Second in a two-part series.
Improving the Wood River Valley's economy isn't just about businesses and tourism but schools, suggested Kathryn Graves, the newest board member of the Blaine County School District.
"There's a direct correlation between education and the business community," she said at an Oct. 6 gathering of the valley's leading economic development groups at the Roosevelt Grille in Ketchum.
She said one of the first things a family investigates before moving somewhere is the schools. And, she said, a business is more likely to move its office and employees here if the schools impress them.
"There's a huge role for the school district to play in attracting people to this valley," she said, adding that there's room for improvement.
Graves was one of nine organization leaders representing education, the possible replacement airport, city governments, Ketchum's Community Development Corp., Sustain Blaine's Economic Development Corp. and Fly Sun Valley Alliance, revealing their latest economic-development efforts. The meeting was organized by the Wood River Economic Partnership, a nonprofit organization whose members are local business owners employing a total of 2,500 workers.
Graves said the school district's largest effort is implementation of the International Baccalaureate curriculum, a program that has a strong reputation for educational excellence, into its middle school.
"This has the full support of the board," she said, adding that it would take a year and a half until the middle school is fully certified.
She said an International Baccalaureate coordinator has just been hired.
"They'll know what it is if they have kids," she said, adding that it can be a selling point to relocating businesses.
And the city of Hailey is working on a program to quickly give interested businesses all the information they need to see if relocating to the Wood River Valley would work.
"When these businesses want information, they want very quick turnaround," Hailey Mayor Rick Davis said.
He said it was revealed at a meeting of the Association of Idaho Cities that 100 companies have looked into relocating in Idaho.
"They're there. We want them here," Davis said.
He said the south valley's marketing effort has a different aim than that of the north valley, which is focused on tourism, skier days and hotels. The south valley wants new jobs.
Ketchum has also instituted an effort to relocate businesses here, has approved four hotel projects and will rewrite the economic-development portion of its 2001 comprehensive plan.
City Planning Manager Stefanie Leif said Tom Hudson—the man who put together the 2006 Downtown Master Plan and led the Ketchum Community Development Corp. for almost a year in its beginning—is being considered to lead the rewrite. She said the City Council would consider the hiring at its Oct. 18 meeting. She said Hudson would be paid between $45,000 to $50,000 for the rewrite—a rewrite that's badly needed because the economy has taken a dramatic shift since the original plan was drafted in 2001.
An abundance of work is needed to bring economic health back to the valley, said Doug Brown, executive director of the Wood River Economic Partnership.
"Good news is there's a hell of a lot going on," Brown said near the meeting's end.
Trevon Milliard: tmilliard@mtexpress.com
Kathryn Graves speaks to members of the business community in Ketchum last week. Photo by David N. Seelig
