COLUMN: Chamber Director Sounds Off On I-275/US 50 Gateway Plan

Column by Eric Kranz, Executive Director of Dearborn County Chamber of Commerce Over the past few months a steering committee of downtown Lawrenceburg stakeholders (business and property owners, non-profit organizations and residents) have participated in a steering committee to help guide the City as it tried to determine how best to invest in redeveloping the riverfront. With the guidance of American Structurepoint the steering committee has come up with a lot of great ideas that will help develop a sense of place, a central location within the downtown to gather, and a jumping off point for further development throughout Lawrenceburg. On August 9th from 6 – 8pm the public will have a chance to review what the committee has accomplished so far and provide feedback. This is an incredibly important portion of the process and everyone involved hopes that as many of you as possible will attend and get involved. That said, recently Dearborn County also unveiled a plan for community investment (the I-275 beautification project) and I’ve been a little surprised by the response from some. I completely understand being opposed to a publicly funded project, I oppose them all of the time, but it’s important to also provide alternatives and solutions when speaking out against something, especially if you feel “this money could be used in better ways.” Excellent, let the people involved know. It is always more effective to offer an alternative than just simply saying no. Dearborn County has an image problem…in that no one knows what or where Dearborn County is. I was at an event in Cincinnati a month ago and one of the attendees asked which Chamber I represent. I told them and the response that I have become familiar with was “hmm, Dearborn….sounds familiar where is it?” I explain it’s in Indiana, we have the ski slopes and the Casino and often the response is “Oh, Perfects! I had no idea that was Indiana” and I slap my forehead. We as a community have no cohesive brand, no message, no statement that people from outside of the community can remember us by. The purpose of the project isn’t to make aesthetic changes simply for the sake of beautification; it’s to make enhancements to the gateway most visitors pass through so that they remember us when they consider their next weekend trip or vacation or move or business relocation.  Property values in much of Cincinnati are starting to price out many families and available land in Northern Kentucky is starting to get scarce. Dearborn County is in a great position to start attracting some of those families but first they need to know we exist. Another complaint I’ve heard is “why don’t you put that money to economic development!” Right now the entire I-275 estimated project cost is around $12m. Yes, it’s possible that this money (if we assume that it’s just cash sitting in a vault somewhere waiting to be spent) could be used to attract an employer or two. I say it’s possible because the problems facing Dearborn County go beyond a lack of incentives to entice business relocations. We need to increase both the number and talent of our labor force. We need to improve community amenities to increase quality of life. We need to become a county that people want to raise their kids in, and that upon college graduation, those kids want to return and start their own families (and businesses!) Investment in quality of life enhancements to a community (like the pedestrian bridge which would allow for connection of the existing bike trail into the expansive Hamilton County trail system) IS economic development. We already have excellent schools, safe communities and developable land. What we need is to start letting people know it! Investments into the aesthetic appeal of the cityscape and wayfinding show visitors, businesses and potential entrepreneurs that this is a community that not only cares but is willing to reinvest in itself. Cash incentives to lure businesses to a community are one important aspect of economic development, but it’s not the be all end all. If we don’t continue to enhance the quality of life here in Dearborn County in five years those companies we just lured here will be lured to Kentucky, Arkansas or Mexico. Competing with just incentives is a losing game for a small county like ours. We need to build upon our great schools and safe neighborhoods by developing a large and talented workforce. To do that we need to become an attractive place for people to raise their families (in the last census, Dearborn County LOST population). There is no perfect solution or single answer to economic and community development but the goal behind the 275 project is to enhance the quality of life in Dearborn County which will help in making out communities more desirable which will improve our labor force which will make it easier to recruit new employers. In the end I truly believe that the return on investment for many of the projects we are working on will be enormous, or frankly I wouldn’t be supporting them. There is nothing easy about the process but Dearborn County has a ton going for it. We’re in a great location logistically between Cincinnati and Indianapolis, we have access to rail, river and highways (and hopefully a port in the near future), we have strong schools, low crime and maybe most importantly dedicated leaders in private, public and non-profit roles all working to solve the problems facing the community in ways that lift all boats. I’m in no way saying you have to support this specific project and I love feedback, but let’s be constructive, provide solutions instead of just criticisms, and realize that all of us want what is best for Dearborn County. RELATED STORIES:  Online Survey To Help With I-275/US 50 Gateway Proposal Could I-275/US 50 Gateway Improve Pride, Perceptions Of Southeast Indiana? City Of Lawrenceburg Seeks Public Opinion For Riverfront Master Plan Riverfront Project Being Planned, Mayor Tells Main Street Meeting