In Erie and throughout the nation, communities proceed to battle with a bunch of challenges, together with the continuing results of the pandemic. In response, the federal authorities has launched into a large effort to spur equitable financial restoration, creating new potentialities for older industrial cities like Erie. Nevertheless, the federal funding is arriving via dozens of various packages and businesses, 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 possibility.
To assist our group grasp this second, we, alongside a number of different group leaders, have created “Erie’s Inclusive Development: A Framework for Motion.” This effort begins with a custom-made funding playbook containing a portfolio of about 35 particular tasks that may maximize federal investments, spur long-term development and cut back long-standing inequities in our group. These tasks are grounded in native experience, rising from interviews with practically 50 native stakeholders and the evaluate of greater than a dozen strategic plans.
The playbook first features a collection of tasks that stretch throughout Erie County. These tasks would increase Erie’s distinctive place in next-generation industries equivalent to plastics recycling and superior manufacturing, assist improve our area’s vital digital, transportation and power infrastructure and develop the quantity and dimension of minority-owned companies.
The playbook additionally features a collection of “catalytic” tasks within the better core of Erie and different areas of the county which have an outsized impression on job development. These tasks would leverage the area’s focus of anchor establishments and proceed the revitalization of the downtown, the waterfront, the twelfth Avenue industrial hall in addition to the East and West Bayfront neighborhoods. These place-focused tasks 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 Development framework shall 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 is able to coordinate with this effort, working upward and outward throughout county and state traces 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 significantly give attention to 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 group wealth methods and tasks 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 town of Erie, Erie County, Erie Regional Chamber & Development Partnership, Jefferson Instructional 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 residing doc — it isn’t 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 tens of millions of {dollars} of funding that may have a substantial impression on not solely our downtown, or town, however throughout Erie County and the encompassing area.
We imagine that this second rewards these communities that aren’t solely aspirational and impressive, but in addition clear-eyed and centered. We imagine 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 group to make this playbook — and inclusive and equitable development — in Erie, a actuality.
Brenton Davis is the Erie County government. Joe Schember is the mayor of town of Erie. Karen Bilowith is chair of Erie’s Inclusive Development Steering Committee.
