NARRATIVE

Annual Report: January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2011

NortheastKingdom of VermontREAP Zone

Contact Information:

David Snedeker

Northeastern Vermont Development Association

36 Eastern Ave., Suite 1, P.O. Box 630

St.JohnsburyVT05819-0630

Tel: (802) 748-5181 x 15

Fax: (802) 748-1223

Email:

Executive Summary:

In 2010, the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative Board and membership was focused primarily on completing a short-term strategic plan for Vermont’sNortheast Kingdom REAP Zone. In 2011, Collaborativemembers shifted their focus to begin implementing recommendations from theStrategic Plan for the NortheastKingdom. The recommendations in the plan are based upon the input of expert panelists and public feedback gathered at aseries oftopical forums held over 2009 and 2010. A2011 Progress Report on the strategic plan speaks to implementation efforts through September 2011 and is included with this report.

As with many regions of the nation, Vermont’s NortheastKingdom communitycontinues to face difficultand uncertain economic times. The importance of continuing the partnerships and collaborative efforts that have yielded some modest economic successes in infrastructure development, business planning, housing, and addressing community facility needs in our region over the past year, therefore, cannot be understated. Continued collaboration will help to ensure sustainable, long-term improvements.

2011 proved to be another productiveyear in the Northeast Kingdom REAP Zone:

Molly Lambert, USDA Director for Vermont and New Hampshire, visited the Collaborative in February to talk about USDA’s Great Regions initiative, the Strategic Economies Together (SET) initiative, and broadband funding for Vermont.

The Collaborative held an Economic Forum in September at Lyndon State College. VT Governor Peter Shumlin was the keynote speaker and discussed Vermont’s 2011 Jobs Bill and its relationship to efforts happening in the NortheastKingdom. Other presentations by state and regional service providers were aimed at business owners covered business services and tools for growth, cost savings, capital resources, and employee training opportunities.

The VT Partnership for Fairness and Diversity attended a January meeting to discuss racial and cultural diversity and its relevance to the Collaborative and the implementation of the organization’s Strategic Plan.

The Collaborative Annual Meeting was held in September at Lyndon State College to coincide with the Collaborative Economic Forum listed above.

The Collaborative realizes that the Northeast Kingdome REAP Zone and its success would not be possible without the support of USDA Rural Development, Vermont’s Congressional delegation (in particular, Senator Leahy), and our state, regional, and local partners. In 2011, the Collaborative Board (under the leadership of Kenn Stransky, Chair) continued working to coordinate the efforts of the member organizations that make up the Collaborative. The Northeastern Vermont Development Association (NVDA)continuedits required benchmarking and reporting rolefor USDA Rural Development. Lyndon State College (LSC)has graciously donated meeting spaces for meetings and events, as well as valuable administrativestaff time for the Collaborative meetings.

The Collaborative

The Northeast Kingdom Collaborative was formed in 1996to encourage the exchange of information, ideas, and opportunities to improve the quality of life in the local region. In 2011, the Collaborative and its members continued to do this through open and public discourse. It is this manner that we learned about the issues facing rural communities in northern Vermont, and it is how we seek to develop workable strategiesto help resolve those issues.

Over the years, Collaborative partners working together to implement collaborative strategieshave been able to stimulate millions of dollars in federal, state, private, and non-profit investment in the region. Collaborative leaders:

Endeavor to improve the economic viability, diversity, and competitiveness of the local economy to enhance its participation in state, national, and global markets

Enhance collaboration and the creation of partnerships among economic and community development organizations and programs

Stimulatedialogue among regional stakeholders to improve the sharing and enhancing of access to information

Supportcommunities by identifying their strengths, goals, problems, and opportunities, and building coalitions and networks to address the same

While focusing on strategies that address regional and local priorities, what the Collaborative does best is provide a neutral ground for the exploration, expansion, and leveraging of ideas and resources. During these continued challenging times, the Collaborative leadership remainsfocused on comprehensive and coordinated economic development planning and implementation.

