Cook County Go Team spokesperson Jim Boyd encourages community members to learn more about this economic development effort. There are a number of public meetings in September throughout the county.
The Cook County Go Team and the Cook County Chamber of Commerce have invited community members to public meetings in early September to consider a vision for the future of our county. Go Team spokesperson Jim Boyd said four meetings are planned, to ensure everyone can find one that works.
Boyd explains that Go Team is a group of more than 20 community leaders from around the county. The group has been meeting once every six weeks for the past year to examine the state of the county economy—which has performed poorly over the past dozen years—and consider meaningful steps that might help create a more prosperous future. Boyd said members of the Go Team were chosen with an eye to ensuring every area of the county was represented, along with all the major economic stakeholder groups, while keeping the membership to a manageable size.
The recently formed Cook County Chamber of Commerce, which is focused on bringing a higher, sustained level of prosperity to county businesses, was instrumental in creation of the Go Cook County project.
The Go Team’s work has been financed by Cook County, the City of Grand Marais, the Grand Marais-Cook County Economic Development Authority, Arrowhead Cooperative and the Cook County North Shore Hospital & Care Center. Go Team work has been guided by Randy Lasky of Northspan Group of Duluth, a private nonprofit economic development consultant group, and by Josh Bergstad, senior planner with the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission.
As a first step in its process, members of the Go Team conducted personal interviews with almost 100 county business leaders and managers to ask their views on the county economy and their suggestions for what should be done to improve its performance. Members of the county community were invited to complete a similar online survey, and almost 400 people—about 8 percent of county residents—did so.
At the same time, Bergstad of the ARDC compiled an economic analysis of Cook County using research available from the U.S. Census Bureau, the state of Minnesota and various other sources.
Boyd said the two surveys and the economic analysis yielded a trove of data the Go Team used as a basis for sketching out an economic development vision for the county through 2025 and a list of five high-value priorities for action to achieve that vision. Copies of the economic analysis and its executive summary, as well as Powerpoint presentations on results of the two surveys, have been posted at www.gocookcounty.blogspot.com
The meetings scheduled for Sept. 4 and 5 will present the Go Team vision and detail it five priorities. Those who attend will have an opportunity to comment on the vision and priorities, and thus to guide further Go Team work in refining both.
Boyd said the Go Team recognizes fully that unless its proposals are capable of securing broad public endorsement, they will not stimulate the ongoing, focused activities required to achieve the desired results. He noted that some of those activities will fall to government agencies, but many will require significant initiative and sustained effort by private groups. “The Go Team operates on the premise that every Cook County resident has a stake in the county’s future and a role to play in ensuring that future is both prosperous and protective of the county’s culture and environment,” said Boyd.
Boyd said when the Go Team has its vision and priorities in a final form that appears to enjoy broad public support, it will present the finished documents to all the major economic development stakeholders in the county, with the request that it be used as an agenda and framework for developing programs, setting policies and expending funds in support of a more prosperous Cook County future.
Cook County Go Team
Public Meetings
. Wednesday, Sept. 4 | 1:00 p.m.
Schaap Community Center (attached to
Gunflint mid-Trail Fire Hall No. 1)
.Wednesday, Sept. 4 | 7:00 p.m.
St. John’s Catholic Church, Grand Marais
.Thursday, Sept. 5 | 1:00 p.m.
Grand Portage Community Building
Grand Portage
.Thursday, Sept. 5 | 7:00 p.m.
Birch Grove Community Center, Tofte
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