Education, Economy Top Priorities New Century Summit Focuses On Region’s Economic Future

Bankers and real estate agents sat down with neighborhood activists and low-income residents Saturday to talk about the future of the Inland Northwest.

Improving education and the economy were foremost on their minds.

Nearly 300 people from a cross-section of Spokane and Kootenai counties gathered at Spokane Community College to determine what they believe to be the highest priorities facing the region.

The morning conference was part of a community-wide effort to set the area’s economic development strategy for the next five years called the New Century Plan.

New Century leaders said Saturday they wanted the community to help shape the plan.

“If we’re going to solve some of the biggest issues, we all need to work together,” said Spokesman-Review publisher Stacey Cowles, a co-chairman of the group.

New Century leaders received plenty of suggestions.

The people attending the conference broke into 15 discussion groups to brainstorm.

One group came up with more than 90 topics - ranging from the need for more affordable housing to holding government officials more accountable to providing more activities for young people.

“Child abuse, senior abuse, domestic violence” were on the mind of Wayne Rounseville of Spokane.

Taking care of the area’s streets, sidewalks, sewer lines and other infrastructure was one of Lorna Ream’s goals. “In this community, maintenance should be emphasized,” she said.

Cohesiveness was the key to Mark DeGon of Spokane. “I want the community to grow as a whole - that’s my goal,” he said.

Each break-out group then pared its issues to 10 and reconvened to compare notes. They found that they had identified 28 core issues.

Providing quality education - at both the K-12 and college levels - and recruiting high-paying jobs and new industries to the area were by far the top priorities.

The Top 10 issues will form the framework around which the New Century Plan is written.

A task force will be writing the plan over the next two months. It will meet Feb. 26 and 27 at the Spokane Ag Trade Center and March 11 and 12 at the Red Lion Hotel downtown to complete the document.

The public is invited to attend all the meetings. A first draft will be unveiled April 21.

If the task force can harness the enthusiasm that drove the input sessions Saturday, the Inland Northwest will be better for it, said Greg Sweeney, who attended the meeting.

“Can you imagine if all this energy was focused and channeled, what a powerful force that would be?” Sweeney said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: PRIORITIES Nearly 300 participants at Saturday’s New Century Planning Summit identified what they believe to be the 10 highest-priority issues facing the region. Those issues will form the framework of the New Century Plan, an economic development strategy for the next five years. The numbers in parenthesis are priority points the group assigned each issue, with 150 being the highest possible:

1. Education (124.5) 2. Economics/Jobs/Wages (122) 3. Role of government/ government reform (83.5) 4. Public safety (54) 5. Children/families (53.5) 6. Planning for growth (35) 7. Improving the business climate (33.5) 8. Reducing poverty (29.5) 9. Affordable housing (29) 10. Quality of Life/Culture (28)