THE SOLUTION
American prosperity and well-being are intrinsically tied to rural America’s ability to thrive and grow. Capitalizing on Craig’s existing assets can enhance the prosperity of its people while also contributing to the economic well-being of Colorado more broadly. With information from community members about problems facing rural Craig leading the way, we considered the programs and initiatives available by local, state, and federal government entities to identify a set of key objectives to create a solution framework. The objectives of our multi-faceted plan are to build and attain an educated workforce, expand the population base of Craig, and maximize production from abundant energy, agricultural and recreational resources. We believe that through tax incentives, private and public investment working in a coordinated manner in real estate development and businesses, broadband access implementation and tourism growth, Craig can thrive.
In order for the frame to be successful over the long haul, it is our recommendation to create an organization or task force that would enable all stakeholders to exchange information on how policies, programs, projects and other initiatives are working and also how they can be improved to achieve better results in the future. This will also help promote the value of the solution to encourage outside investment in the community. It is worth noting that Craig historically had something like this in place, the Moffat County Economic Development Partnership, which was closed in February 2019. Therefore, the city and county are left without a roadmap to improvement as well as the support and consultation from the members of the organization.
