economic development

6 Month Check-in

Jenn Hulehan Affordable Housing, Arts, Community Development, Economic Development, News, One Simpsonville, Simpsonville Elementary , , , , , , , , ,

It’s been (a little over) 6 months, so it seems like a good time for a recap.

When I was campaigning, I told you that I wanted Simpsonville to focus on three areas: economic development, community & culture, and One Simpsonville, United.

Let’s look at those more closely:

Economic Development:

As I’ve said before, in a city like Simpsonville, community development IS economic development, and as I said at the June Committee of the Whole Meeting, successful municipal community and economic development begins with elected officials making an organizational commitment to community and economic development. At that time, I made a motion to charge our City Administrator with creating a strategic plan for community and economic development in Simpsonville. The Committee moved that motion to the July 12th business meeting for consideration of Council, and Council approved us moving forward with such a plan. This is great news in light of the recently announced MASC economic development grants.

In support of community and economic development, several business and community leaders presented to Mayor Curtis and the City of Simpsonville a check for $1000.00 to illustrate their commitment to partnering with the City in a One Simpsonville effort to make economic development a priority. The City of Simpsonville will seek to grow the account by pursuing grants and in future budgeting efforts.

Community & Culture:

Museum Signs: In April, I was contacted by the Simpsonville Museum of Revolutionary War History (which is run completely by volunteers). They wanted to know if the city could help them purchase some signage to help let the public know their location and hours. I told them that I didn’t think the city could afford to do that given the great number of critical needs we were currently reviewing in our budget workshops. However, I thought this would be a great opportunity to bring together some citizens, businesses, and our government in a One Simpsonville effort to help increase access to this cultural service through signage. So I reached out to Jason Knudsen, our City Planner, to inquire about what kinds of signs would work for the Museum’s purpose. Then, I reached out to our community to ask for their help. Within just two days, we had collected enough money to purchase appropriate signage. Today, if you drive past the historic Simpsonville Elementary School building, you can see these portable sidewalk signs that indicate the location and operating hours of the museum.

Arts Center Feasibility Study: As of July 8th, the Arts Center Feasibility study is officially underway! Read the most recent progress update here. We first started talking about this back in March. Since then, the motion passed from Committee of the Whole to full Council, where it was approved. Mr. Dyrhaug and Mr. Knudsen have since pulled together the appropriate people to help complete the study, so we can determine once and for all whether or not it’s feasible to house an Arts Center in the historic Simpsonville Elementary School. Further, the group of people working together on that feasibility study include business owners, citizens, city staff, and non-profit representatives—and that’s what One Simpsonville is all about.

 Symphony (free!): We brought the Greenville Symphony Orchestra back to Simpsonville for the Independence Day Celebration at Heritage Park. And we were able to do it with free parking and free admission, increasing access to community and cultural programs and services. We were able to offer it free by embracing the One Simpsonville spirit of collaboration and partnership. The event was made possible by partnering with the following:

  • Greenville County,
  • Greenville Health Systems,
  • Greenville Technical College,
  • Lockheed Martin, and
  • Laurens Electric Cooperative.

 

One Simpsonville, United:

In addition to all the One Simpsonville examples above, we have a few more efforts that come to mind. What these efforts share is a concerted effort to invite citizens, businesses, and non-profits to participate in the processes and projects of the City. They also share a willingness to be open and responsive to the ideas, suggestions, and desire to help improve the community presented by members of our community.

Fire Safety House/Modern Woodmen of America Partnership: This is such a great example of the true One Simpsonville spirit. In this venture, we have truly united our city—its citizens, its businesses, and its government—working together for continuous improvement. Read more about how here.

 Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County: While the City was not an official partner in the recently completed build on Boyd Ave, several city leaders attended the wall-raising and the dedication ceremony and met with Habitat leaders to discuss how to create an effective, mutually beneficial relationship as we move forward. This is important because the Boyd Ave project did include partnerships with many private citizen volunteers, local businesses, and our local faith community. We need to continue to grow such relationships.

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We’ve strengthened our relationship with our Chamber of Commerce. Chamber leaders will be intimately involved in the formulation of the strategic plan for economic development. Recently, the Chamber’s Leadership Simpsonville group presented to us their planned projects for this year, which include the construction of an ADA-approved Sensory Playground and swings and signage for downtown. These projects will be a huge asset to our community. Council voted unanimously to support the projects. You can help donate to the Sensory Playground here. In another recent partnership, the Chamber and the City of Simpsonville worked together to collect, assemble, and distribute appreciation packages to the employees of the Simpsonville Police Department.

