What do the words “economic development” have to do with getting your kids and grandkids to move back to the Trenton area? A lot, if you believe what local economic development officials are saying.
Once upon a time, economic development meant getting a big piece of land or unused building and attracting a large manufacturing firm to locate in Grundy County. While that’s still a goal and any and all large manufacturing companies are more than welcome to come here to make their home, local officials are also looking at other ways to attract businesses – including businesses that may only employ a few people. In recent weeks, there have been discussions about the land available in Grundy County and what can be developed to attract these businesses.
Scott Sharp, director of the North Central Missouri Development Alliance, has met with the Trenton City Council and economic leaders to discuss the need for a plot of land – something the city already owns north of town but without utility service to it. Sharp said he receives regular requests from the Missouri Partnership to submit proposals to businesses hoping to locate or expand in Missouri. An example of a recent request includes a manufacturing company looking for an existing building on 20 acres or a build to suit site located on 20 acres within 200 miles of Kansas City. That company, which would manufacture trailers, would create 170 to 220 jobs. The request came by email at 2:40 p.m. on Sept. 1 and the proposal was due by noon on Friday, Sept. 3. Not much time if you don’t already have something in place.
And Grundy County doesn’t.
The city owns a 43-acre tract of land on the northeast corner of NW 10th Avenue and NW 27th Street and a 48-acre tract south of NW 27th Street. The cost to run sanitary sewer service to the north tract is estimated at $900,809.53, with the cost for sanitary sewer service to the south tract coming in at $188,980.47. Water service to the north tract would run another $1,112,925.31. That’s a lot of money and, following a meeting held recently at the Barton Farm Campus, Grundy County Industrial Development Corporation President Jackie Soptic said a land swap might be a better option.
“Out of this meeting came Grundy Electric Cooperative, the city of Trenton and the IDC hoping to work together to get a good adjacent plot of land within the city and then maybe sell the other land,” Mrs. Soptic said. “Do some kind of swap. Instead of spending $2 million on infrastructure for that land, just do a land swap and then you have a good tract of land to offer.”
But there are other types of “development” that may be more effective in spurring economic development in north Missouri. Mrs. Soptic said the best use of Sharp’s time and energy is not in trying to figure out how to get utilities to the city-owned land, but to focus on expansion of existing businesses, retention of businesses and assisting entrepreneurs.
“We can’t play the attraction game very well right now,” she said.
So if not a big “shovel-ready” piece of land, what does Trenton and Grundy County have to offer?
Fiber optic internet would be one thing. In fact, by the end of the year, the whole county will have fiber internet access between the efforts of Grundy Electric Cooperative and Grand River Mutual. Ten years ago, no one even knew what that was, and now, it’s vital to any business locating in Grundy County -and for anyone who wants to live here and work remotely. In fact, Mrs. Soptic said having fiber optic internet is equal to any other kind of infrastructure a company might be looking for in a location.
“Internet is equal to having the sewer, water, etc, for a business,” she explained, mentioning especially the way Zoom has been used during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I think it will pay off big time. The pandemic really pushed the idea of working remotely to the forefront. It’s launched us into a whole new environment.”
While internet access is vital, Mrs. Soptic believes there’s also a human component to bringing development to Grundy County – and this is where those kids and grandkids come in.
“Young people are not going to come back or stay in the area if they didn’t have a positive experience…We will focus on those who had a good feeling growing up in the community. Those are the ones you have to have; the ones who keep coming back for things in town. The pandemic really highlighted the need for family and that’s making people look at moving back here if they can. We have a high percentage of people who have come back to stay. Drive down the street and you can see that – doctors, insurance agents, teachers, it’s much higher than most rural areas. We need to zero in on ways that we can help people have a positive experience growing up here so they’ll want to come back. You never know what seeds you’re planting.”
Mrs. Soptic said that not only did the pandemic show people the need for family, it showed Grundy County that it can survive and even thrive in hard times.
“We have really good economic indicators,” she said. “During the pandemic we didn’t lose a single business and sales tax increased.”
Mrs. Soptic believes that it’s not just her organization or Sharp’s organization or Main Street Trenton (see sidebar) or even our elected officials who are tasked with bringing economic vitality to Trenton – it will take the entire community to put its best foot forward.
“We like to say that economic development is a team sport,” she said. “The person running the cash register at the convenience store can make or break something when the person they’re waiting on is someone who’s thinking about bringing a business to town.”
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