Wilkes to become Community of Opportunity model area
By KIP BURKE news editor

In a meeting with leaders from Wilkes County, Georgia Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Mike Beatty said Thursday that with participation as a pilot site for the state Communities of Opportunity Initiative, Washington-Wilkes was going to become a model for what a locally driven rural economic development strategy could do.

Launched by Governor Sonny Perdue and the Georgia Rural Development Council in March, the Communities of Opportunity (Co-Op) Initiative is a collaborative, locally driven community-development strategy focused on enhancing the economic vitality of rural Georgia communities.

The state chose Region 7 to launch the initiative because of the great need for economic development in the area. In addition to Wilkes County, Region 7 covers Burke, Glascock, Hancock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Taliaferro, Warren, and Washington Counties.

Washington-Wilkes representatives will sign a contract that obligates the local bodies to work with the state on two or three strategies designed to improve the community in different ways. The agreement also directs every state agency to work with the DCA on the projects, Beatty said. The program takes two years to implement, and it may take eight to 10 years to complete some projects.

The Co-Op will be administered by the Georgia Department of Community of Affairs in partnership with a number of public and private partners. DCA, the Georgia Rural Development Council and UGAFanning Institute will work closely with the counties on the initiative.

The initiative will also leverage state and Federal resources for communities that are committed to excellence, Beatty said, with "enhanced eligibility" for grant money.

The program may be implemented more quickly in Wilkes County because of existing efforts by groups like the Family Connection, the W-W Chamber of Commerce, Athens Tech, and others.

"Wilkes County already has a tremendous advantage," Beatty said. "You're already moving ahead in many of these areas, so you may accomplish in two years what it took others fiveyears to do."

The rewards for taking an active part in the Communities of Opportunity Initiative, Beatty said, were three incentives: first, interagency technical assistance from teams of experts; and second, a $5,000 matching grant to facilitate the program here.

The third initiative is the most substantial: Wilkes County would get "enhanced eligibility" for state and Federal grants.

After Region 7 and Wilkes County prove the initiative's value, Beatty said, comes the payback. "Once you achieve your goals, you become a mentor, a model, for other communities."

Wilkes leaders will be meeting to narrow down strategies and chose which efforts will yield the best results. Two efforts that the Washington-Wilkes Chamber of Commerce is already at work on, the Work Ready program and the Entrepreneur-Friendly Community designation, may figure in the local Co-Op initiative package.

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