We did all of this while also passing a budget with no tax increase. And we worked with Public Works on a plan to privatize some of our sanitation services to save money and increase the quality of service to our citizens.

It’s been a busy year so far, and I’m not saying it’s been perfect, but I am saying this: we’re making progress. We’re moving in the right direction. And we’re going to continue on this path because that’s what’s best for Simpsonville.

Meeting Recap

Jenn Hulehan Community Development, Council Rules, Economic Development, Meeting Recaps, News, Public Works , , , ,

Here’s a quick recap from last night’s meeting in case you were’t able to attend.  Also, the MP3 will be up later today, and it’s only 30 minutes long, so you may want to check it out!

Mayor Curtis issued a proclamation recognizing and honoring Daniel Madriaga.

Daniel Madriaga is the owner of Black Belt Attitude ATA Karate School.  He has 3 schools in Greenville County with 2 of them being in Simpsonville (one on NE Main Street and the other in Five Forks).  On June 29, 2016, Daniel Madriaga will be elevated to the rank of Master in the ATA Karate.  His is currently a 6th degree black belt.  He has been studying karate since he was 10 years old and became a black belt at the age of 12.  He began teaching Taekwondo at the age of 15 years old.  In 2004, he was teaching in the Miami FL area.  In 2011, he decided to open his own karate school and began looking at different places to move and open a school.  He considered GA and NC and found SC to be the best fit and opened his first school in Simpsonville, SC.  The school will celebrate 5 years on June 24-25, 2016.  Under Daniel Madriaga’s leadership, his schools are teaching Simpsonville citizens life skills such as discipline, self respect, self-defense, honesty and self esteem development.  He has saidthat “The classes are not just about kicks and punches.  It also teaches students how they should behave everywhere and helping them do better.”

Daniel Madriaga will become the 3rd karate Master in Greenville County and the 1st in Simpsonville.  This is a high honor for him, his schools and the City of Simpsonville.  His schools will have a Belt Promotion Ceremony on July 23, 2016, and the students and parents will be recognizing him for reaching such a high goal.

The Leadership Simpsonville Class of 2016 was again present at our meeting to give some additional information about their upcoming projects. Check them out on Facebook here for additional info.  Council voted unanimously to approve these projects.

Council voted unanimously to charge City Administrator David Dyrhaug with developing a strategic action plan for ongoing community and economic development.  Read more here.

Council voted 4 (Gooch, Hulehan, Cummings, Curtis)-3 (Graham, Braswell, Lockaby) to approve on 1st reading Ordinance 2016-03, which is the ordinance commonly referred to as “Council Rules.”  We’ve been working on this since the first of the year.  The next vote will take place at the August business meeting.

The Sewer Loan was moved to an upcoming meeting because it requires more analysis per City Administrator.

Council voted unanimously to appoint Mr. Jay Crawford as Public Works Director.  Mr. Crawford has been serving as Interim Director since January, and he’s been doing a great job.  We are lucky he’s willing to take on this role permanently.

Council voted unanimously to approve the appointment of Ms. Christine Furino as City Treasurer for the remainder for the current term of office (ending December 31st, 2017).  Ms. Furino recently accepted the job as Finance Director. Ms. Furino has been with the City of Simpsonville since late 2013 as the City’s Senior Accountant Supervisor.  We are grateful she is willing to serve in this additional role.

 

Economic Development Grants

Jenn Hulehan Community Development, Economic Development, News , ,

wp-1468334661526.jpegAt the last Committee of the Whole meeting, I mentioned that the Municipal Association of South Carolina (MASC) would soon be announcing economic development grants, which is one reason I think a strategic plan for economic development is critical.

Well, just recently we received information from MASC that those grants are now available, and they’re accepting applications through September 30th.  So it’s very timely that tonight we’re voting to get started on a strategic plan for ongoing community and economic development.

Here’s some more information on the types of activities eligible for funding through the MASC grants (courtesy of the MASC website):

Professional Services
Professional services including, but not limited to, developing master plans; providing analysis or materials for marketing, branding or promoting cities and their local businesses; or engineering.

Assets
Assets including, but not limited to, publicly-owned water or sewer projects; wayfinding signage or placemaking projects.

Programs
Programs developed by a city or in partnership with others including, but not limited to, downtown development or revitalization; business incubators or small business assistance.

Here’s another key point: matching funds are required.  Until recently, we have not had any funds dedicated to economic development.  But, as you, know, recently, a group of business and community leaders changed that by donating the first funds to be devoted to economic development in Simpsonville.  We hope to grow those dollars. Doing so will set us up for future success in securing grants like this.  And make no mistake: this is only one example of funding that we could be eligible for if we have a commitment to economic development and a strategic plan in place for ongoing community and economic development.

