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Port Authority moving along at a steady pace |
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Wednesday, 21 November 2007 |
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Page 1 of 2 By Buck Traxler, I-O Editor
Our local Port Authority came into being with an overwhelming show of support from voters in the June primary election of 2004.
Readers will recall that the Port Authority (PA) is essentially a tool for Economic Development.
Port Authorities first cropped up many years ago on seaports and eventually gravitated along major rivers inland to bigger cities on major lakes.
The first in Port Authority in Montana got started in Butte after their mining operations shut down. And while there is no seaport in Montana, Butte’s PA was modeled and designed from those on seaports and it was decided to keep the name, Port Authority.
Recognizing that PAs can be a useful economic tool, the state legislature has passed bills to support them. They can be more responsive and work faster to respond to economic activity and opportunities.
Cheryl Curry, executive director, of the local Pondera Regional Port Authority tells the I-O that the most asked questions of her are: “What is going on in the area? And, What are you guys working on?”
Economic development is not fast, it is a slow process and much of the work involved, “needs to be pursued in a confidential manner,” she says, adding, “It often seems like a hurry up and wait situation.”
The fact of the matter is, more potential clients or businesses will slip through the cracks than there are successes and the reasons are many and varied.
Sometimes a business has not grown as expected or their needs change. Some have decided the needs of their business cannot be met in our area, and many who seek to start a business will find that after beginning to develop their plan, they are not as ready as they thought they were.
“We are always glad to help people work on a business plan,” says Curry, “because we want them to be successful and the plan is the key.”
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