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OPINIONS
Editorial: Empowerment Zone deserves full funding
Engines Inc., is the largest occupant of The Point industrial park at South Point, Ohio. The Point was made possible through the use of federal money through the Huntington-Ironton Empowerment Zone.
Purchase this photoTennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen visited Ironton on Aug. 22 to campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Local officials from both parties gave Bredesen a message for Obama: Fund the Huntington-Ironton Empowerment Zone fully.
The Empowerment Zone was a program of former President Bill Clinton. It was supposed to provide $100 million in federal grants to the area over a 10-year period. But Clinton left office soon after the Empowerment Zone was formed, and the Bush administration has funded only $24 million of the original $100 million. The Empowerment Zone has $3 million left.
Rather than spreading federal assistance thinly to a long list of communities, the Empowerment Zone program promised a massive infusion of federal dollars to a selected list of communities. The premise was that this big-time investment would yield equally big-time results.
Communities were invited to compete to be included in the program, and the Huntington-Ironton Empowerment Zone was one of the few selected.
Huntington and Ironton have used Empowerment Zone money well. For proof, look at The Point industrial park at South Point, Ohio.
This summer, Merciers Inc., a Baltimore-based company, bought a 4.75-acre parcel at The Point. It plans to open an office there for its business of vegetation control for industries, utilities and railroads. Merciers said it plans to employ 40 people at The Point. That makes Merciers the eighth company to locate at The Point. About 250 people work at the industrial park now.
Empowerment Zone money has been used for a variety of projects in the Huntington and Ironton areas.
Local officials would like the presidential candidates to provide the Empowerment Zone with another $10 million per year for five years. That would bring it close to the original vision, and it would show what community-based, specifically targeted federal spending can do to help an area that needs it.
It's a plan both candidates should consider.
But Huntington and Ironton will need to make their cases well. The best strategy would be to refocus the Empowerment Zone's efforts on a few high-cost, high-impact projects. Otherwise, Congressmen might get the idea all Huntington and Ironton want is another well to draw federal money from.
Even though it was never fully funded, the Huntington-Ironton Empowerment Zone has helped the two cities. It has also shown that two cities in two states, separated by about 20 miles, can cooperate on projects to benefit an entire region.
If this presidential election is as close as many people think it will be, every state will be important. Also, control of Congress is up for grabs. Presidential and congressional candidates would do well in this area to support full funding for the Huntington-Ironton Empowerment Zone.