The Northeast Kingdom REAP Zone designation is set to expire on September 30, 2012. For more information on the Northeast Kingdom Enterprise Collaborative and the efforts of its members and partners, visit the Collaborative’s website at:

Most Significant Accomplishments:

  • In the months following the September’s annual meeting and economic forum, the Collaborative Board undertook a review of the organization’s bylaws (via committee) and mission statement. This is important for the organization to remain relevant and effective as we work to serve those we serve. The Collaborative also worked on identifying focus items for the Collaborative in 2012. Possible focus items mentioned: 1) An event for new businesses in the region; 2) Efforts to aid the development of entrepreneurs; 3) A business needs survey; or, 4) An event similar to the successful Business Plan or Internet Biz competitions that were done in past years.
  • On 11/30/11, NVDA hosted a farewell event for long-time USDA Area Director Steve Campbell at its facility in Lyndon for Collaborative members and others. Steve’s guidance and assistance to organizations and communities in the Northeast Kingdom REAP Zone will certainly be missed. Also retiring from USDA was Gary Beem, Community Program Specialist. The Collaborative wished both Steve and Gary well as they move on.
  • On September 8th, 2011 the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative hosted a regional economic forum at Lyndon State College. Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin participated in this event to discuss the Vermont Job’s Bill and its relevance to the NEK region. The purpose of this event was to inform / educate business owners in the region about service providers available in the region, as well as the specific services which they provide. The goal was to bring these two groups of people (business service providers and business owners) together to buildmutually beneficial relationships.
  • The Collaborative Annual Meeting also took place on September 8th and preceded the economic forum. The meeting, albeit brief, was important as new members representing low-income groups were added to the Collaborative Board. Subsequent to the annual meeting, new Officers were elected: Kenn Stransky (Chair), Bob Whitaker (Vice-Chair), John Kleinhanz (Secretary), and Colleen Long (Treasurer).
  • A 2011 progress report on the Collaborative’s Strategic Plan for the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont was completed (through September 2011) and made available at the organization’s Annual Meeting (Report attached).
  • A number of Collaborative members attended / participated in the 2nd Northern Forest Summit held at WhitefieldNH. Similarly, organizations belonging to the Collaborative are participating in a regional Energy Expo to be held at the end of March and a Farm & Food Summit to be held in early April 2012. The farm/food event will highlight a significant number of agricultural efforts taking place in the region – many that have been funded all or in part by USDA Rural Development. Lastly, some Collaborative members are participating in a VT/NH USDA Strategic Economies Together (SET) effort on building a local/regional food system – the Keep Growing Initiative. Technical assistance and economic development training are being provided by USDA and the Extension Services of the Universities of VT and NH.

Investments in the REAP Zone:

FY2011 Northeast Kingdom REAP Zone USDA funding highlights include investments in the form of grants, loans, and loan guarantees totaling $14,653,546:

$ 4,580,000 for Municipal Infrastructure (water and wastewater)

$ 248,200 for local Community Facilities

$1,957,447 for Rural Housing initiatives

$ 643,458 for Business programs

$ 7,224,441 for Housing Loan guarantees

Community Participation:

The Northeast Kingdom Collaborative Board has individual and organizational representatives from each of the three-county REAP Zone area – Caledonia, Essex, and OrleansCounties. Collaborative membership is open to anyone and tends to be representative of the region. In 2011, Collaborative members worked on implementing the recommendations of the 2010Strategic Work Plan.

Despite significant outreach from organizational members to the private sector, participation from the business community has not been as strong as the Collaborative Board would like. The Board will work to make meeting hours and locationsmore convenient for businesses, as well as keeping agendas relevant/of interest to the private sector. The Collaborative has seen increased youth representation on its Board (both the Secretary and Treasurer are under 30 yrs. of age), and the group will continue working to increase youthinvolvement in planning and implementation efforts moving forward. There is a Young Professionals group in Lyndon that the Collaborative should reach out to.

Partnerships and Alliances:

Within the Northeast Kingdom REAP Zone area partnerships and alliances are the norm. This remains important for sharing resources and developing creative solutions, especially the tough economic climate today.

