Dear Governorelect Perdue:
First of all, thank you for taking the time to participate in the economic roundtable at Guilford Technical Community College last Friday, Dec. 5. I thought the assembled business leaders represented an accurate crosssection of the region and voiced their concerns with eloquence and passion.
Dr. Cameron and his colleagues at GTCC are to be commended for facilitating this much-needed discussion, as are you for taking the reins of leadership in attempting to solve the state’s myriad economic problems. As one of the media reps in attendance, I was impressed with your depth of knowledge on the various issues and your level of commitment to finding answers to the enormous challenges facing our great state.
I was quite encouraged by your repeated calls for tangible solutions from the panel and your willingness to foster an ongoing dialogue between your office and those in a position to influence the business climate in North Carolina. As you noticed, however, there were more questions than answers to your continual requests for concrete examples of things that could be done to stimulate the economy, create jobs and better educate the workforce.
Most of all, I was delighted by your final comments regarding your desire to make North Carolina a leader in the green energy movement and all its manifestations.
By pursuing a green economy we are, as you know, taking steps toward solving the dual problems of job creation and environmental protection.
Also, I was heartened by Presidentelect Obama’s statement on Sunday’s “Meet The Press” that his meeting with the nation’s governors last week revealed plans for public works projects in virtually every state, projects that were “shovel ready.” While I have no idea what specific projects may be on your agenda, since you did ask for feedback, may I offer a potential project here in the Triad that dovetails perfectly with all the above criteria.
No doubt you are aware of the nascent plans being formulated for a massive project dubbed “Heart of the Triad.” The project — 18,000 acres straddling the Guilford- Forsyth county line west of PTI Airport — has created more controversy than consensus in that it strikes many as using eminent domain for economic development purposes. Many residents of the tiny community of Colfax have legitimate fears that their identity will be wiped out once HOT becomes a reality.
Also, specific plans for the end uses of the land have never been explained to many observers’ satisfaction. While on the one hand it seems to make sense to develop the area to take advantage of the proximity of the FedEx hub, GTCC’s planned northwest campus and all the
jobs that are sure to
be created involving transportation logistics and aeronautics; on the
other, the notion that the land could end up as a playground for
high-income retirees rubs many the wrong way, myself included.
But
putting all those issues aside, there is one end use for this long-term
project that should satisfy all parties involved and overcome nearly
every objection. Why not turn this ideally situated area into the
world’s hub for alternative, renewable, sustainable energy research,
development and manufacturing? Why not take a page out of the Research
Triangle Park playbook and transform this project into the preferred
home for R&D into wind, solar, geothermal, steam, hydrogen,
biomass, oceanic and as-yet undiscovered energy sources? Why not make
this still-relatively rural land the model for eco-friendliness,
landowners’ rights and environmental protection by mandating that a
high percentage of the land be protected as a watershed, preserved as
historically significant and be utilized for intensive organic farming
and responsible agribusiness? The one thing you said that should strike
a chord among us all was that being proenvironment and pro-growth need
not be at cross-purposes, and the greening of the Heart of the Triad
can be the proof in the pudding. As we transition out of a
petroleum-based economy and into a sustainable, eco-driven way of life,
this can be the engine that powers the movement.
The growth
industry for the next 30 years is clearly going to be green related,
and this is our chance to position ourselves on the vanguard.
Obviously,
none of this will happen without our “priming the pump” with some
incentives and capital infusion in order to lure these growth
industries here. But with all the plusses this area and this state
already have in their favor — quality-oflife factors; proximity to
roads, rail and air transport; an available and trainable workforce;
nearby colleges and universities; recreational and leisure pursuits;
excellent climate, etc. — all it lacks is bold, imaginative, creative,
fearless leadership.
And, at the risk of obsequiousness, I honestly believe that you are the person who can provide that leadership.
I
urge you, Governor-elect Perdue, to seriously consider this proposal.
If our newly elected leader at the federal level is unafraid to “go
big,” why should we at the state and local levels be afraid to do
likewise? Warmest regards, Ogi Overman Columnist, YES! Weekly Editor, Jamestown News
Ogi may be reached at ogiman100@ yahoo.com and seen on “Triad Today” hosted by Jim Longworth on ABC 45 at 6:30 a.m. Fridays and on WMYV 48 at 10 p.m. Sundays.