Read previous posts on economic development here.

 

 

Press Release: Simpsonville Businesses and Citizens Present Check For Economic Development

Jenn Hulehan Community Development, Economic Development, News, One Simpsonville , ,

See below for the press release regarding this morning’s presentation.

Questions? Contact Tiffany Cherry, Community Relations Specialist, City of Simpsonville at: (864) 967-9526 or tcherry@simpsonville.com

LOCAL BUSINESSES AND CITIZENS PRESENT CHECK FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

SIMPSONVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, (June 29, 2016) – Local business owners and citizens presented a check for $1,000 to Mayor Janice Curtis and the City of Simpsonville to be contributed to an economic development line item in the City’s budget.

Rory Curtis, owner of Carolina Olive Oil, spearheaded the movement to gain support from local businesses. “ I approached several people with the idea of donating towards the City’s economic development. The response was overwhelmingly positive. We are proud to do business in Simpsonville and are eager to support economic development in our city” said Mr. Curtis.

For decades Simpsonville has been growing both commercially and residentially. However, there has never been a designated line item in the City’s budget for econmic development. “Simpsonville is one of the state’s fastest growing cities. Businesses are attracted to Simpsonville because our community ranks among the highest income and education levels in the state. Families want to live in Simpsonville because we are a safe, family-friendly community with great schools and parks. Having this newly created line item in our budget shows that Simpsonville is committed to economic development” said Mayor Curtis.

According to Mr. Curtis, the money is being donated with “no strings attached.” The goal of the donation is to continue the conversation of econmic development in Simpsonville with a focus on revitalizing the downtown area. There are several small projects that can make a big impact on Main Street, Simpsonviille. The City of Simpsonville will seek to grow the account by pursuing grants and in future budgeting efforts.

“The heart of our community is its people. The private public partnership initatied by these community leaders is unprecedent and truly represents One Simpsonville. The business community, the citizens, and the City are working together for the future of Simpsonville” said Mayor Curtis.

The City of Simpsonville would like to thank the following individuals and businesses for their contributions.

  • Roy and Francis Shelton, The Garden House
  • Caroline Richardson Mahaffey, Jeff Richardson Company
  • Candace Humphries, Palmetto Twist
  • Lou and Mary Hutchings
  • Wade Shealy, Unterhausen
  • Rory Curtis and Lee Ann Swanson, Carolina Olive Oil
  • Lewis Stewart and Lewis Stewart, Jr.
  • Perry and Donna Eichor
  • Kelly Lomas, Peacock Cottage
  • Charlotte K. Clark, Midtown Lawn Care

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Q&A: “What is Your Vision, Jenn?”

Jenn Hulehan Uncategorized , , , , , , , ,

Earlier today I posted this on my Facebook page:

Screenshot 2015-10-08 21.40.57

Tonight, I received a response on that post that asked this: “What is your vision Jenn?”  As with my last response to a Facebook question, I have a little more to say than fits into a Facebook comment box, and I want everyone to have the opportunity to see my response, so I’m posting it here:

First and foremost, I envision the future of the school as a place that is truly for the people, by the people, and of the people. What do the people want? What will most benefit them? How can they make use of the space to improve their lives?

To this end, I think it’s great that Councilman Taylor Graham attended our concerned citizens meeting, recognizing that citizen input is key to determining the best possible usage of that building. I am happy that the city has some sort of plan for focus groups sometime in the future to get citizen feedback.

Regardless of what we decide to do with the elementary school, I firmly believe we need access to the arts for all of our citizens and a stronger commitment to community and cultural programs and services. It is my opinion that the school offers us a unique opportunity as a place that could help us fulfill such a commitment. It’s there. It’s empty. We own it. We need to do something with it. Why not this?

Imagine the school once again alive with the sound of children laughing, playing, learning. And imagine it weren’t just children.

Imagine adults—people of all ages—laughing in the auditorium seats or singing on its stage; drawing, painting, or sculpting in studio classrooms; or browsing halls lined with the work of local & regional artists. Imagine them learning more about Simpsonville’s history during programs like those presented by the Simpsonville Museum of Revolutionary War Museum. Imagine them attending a book reading by a local author.

These are just examples—the specifics of what could and would be offered there would be determined by the people. As I said originally, it would be something that is uniquely Simpsonville—something that encourages community pride for our citizens through arts and culture.