TheCollaborative is a voluntary association based upon partnerships between local and regional organizations, institutions, businesses, and individuals. The following is a list of Collaborative Board members, each of which partners with a variety of other businesses, state agencies, and local communitiesand other organizations working within the NortheastKingdomregion:

LyndonState College (LSC)

VT North Country Chamber of Commerce

Northern Communities Investment Corporation (NCIC)

University of Vermont Extension

NortheastKingdom Travel & Tourism Association (NEKTTA)

NortheastKingdom Community Action (NEKCA)

Passumpsic Bank

Vermont Agency of Human Services (AHS)

Northeastern Vermont Development Association (NVDA)

Gilman Housing Trust, Inc. (GHT)

Newport City Renaissance Corporation (NCRC)

Norton Planning Commission

Vermont Broadcast Associates

Northeast Kingdom Learning Services, Inc. (NEKLS)

There are numerousCollaborative members - community and state agencies, civic organizations, businesses, interest groups, and individuals too many to name here. The list of potential partners and alliances is great, and the success of the Collaborativeand the regionwill depend upon communication and cooperative partnershipsmoving forward.

Problems/Obstacles:

An ongoing problem within the REAP Zone continues to be a lack of communication (and therefore coordination)at times among the organizations working toimprove the region. This is apparent when individual organizations submit funding applications for projects that may have some similarities. Communication is needed for coordination, collaboration, and cooperation. Without these we may end up withless effective efforts to address longstanding problems.

Until the national, state, and local economies improve at a greater rate, it will remain difficult to address some of the challenges laid out in the regional Charter for Success - particularly, the measures of creating new businesses and jobs, alleviating poverty, and raising income levels.

A continuing problem within the REAP Zone relates to progress reporting (This problem was also noted in previous years). Information is not being provided in a manner that would better demonstrate within the USDA online Benchmark and Reporting System the progress and positive impacts being made by the Collaborative and its partners within the REAP Zone. Information on funds being leveraged, project measures, and quarterly project progress reports would improve this.

Solutions:

The Collaborative Board continues to address communication and coordination issues. The Collaborative website is one tool that can help with this when members post to the website. A training refresher on website may be useful for new members. Similarly, a presentation of the USDA online benchmarking and reporting system may be useful for Collaborative members. They could then see how the system might work better if more information was provided.

The Collaborative Board believesthecontinued focus on coordinated economic development planning and implementationthrough partnerships is the best way to improve the quality of life for everyone in theNortheastKingdom. There are goals in the 2010 Charter for Success that can be addressed even in a down economy. Raising the educational aspirations of students within the region and connecting the workforce needs of businesses to education and training providers shouldn’t require significant investments other than time. The September economic forum was an attempt to do just this.

As suggested last year, one way to improve progress reporting within the REAP Zone is to have Collaborative members report out at Board meetings the progress they have made toward implementing strategies from the Strategic Plan for the Northeast Kingdom’s REAP Zone.

Best Practices:

The public nature and inclusiveness of allCollaborativeforums and events, including itsstrategic planning process and regular Board meetings has proven to extremely valuable for gaining information and exchanging ideas. Public and open dialogue has been a longstanding best practice and will continue to be in the future.

Progress reporting on the 2010 Strategic Plan for the Northeast Kingdomis voluntary, but the commitment that organizations have shown to implement the plan’s recommended strategies and then report on them for Collaborative partners is a best practice that we hope will continue.

Plans/Prospects for the Future (2011 and beyond):

The Collaborative and its member organizations will continue to focus on implementing recommendations from the 2010 Strategic Plan for the NortheastKingdom. Supported by the findings and recommendations from NVDA planning studies funded by the U.S. and VT Departments of Labor - the Strategic Industries in the Northeast Kingdom cluster analysis; the Regional Food System Plan for Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom; and, the Burke Area Strategic Marketing Plan and Template – it may be easier to secure funding and partners for implementation.

The Collaborative has been discussing possible focus items for 2012, including: 1) an entrepreneurial development effort; 2) an event similar to the successful Business Plan or Internet Biz competitions that were done in past years; and 3) an effort(s) to promote continuing education and/or connect education to workforce development and the private sector.

Audited Financial Report:

There are no finances to be audited.

DUE JANUARY 30, 2012

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