San Juan County commissioners presented with list of economic development priority projects
FARMINGTON — A strategic planning effort undertaken by officials at Four Corners Economic Development over the last year resulted in the establishment of a list of 20 priority initiatives for the organization that was presented to San Juan County commissioners on Feb. 21.
Arvin Trujillo, the chief executive officer at the nonprofit organization that represents San Juan County and other municipalities in the county in efforts to diversify the local economy, unveiled the list during his annual report to the commission during a meeting in Aztec. Efforts to retain and expand existing businesses, develop alternative energy opportunities, and build and improve relationships with the Navajo Nation ranked as the top three items.
Trujillo said 4CED put together a group of 25 stakeholders to identify those priorities. The group began meeting in April 2022 and went through several steps before gathering earlier this month for a strategic work session, during which it finalized the list.
He said the creation of the list will bring clarity and focus to his organization.
“Up to this point, we’ve all been working on gut feel,” he said.
The list also includes such initiatives as development of a railroad spur in San Juan County, broadband development, participation in the National Association of Counties’ Coal-Affected Communities initiative, promotion of an industrial property identification mechanism and website for buyers looking for property, the Desks to Career workforce development project and a San Juan County corridor beautification project.
Lower-priority items on the list include such initiatives as efforts to market San Juan County to out-of-state retirees, increasing support for farmers markets and positioning San Juan County as a health-care anchor for the region.
“Now, we have ideas as to where we need to prioritize our efforts,” Trujillo said. “Granted, all these things need to be done, but we can’t do them all. But we’re going to pick the priorities and start moving down this list.”
Trujillo said 4CED increased its number of business members from 77 to 92 over the last year, a 19.5% jump, and pointed out that the organization now receives 59% of its funding from the private sector.
“We’re real proud of that, and we’re continuing to work on that aspect,” he said.
The organization already is hard at work addressing the top item on that list of priority initiatives, he said, referring to business retention and expansion. He said 4CED had no such effort in place when he joined the organization, but it has partnered with the University of Minnesota Extension Service to provide eight weeks of training for its staff members in that field. He also said the organization is seeking funding that would allow for the creation of permanent staff positions that would be devoted to that effort.
In regard to the corridor beautification project on the priorities list, he said 4CED recently received a $10,000 grant from the Merrion Family Foundation for strategic planning to enhance the beauty of San Juan County. The organization has established a task force of community leaders charged with identifying high-priority community beautification projects, and members of that group have toured the county’s main transportation corridors to identify sites that would be suitable for action, he said.
4CED is working closely with the Navajo Nation on four initiatives — a pump storage hydroelectric project, the railroad project, the development of middle-mile broadband projects and a hydrogen development project at Navajo Agricultural Projects Inc.
But so far, he said, in response to a question from County Manager Mike Stark, the Navajo Nation has not signed on as a 4CED member. Trujillo said discussions on that subject between his organization and the tribe have been ongoing, and he noted that Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren has met with 4CED officials twice to learn more about the organization.
Trujillo also described the progress his organization has made on the Desks to Career initiative, which also is included on the list of priorities. He said the goal of the project is to create 200 high-wage information technology jobs in seven years in the region. To meet that objective, it is collaborating with San Juan College, San Juan County school districts, and districts in Gallup and Cuba.
He said 4CED has applied for $1.3 million in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that would allow his organization to design and deliver an innovate work force education framework blending academics, soft skills training and internships to create career-ready workers.
Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.
This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: San Juan Commissioners given list of economic development priorities