So imagine a place that would enrich all of our lives and our community through a variety of cultural activities, through exposure to the arts, through a shared sense of community. That’s my vision.

And it’s a vision that will yield multiple social and economic benefits to our city. It’s a vision we can accomplish if we’re all working together towards the same goal: one better Simpsonville for all.

“Are we moving in a direction that our children will be proud of?”

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“Are we moving in a direction that our children will be proud of?”  According to former Davidson, NC Mayor Randall Kincaid, their city adopted a philosophy by which public officials asked this question before every decision.

It’s such a simple thing. And yet, it’s brilliant in its simplicity: “Are we moving in a direction that our children will be proud of?”

It’s brilliant because ultimately, that’s the job of city leaders: to create a future better than the present, to work steadily for continuous improvement, to create a city that our children will be proud to live, work, and play in years from now.

“Are we moving in a direction that our children will be proud of?”

It’s brilliant because it forces us to stop and consider the long-term goal or vision before making short-term decisions.

And above all else, that’s what we need to do on city council. We need a vision. And we need people committed to making it a reality. We need people willing to ask, “Are we moving in a direction that our children will be proud of?” at every turn.

I have a vision for Simpsonville that I think will make it, beyond a doubt, the kind of city our children and their children will be proud of.

We’re on our way. But to fully realize this vision of Simpsonville, I think we need to focus on a few key areas:

  1. Commit to community and cultural programs and services:
    • Provide access to the arts for all of our citizens,
    • Support programs that educate, inform, and inspire through a variety of cultural activities.
  2. This will lead to economic development…because community development is economic development.
    • Grow and retain current businesses (by keeping Simpsonville dollars in Simpsonville and bringing outside $ in),
    • Attract and support new businesses.
  3. But in order to do this, we need to work together. We need everybody on board. So we need to commit to creating unity and building partnerships.
    • Partner with individual citizens, local businesses, non-profit organizations, civic groups
    • Work together for a common goal, a shared vision

Then we can ask ourselves, “Are we moving in a direction our children can be proud of?” And answer ourselves with a resounding yes. Yes, we are moving in a direction our children will be proud of. Yes, we are creating a better Simpsonville for the future.

It’s time to get people on council who can do that. I think I’m just that kind of person.  And that’s why I’m asking for your vote on November 3rd.

Screenshot 2015-10-06 08.16.41

Response to Facebook Inquiry

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I received the following comment on Facebook, and as I began to type out my response, I realized it wasn’t Facebook-sized, so I decided to include it here and just link it:

beth langely

I’ll give you the short answer here and invite you to come on out to Tea N Things on Monday evening for the meet the candidates event to talk about it some more. Hope to see you there!

  • “How do you plan on drawing business here?”

My vision for increasing economic development in Simpsonville relies on creating stronger partnerships between the city government, business owners, non-profit and community groups, etc. As Henry Ford once said, “If everyone is moving forward together, success takes care of itself.”  We need everyone in Simpsonville on board. I believe the mayor and council should provide the vision and leadership to make that happen. Further, I believe that community development is economic development. And I believe that it starts (and is successful) when the city government has a broad vision for community & economic development to guide its decisions. Every decision should be preceded by the question, “how does this (or does this not) help us accomplish our long-term goal?” When potential businesses see a community thriving, they are naturally attracted to it. When they know that the city will help support them in becoming established as part of that community, they are more inclined to join the community.  When they see everyone working together towards one shared goal: the betterment of the city, they know they will be successful, that we’ll all be successful, and are far more likely to choose Simpsonville as a place to start/open a business. When they see strong leaders with a clear vision, they want to be a part of that.

  • “How are you planning to pay for putting the arts in the old school building? Are you going to raise taxes or take money needed to fund other departments to pay for it?”

Bringing arts and culture to Simpsonville starts with a vision—a vision that the city government should share and commit to. From there, specific planning can begin. That planning will need to include multiple stakeholders. I will say again that creating stronger partnerships between the city government, business owners, non-profit and community groups, etc. is incredibly important to achieving this vision. Establishing an Arts Center is a long-term goal. It won’t happen overnight. But it won’t happen at all if we do not have leaders committed to a vision that includes one. It will also not be something I alone do—it will be a team effort, and all good teams start with a shared goal. On raising taxes: We just had a tax increase. We need to avoid increasing taxes again. We also need to ensure that we maintain the first rate services we’ve come to expect in Simpsonville. These same services that make it enjoyable for us to live here also attract new residents and businesses. That’s good for the city. And we certainly can’t cut necessary services to fund an Arts Center; that would be irresponsible.  I will say on a related note that I would like to see our departments adopt a zero-based budgeting (ZBB) model. In my experience (I have had to do this in my role as a department head in the public sector), ZBB creates a more efficient allocation of resources. This can help us “trim the fat” (if there is any), so that we can maintain those services without increasing taxes (this is true whether there’s an Arts Center or not).  We need to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars.

