Montana Economic Developers Association (MEDA) resource team hopes to give boost to Absarokee – Has your community taken advantage of this program?

To Al Jones, Absarokee is a conundrum. Unraveling that mystery will be his task in the next four weeks.

Jones, a regional development officer for the state Department of Commerce, headed up a Montana Economic Developers Association (MEDA) http://www.medamembers.org/ resource team that spent two days in Absarokee this week. Its mission: to help the community develop and foster its own plan for economic development.

What puzzled Jones were the anomalies – that a town with a potential to thrive continues to struggle.

High potential

"Stillwater County has the highest per capita income in the state," he said. "It’s got one of the best tax bases. It’s got long-term, high-wage jobs that draw people. Most of the towns are just begging for that."

And yet, in the past few years, Absarokee has lost its only drugstore, a clothing store, a feed store and the only gas station in town. At the same time, the school’s enrollment dropped from Class B to Class C.

Woodard Avenue, the town’s main street, is itself a dichotomy. The road, sidewalks and decorative planters are brand new. But sprinkled among the active businesses are vacant storefronts posted with for-rent or for-sale signs.

Absarokee is poised to change all that. The effort started with a few local business people who decided to do more than "work hard to get by."

"It started last year," said Lucille Mooney, owner of Classic Glass and one of the people responsible for bringing the MEDA team to town. "Every time you’d get together, the same topics would come up. ‘The traffic’s not so heavy anymore and the businesses are closing.’ "

Taking action

So Mooney, Absarokee accountant Linda Harris and a few others decided to act. They met with Tom Kaiserski, then county planner, who linked them with Beartooth Resource, Conservation and Development in Joliet and MEDA. In short order, MEDA paid a visit and decided to conduct an assessment. Best of all, Mooney said, the only cost to the community is the cost of providing lodging, meals and refreshments for the resource team.

The assessment involved interviewing more than 200 of the community’s 1,200 residents. Those who participated were asked about the community’s problems, challenges, assets and strengths. They were also asked what they would like to see implemented in the next two, five, 10 or 20 years.

By LINDA HALSTEAD-ACHARYA
Of The Gazette Staff

Full Story: http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/05/19/build/state/40-team-commerce.inc

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Beartooth Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D)

PO Drawer D

Joliet, MT 59041-

Phone: 406-962-3914

Fax: 406-962-3995

[email protected]