In action taken by the Chaffee Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) during their March 26 special meeting, commissioners approved the formation of a Chaffee County Economic Recovery Team to engage local businesses to begin an assessment that will help determine the impact of the coronavirus on local businesses.
“The Board of Commissioners is unanimous and united in convening this effort immediately,” Said the Chair of the Board of County Commissioners Greg Felt. “While we are hopeful about federal assistance, funding alone won’t solve our problems. We need strategies, teamwork, leverage, and a countywide full-court press. I have tremendous confidence in the leadership and team assembled.”
Steel beams are being moved into place at the Buena Vista School’s construction site. Photo by Henry DeKam.
Much public attention has been focused on the public health crisis presented by the coronavirus known as COVID-19. This has been closely followed by the immediate financial uncertainty for hundreds of displaced workers as the county complies with state orders to close nonessential services and comply with Colorado ‘stay-at-home’ orders. But as the country, the state and the local community sinks deeper into the unknown presented by the global pandemic, the county’s leaders understand that a way forward must be charted now, for the economic future of the county.
“The Chaffee County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) has been building momentum for the past few years, focused on our economic well being, but now we need to make this a community wide effort,” said CCEDC Executive Director Wendell Pryor. “The CCEDC has done a lot up ’til now – but this is the time for the rest of the county to pick up on this effort. We’re all in this together.”
The Chaffee County Economic Recovery team will include two county commissioners, Keith Baker and Rusty Granzella, as well as Pryor, CCEDC Chair Dave Blazer and CCEDC Officer Jeff Post.
The goals of the new county recovery team are to keep as many businesses in business and workers “attached”, identify available resources for businesses, establish an expanded network to enhance communications among businesses, engage community leadership in support of and enhancement of the efforts and programs such as the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), identify opportunities for the County to diversify and grow while looking toward the future, and bring recommendations to the County Commissioners for their support and endorsement of additional resources that may become available.
The Chaffee County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) is leading this segment of the economic recovery effort.
“The primary purpose of this effort is to provide support for the business community within Chaffee County during this crisis,” said CCEDC Chair Dave Blazer. “We look to emerge from this as a more robust business community; to continue to grow, adapt, and develop for what our businesses need, to be resilient and ready in the near term for when we are ‘open for business’ again and to remain strong for the long term.”
The team will be providing updates to the BoCC weekly, and is expecting to have a preliminary report to the Commissioners for consideration within thirty (30) days. Those with questions or looking for further information are directed to Wendell Pryor, Executive Director, CCEDC, 719-207-0801.
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