Economic Development, We need to promote Milbank, Ortonville, Big Stone City and the area.

Power Poster Number of posts : 721 Registration date : 2008-05-15

As I listen to the candidates and the questions it is time to talk about being an inclusive club, rather than an exclusive club. I heard about the need to work together but that is a general cliché that has little meeting.

I heard everyone talk about growing with no answers. The city clerk and council need to divide EDA in terms of developing the community and tourism and apportion the budget appropriately. We need to also correctly identify what is a recreational purchase and what is EDA.

First and foremost this is being said to both Milbank and Ortonville. We are an agricultural area and we need to promote agriculture. Large farms decrease population. On the other hand, we have two cheese plants within a short distance. We need to promote the production of dairy to meet these needs. The City of Ortonville and the City of Milbank need to assist in a difficult time.

Ortonville lacks population and changes need to be made. We have to create jobs that cater to agriculture to bring our farmers back into Ortonville. I doubt a farmer could even buy a spark plug for ag-equipment in Ortonville. We are sending the largest part of our population out of town because we are missing the ship. We need to offer expansion to West-con. They are the biggest and most important ag related business in Ortonville. We need to target our ship. This community has a long relied upon ag-related business and we need to get back to the basics.

The loss of population creates another problem. We need to promote not only the downtown area but we need to promote retail businesses on top of the hill and on the highways. The traffic on top of the hill makes up for loss of population. We need the businesses of the traffic that occurs on top of the hill. We are not utilizing this area well and part of the problem is the Zoning Ordinance.

Speaking of zoning, this community will not be able to compete in this area so long as the existing zoning ordinance is in place. This is an incredibly poor ordinance and it needs revision.

The issue of retention should be a joint effort of all the communities in the area. Rick Ash asked about retaining doctors. Where else in the world can you go swimming year around within 10 miles and for Milbank within minutes. Where else can one go and have three golf courses within 20 minutes, Milbank, Ortonville and Graceville.

Where else in the world, can you go fishing on numerous lakes minutes away, go out your back door and go hunting for ducks and pheasants on over 20000 acres and a National Wildlife Refuge in our back door. Two airports just miles apart.

We need to promote an area to insure retention and we need to join hands. Some have been critical of my criticisms of Ortonville. I started here because of what I have said in many ways I have only repeated what others in the area have said about Ortonville. May I suggest a coming together like never before. It is time to come together as an area not as individual communities.

I can overlook the very nasty things said about me for years, but can a Christian community truly move as an inclusive community instead of an exclusive community.

We need to join and assist each other. For instance, two communities need city halls within a mile of each other. What about one city hall shared by the communities? I know there are those out there that say it can’t happen and it is those people that have the negative attitude.

Economic Development is not just tourism or going to a few trade shows. Economic Development takes the existing and moves it in a positive direction.

We need to compromise and listen to opinions that are different than ours. We need to be inclusive instead of exclusive. A few weeks ago I posted that, Could it happen in Ortonville? The answer is that Ortonville needs compassion to outsiders if it is to grow.

That is what people talk about Ortonville. The vicious coffee shops and the stabs in the back are morally corrupting this community. We criticize what appears in this site but promote gossip. My friends this needs to stop. We need to forget and move in a positive direction.

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