Planner Brian Domina is looking for ways to restructure the committee to ensure a quorum.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The county's CEDS committee has the ability to reel in millions in grant funding each year.

But, it can't get enough people to show up.

The Community Economic Development Strategy is developed by a committee through the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission to pursue federal funds to help move projects along. The city of Pittsfield, for example, is awaiting word on a $2.2 million grant that will be matched by the city to generate $4.4 million in additional investment at the William Stanley Business Park.

 

The city and Pittsfield Economic Development Agency are expecting to hear word on that application in the fall; it is the second application through the U.S. Economic Development Agency for funding submitted since the county revitalized the CEDS committee in 2011.

 

"Other than the equipment, the other things are needed for the innovation center but serve the entire park. It is great when you get those opportunities," said BRPC Executive Director Nathaniel Karns.

 

The work at the park includes an additional fiber-optic network line to the Berkshire Innovation Center, a water line extension on Woodlawn Avenue, traffic signals at both Woodlawn and East and at Tyler Street and Woodlawn, and additional equipment for the BIC.

 

"They have $9.7 million from the life science center for the construction. This was to wrap up loose ends," said BRPC Planner Brian Domina.

 

The massive planning process to create a CEDS began in 2011 to open the door for EDA funding. The 20-member committee consisting of mostly private sector members revitalized the dormant CEDS. But now at the end of the document's five-year lifespan, the committee can't get a quorum of members.

 

Domina said the process of creating a new document will commence in the next few months but the remaining committee members will have to determine a new structure.

 

"We have a hard time getting a quorum," he said, adding that there are committee member he has never met in the three years since he headed the process.

 

The goal is to form a committee that represents viewpoints from the county's economic drivers. The current members are Roger Bolton from BRPC; Brenda Burdick from General Dynamics; Heather Boulger from the Berkshire County Regional Employment Board; Timothy Geller from the Community Development Corp. of South Berkshire; Keith Girouard from the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center; Gwendolyn Hampton-VanSant from Multicultural Bridge; J. Michael Hoffman from TD Bank; Michael Nuvallie from the North Adams Community Development Office; Great Barrington Town Planner Chris Rembold; Douglas Clark from Pittsfield's Community Development Office; Berkshire Chamber of Commerce President Jonathan Butler; Robert Wilson from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; James Stakenas from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts; Lauri Klefos of the Berkshire Visitors Bureau; Ian Rasch from Allegrone Companies; attorney Michele Butler; Ruth Blodgett from Berkshire Health Systems; Rob Hoogs from Foresight Land Services; Julia Dixon from Berkshire Creative; and William Mulholland from the Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corp.

 

Tuesday's meeting fell short of a quorum with only six of the 20 attending — Mulholland, Bolton, Girouard, Hoffman, Rembold, and Curtis. The previous meeting in March also only had six members — Nuvallie, Curtis, Boulger, Mulholland, Dixon, and Bolton.

 

The committee in 2011 had high attendance levels in creating the document, with many of the organizations pushing for their projects to rank high on the priority list. However, once created and approved, attendance dwindled.

 

Domina says in restructuring the committee, the organization has to find a balance between getting "broad input" and having people stay active. Without a quorum, nothing can be approved.

 

"In developing the CEDS, we want broad input, he said.

 

Rembold suggested creating a large steering committee to help create the document but then have a process to dissolve that into a smaller, executive-type committee to handle the followups and the required performance reviews.

 

Giving BRPC more tools in creating the process, the EDA has loosened the regulations somewhat.

 

"We don't have to make sure we have a majority of private members on the CEDS committee moving forward. We can if we want to but we don't have to," Domina said of recent changes to the process.

 

The group is also not required to create a large project list, but those in attendance on Tuesday said the list goes far beyond just the applications. Karns said this is the only place where a document of county economic development projects exists. 

 

"I think it is useful to try to continue to develop a comprehensive list of as many projects and initiatives we can," he said.

 

The group hoped to get a comprehensive list of all project and update them and the list on an annual basis. Some of the inactive projects are expected to be pulled from the list during the next process.

 

"I think that list is very important and in some cases gave us more optimism when see how much is really being invested in the county," Bolton said.

 

Girouard added that a mechanism should be put in place to oust committee members who fail to attend. 

 

Karns said the committee was appointed after a brainstorming session of large players in the county's economy. He suggested maybe looking at another way to find members would be helpful.

 

Meanwhile, Domina says BRPC will be asking approval to expand the process with the creation of an economic development district, meaning additional work may be required in the future. If approved by the EDA, the county will then be in line to receive annual funding and open up the requirements for more projects to be eligible for funding. 

 

To create the district, BRPC will be asking municipalities to approve the district.

 

"This really loosens up that ability to access those funds for the entire region," Karns said.