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Wednesday, Sep. 9, 1998
Summit looks to economic future
Meeting tonight on fiscal outlook will follow state of the city address
By JEFFREY TOMICH
Staff WriterCity and local business leaders hope to come away from tonight's economic summit with a better understanding of the direction Corpus Christi is headed as the 21st century approaches.
The summit, set for 6 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, is co-sponsored by the City of Corpus Christi and Greater Corpus Christi Business Alliance. It will follow Mayor Loyd Neal's state of the city address this afternoon.
The purpose of the summit is to gather information about the long-range goals of various organizations and individuals in Corpus Christi relating to the city's economic growth, said Debbie Lindsey-Opel, a co-chair of the event.
The meeting is a followup to April's economic summit and part of a larger plan by the city and alliance to develop a blueprint for Corpus Christi's growth into the 21st century.
At the April meeting, several panels of business and community leaders presented overviews of city infrastructure, education, port industries, the business climate, business recruitment, small businesses and tourism.
This time, organizers mailed about 100 letters to area businesses, schools and not-for-profit groups inviting them to make five-minute presentations outlining their plans and how the city and alliance can help them achieve their goals.
``What we are looking for is what's important to them, where they're headed and how we can help,'' Lindsey-Opel said. ``Sometimes we have some barriers and we need to know those as well.''
The public is also encouraged to attend the summit and will have the opportunity to address alliance and city officials on any matter related to the city's future.
The alliance will use information presented at the summit to develop long-term plans for the area, said Gary Bushell, president and chief executive of the alliance.
``What we want to do is digest the information, distill it and use it to develop the alliance's plan along with the city to see where we need to go over the next 10 years,'' he said.
The city will also use information in its application to have parts of Corpus Christi designated as a federal empowerment zone, Lindsey-Opel said. The zone would make the city eligible for more than $100 million in federal grant money for projects that include day care, education and a variety of other purposes.Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web