn’t act swiftly and decisively, Erie County might miss out on hundreds of thousands of {dollars} of funding that can have a substantial affect on not solely our downtown, or the town, however throughout Erie County and the encircling area.
We consider that this second rewards these communities that aren’t solely aspirational and bold, but additionally clear-eyed and targeted. We consider that the funding playbook provides Erie the potential to shine amongst its friends and throughout the nation. We sit up for collaborating with one another and the neighborhood to make this playbook — and inclusive and equitable development — in Erie, a actuality.
Brenton Davis is the Erie County govt. Joe Schember is the mayor of the town of Erie. Karen Bilowith is chair of Erie’s Inclusive Progress Steering Committee.
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