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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Prioritizing in Tower

Investment now could yield long term economic benefits for the community

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There’s good news and bad news on the development front for the city of Tower. The good news is that residents have been engaged like never before in working to advance economic activity and community development. Dozens of residents and business owners, through a number of organizations, have joined forces to work on sprucing up the community, attracting new business to Main Street and the riverfront, and addressing critical community needs, such as childcare.

The bad news (and it isn’t really that bad) is that it all takes a bit of investment on the part of the city. As was apparent from this past Monday’s city council meeting, the city currently has lots of demands for its limited resources. There are calls for costly upgrades to the city-owned campground and for the purchase of property in various parts of the city. Others have proposed an entrance enhancement project, and still others want the city to move economic development activities out of city hall and let the private sector, through the newly-formed Tower-Soudan Community Development Corporation, take the lead on economic development.

Since it can’t do everything, the city is clearly going to have to prioritize as the council works to finalize the budget for 2017.

Here’s our take on the matter. Every proposal that has come to the city in recent months has merit, but not everything is critical. It would be great to upgrade the Hoodoo Point campground, but it’s a desire, not a need at this point. Whether the improvements are made next year, or three or five years from now, probably won’t make much difference. The campground is fully operational and popular. There’s a long waiting list for seasonal sites. The campground could be generating some more revenue with the creation of some additional sites, but in a year when the city is facing so many more critical needs, it would not be a good use of any general fund dollars. This is one project that could wait.

The city is also considering the purchase of available land in the city, including a residential parcel near the Vermilion Housing apartments, or newly vacant lots on Main Street. Our advice? Leave them for the private sector. Some argue that by owning them, the city has a greater say in how they’re eventually used. But that’s what zoning is for, so let the city ordinance do its job.

The city certainly has some critical issues. Among the biggest is the future of its two schools, both of which could use more students if they are going to survive in the long term. That means addressing issues like the lack of childcare, and bringing new families and economic opportunity to town. These aren’t just desires for the community, these are critical needs— that are going to take active involvement to address.

That’s where a private organization, like the Tower-Soudan Community Development Corporation can play an important part. Nonprofit development organizations often play key economic development roles in cities of all sizes, and we’re hoping the TSCDC will be no different. In the interest of full disclosure, Timberjay Publisher Marshall Helmberger is the current board chair of the TSCDC, but board members of the group receive no compensation. They’re strictly volunteers working to better the community.

But to take on the work that needs to be done to advance a growing list of potential projects, will take more time than can reasonably be expected of volunteers. That’s why the group is hoping to hire, with the city’s help, a part-time executive director, who can focus his or her energies on advancing the community’s vision for improvement. While most readers are familiar with the plan for town houses at the city’s harbor, that’s just one of several potential projects in various stages of development right now. Advancing each one of those projects takes considerable time, meeting with potential investors and project developers, providing technical help to new business owners, recruiting partners, and possibly undertaking some development projects, such as a childcare initiative, through the TSCDC itself.

None of these tasks can be accomplished through city hall— there just aren’t enough hours in a day for a city staff that’s already stretched thin. Besides, many businesses prefer to work with private sector organizations, because they can provide the kind of confidentiality they sometimes need.

When it comes to economic development, timing is all-important. And while it seems that development has been stuck in neutral for too long in Tower, there’s reason to believe that that could soon change. Now is the time for the city to make a sound investment in its future, by supporting the work of the TSCDC. Making sure the current interest and enthusiasm for community improvement bears fruit and can be sustained isn’t just a desire, it’s a critical need at a critical time.