Non-Tourism Economic Development Implementation Strategy

In order to implement the recommendations of the Economic Assessment Plan dealing with the non-tourism sector of the local economy, the Greater Ossipee Area Chamber of Commerce (GOACC), acting through its Economic Development Committee (EDC), needs to work closely with the Town governments to carry out a focused program designed to strengthen this sector. The guiding principle is this effort is the realization that a community's most significant opportunity for growth rests with its existing manufacturing base and the potential start up of information based technology firms that can export their service. Therefore, a local economic development should focus the majority of its resources on existing companies.

The fundamental goal is to create a public-private partnership between the existing light manufacturing and industrial community and state and local governments. For a successful program, the GOACC and local governments, especially the Town of Ossipee, need to provide strong, continuing and effective leadership through the use of volunteers and paid staff when appropriate. The GOACC and Town governments should take the following initial steps during the next six months:

Create a Business Response Team The Business Visitation Program completed in 1993 and the December, 1995 telephone interviews with existing light manufacturing operations revealed that while several companies are pleased with the business climate and are expanding, they have concerns relative to the work readiness and attitude of the incoming labor force, the affect of local and state regulations and the quality of the transportation network. The EDC should establish a Business Response Team consisting of representatives from real estate, banking and finance, a local manufacturer and Town government. The committee's responsibility is to address both the short term (i.e. local highway improvement) and long term (education) concerns raised by the manufacturing community. The Team would supervise the establishment of an Education Committee and Transportation Committee whose duties are discussed further. Other functions include:

With outside technical assistance from the regional planning commissions, the Chamber's EDC should encourage the Planning Board from each Town to review its existing local land use regulations to determine if they promote planned economic development and suggest appropriate revisions.

The Chamber's EDC should assemble a package of useable community facts on the existing and projected population, labor force characteristics, available industrial sites, education and training programs, financing opportunities and existing utilities, including telecommunications.

The Chamber's EDC should maintain regular contact with the area's existing manufacturers.

The Chamber's EDC should meet with officials from the NH Office of Business and Industrial Development (OBID) to inform them of development opportunities and problems facing the Greater Ossipee area and seek their advise as to how to solve these problems.

Create an Education and Technology Committee The overall quality of the labor force including its work attitude and level of readiness, communications and inter-personal skills, knowledge and application of computer skills and other forms of technology will be a driving force in the economic development of a rural area, like Ossipee. Therefore, the GOACC and the Town governments need to become acquainted with this issues and develop linkages between the existing manufacturing and industrial community and the educational and training community. The Committee needs to be aware of the strengths and weakness of the area's labor force, the types of jobs anticipated in the future, the training required and companies' existing training programs.

Based on the defined education and training need, the Committee should develop linkages with the SAUs, the School to Work Program, College for Lifelong Learning, NH Department of Education's GED program, the NH Vocational Technical Colleges and NH Job Training Program.

Create a Transportation Committee The Fall, 1995 visitor survey and the December, 1995 businesses interviews confirmed the need to improve the area's existing transportation network. The consultant team feels that this can best be accomplished by establishing a Transportation Committee consisting of diverse representation from Town and State government, key manufacturers who use truck and would like to use rail, the tourism industry and the service sector. As an advocate and pressure point with NH DOT, this type of committee has been effective in other sections of the state. Key issues of concern include:

• Determine where future development on Rt. 16 should occur.
• Improve the existing visual characteristics along Route 16.
• Encourage the adoption of attractive and standardized signage.
• Upgrade of key intersections such as NH Routes 25 and 16.
• Create a visitor center or kiosk south of Ossipee on Route 16.

Since three businesses expressed interest in the restoration of rail service north to the Madison/ West Ossipee area, the Committee should investigate and determine the feasibility of extending rail service north of Ossipee Aggregates to a designated truck/rail facility off of NH Route 28. A longer term goal should be the reconstruction of the rail line between Ossipee and Coney should rail freight service through Crawford Notch to Montreal be re-established. Reduction of heavy truck traffic on Route 16 might be an attractive for the seasonal visitor.

Regional Cooperation Since effective economic development is best achieved on a multi-Town basis, the consultant team strongly recommends close cooperation among the six participating communities in order to accomplish the desired goals. Furthermore, the greater Ossipee area could reap additional benefits through an even larger association with adjacent established economic development efforts such as the Mt. Washington Valley Economic Council, the Wentworth Economic Development Corporation and the Moultonborough Economic Development Corporation. These organizations have established revolving loan funds which have benefit local businesses and retained employment. Economies of scale and greater effectiveness could be achieved if the existing development organizations established a Greater Carroll County Economic Alliance, while still retaining the identity of the individual areas. Representatives from these adjacent development groups should meet with the EDC and tell "their story."