Again, I hope to see you at the Meet the Candidates event on Monday evening! Click here to register.

Community and Cultural Programs Contribute to Economic Development

Jenn Hulehan Arts, Community Development, Economic Development , , , , , ,

In my campaign launch speech, I shared a vision for Simpsonville–a vision that includes making economic development a top priority and committing to community and cultural programs and services.

On community and cultural programs and services, I called for a comprehensive plan that does 3 things:

  1. provides access to the arts for all citizens;artssimpsonville
  2. supports programs that educate, inform, and inspire through a variety of cultural activities;
  3. and contributes to the overall economic development of our city.

Let me share with you a story that illustrates one reason why this is important: Not long ago, I posted on Facebook about an upcoming event sponsored by the Simpsonville Revolutionary War Museum.  Immediately two non-Simpsonville residents responded: “There’s a history museum in Simpsonville? I had no idea! I’m going to have to come down there and check it out!” Community and cultural programs and services draw visitors to a city.  Once here, those visitors check out the rest of the city.  Imagine if there were enough community & cultural programs that people could spend a full day in Simpsonville–visiting the museum, learning about our local history, taking in a show (maybe a play performed on the stage of the old Simpsonville Elementary School).  Imagine they spend the day shopping, eating.  Imagine the revenue that could generate for the city, the positive impact it could have on our small, local businesses.

When we head out to Greenville, Mauldin, or Fountain Inn to take part in community or cultural programs and services, we’re giving them our tax dollars, we’re supporting their local economies.  Why wouldn’t we want to support our own?  And why wouldn’t we want to not just keep our dollars here but also draw in visitors who would spend their money here?  Visitors who would tell their friends: “Simpsonville is a great place to spend a day…or a weekend. You really need to check out what Simpsonville has to offer.”

Again I say, community development is economic development.  A commitment to cultural programs and services contributes to the overall economic development of a city.  It’s time to focus on that.

Community Development is Economic Development

Jenn Hulehan Community Development, Economic Development

I’ve said that Simpsonville needs to make economic development a top priority.  Why?  Because economic development  increases revenue to the city.  The Tribune Times recently reported that the city of Mauldin passed its FY16 budget without a tax increase for citizens.  Further, the article points out that Mauldin hasn’t increased taxes since 2011 and has the lowest millage rate in the Upstate.  When asked about how his city has avoided tax increases, Mauldin’s mayor explained, “On the income side, it’s our continued growth in residential, but primarily on the commercial side.”

Some people limit the definition of “economic development” and would relegate the responsibility for it to non-city entities like the Greenville Area Development Corporation (GDAC).  Certainly, Simpsonville should benefit from the work of the GDAC whenever possible.  The GDAC focuses on bringing target industries to our area, such as advanced materials companies, automotive, aviation/aerospace, etc. Obviously, if the GDAC could attract a major company like BMW to our city, I wouldn’t complain about the tax dollars it would generate.

However, to limit ourselves to only the kind of economic development they help provide would be a disservice to our city.  The reason why is simple: in cities like Simpsonville, community development is economic development.  

Don’t take my word for it. Take a look at Small Towns, Big Ideas: Case Studies in Small Town Community Economic Development by Will Lambe, Associate Director, Community & Economic Development Program, School of Government, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  The Lessons Learned section of the report explains that “seven themes emerged from stories in Small Towns, Big Ideas. These themes are offered as take-away lessons for other communities hoping to learn from small towns with big ideas.”  Amongst those seven themes are the following:

  1. In small towns, community development is economic development.
  2. Further, communities that incorporate economic and broader, longer-term, community development goals stand to gain more than small towns that take a piecemeal approach.
  3. Successful community economic development strategies are guided by a broadly held local vision.
  4. Viable community economic development involves the use of a comprehensive package of strategies and tools, rather than a piecemeal approach.

This is why in my campaign launch speech, I said we should focus on both economic development and community & cultural programs and services. It’s why I said, “we need a comprehensive plan that takes all of that, ties it all in together, for the benefit of the city, for One Simpsonville, that contributes to the overall economic development of the entire city.”

Simpsonville Sings: an event that links community development and economic development
Simpsonville Sings: an event that links community development and economic development: people come for the music, spend money with local businesses