Ledger-Dispatch

By Jerry Budrick (jbudrick@ledger-dispatch.com= )=20

From left, Wayne Garibaldi, Toni = Fancher and=20 Connie Gonsalves attended the Jackson Economic Development = Committee's=20 first meeting Thursday. The committee was formed to address the = city's=20 ailing Main Street, which has seen several businesses close in the = past=20 year.

Photo by: Jerry=20 Budrick
Thursday night saw the first = official=20 meeting of the newly-formed Jackson Economic Development Committee. = Chairing the=20 meeting was Vice Mayor Connie Gonsalves, who, along with Councilman = Wayne=20 Garibaldi, officially represented the city of Jackson. The eight other = members=20 came from diverse backgrounds, seeking solidarity.

Five focal = points were=20 identified and committee members threw their hats into the ring to head = smaller=20 groups dedicated to researching these five areas. Each group wants to = invite=20 people with knowledge, expertise or concern to join in the brainstorming = of=20 ideas and possibilities.

"These committees need business owners = and=20 property owners to volunteer their time," Garibaldi said. "We have a = solid core=20 group of people, but they can't do it on their own."

Karon = Knuist,=20 Jackson resident and city employee, wanted to make Jackson a nice place = to live=20 and do her share to improve the city.

Toni Fancher, president of = the=20 Historic Jackson Business Association, expressed her hope for a cleaner = Main=20 Street and that the committee might get someone to solicit businesses to = locate=20 in downtown Jackson. Fancher was given parking as one of the five areas = to=20 concentrate on, an issue that has drummed up debate about whether Main = Street=20 has enough parking spots and whether they should continue to charge for=20 parking.

Kam Merzlak of Merzlak Signs described himself as "the = go-to guy=20 on signs," offering to donate banners or parking signs as needed. = Merzlak and=20 Jackson resident Shelley Scott will be focusing on = design.

Coldwell=20 Banker Realtor Sally Bligh said she will be "working on bringing a = commercial=20 mix in the corridor leading down the highway into = Jackson."

Robert Mees=20 of the Sierra Executive Institute wanted "to come up with definitions. = We=20 shouldn't just focus on Main Street, but at the whole area around it - = look at=20 the bigger picture." Mees was chosen to take on strategic planning=20 duties.

Former Councilwoman Marilyn Lewis hoped to link downtown = with the=20 populace otherwise separated from town, perhaps creating viable walkways = to=20 neighborhoods like Rollingwood Estates.

Garibaldi's long-range = goals=20 involved having the committee paint some pictures of life in Jackson = five, 10 or=20 more years from now. He will be in charge of the funding = issue.

Realty=20 World Realtor Cathy Yochheim believed in activities that will draw = people into=20 town, or creating attractions, like Riverwalk in Sacramento.

City = Manager=20 Mike Daly attended the meeting in an advisory capacity and provided = advice about=20 what may be the most stubborn obstacle along the road to success: = finding money.=20 Daly noted that the city has an established policy devoting a sizeable = portion=20 of its Transient Occupancy Tax to revitalization efforts. During = discussion of=20 the committee's possible involvement with the national organization, = Main Street=20 USA, Daly suggested the possibility of city funding for a few members to = attend=20 an informational seminar. Lewis was put in charge of the Main Street USA = program.

Daly also mentioned that Jackson has full time staff = that might=20 be called upon to contribute to any plans the committee may=20 devise.

Another source of funding might be the city's Business=20 Improvement District. The BID levies a fee on all businesses within a=20 geographical area. Funds raised by collection of these fees are used to = improve=20 the business atmosphere within the BID's area. Presently, Jackson's BID = is=20 confined to Main Street, causing some attendees at Thursday's meeting to = wonder=20 out loud whether that area could be expanded.

Paid staff was a = recurrent=20 theme. HJBA has been able to pay for help at times, but nearly all of = the work=20 involved in hosting events has fallen upon volunteers. Committee members = said=20 they would like to remedy this situation.

Allowing time for the = five=20 smaller groups to do their research and formulate proposals, the next = meeting=20 was set for Thursday, March 6 at 6 p.m., at Jackson City = Hall.

To=20 offer comments/suggestions:

- Funding: Wayne Garibaldi=20 wgaribaldi@bankofamador.com

- Parking: Toni Fancher = fanch@volcano.net=20

- Design: Shelley Scott s2sf@pge.com or Kam Merzlak=20 kam@merzlaksigns.com

- Strategic Planning: Robert Mees=20 meesr@sierraei.com

- Main Street USA Program: Marilyn Lewis=20 marilyncoj@prodigy.net

Jerry = Budrick