Friday, August 22, 2014

EDC board urged to spin off Chamber
The Newport/Cocke County Economic Development Commission (EDC) Board of Directors met Thursday. Newport Interim City Manager James Finchum said he met earlier in the week with Cocke County Mayor-Elect Crystal Ottinger, Newly elected County Commissioner Andy Tritt and outgoing Commissioner Mike McCarter, "in an effort to limit the collateral damage with regard to the Newport Street Festival". The festival is organized by the Chamber of Commerce but recently the county commission eliminated funding and so the organization had no way to organize and carry-on the the event. Finchum said the county group wants the Partnership to be disbanded, reverting to the organization of ten years ago, when EDC, tourism and the chamber functioned as separate entities. The organizations were brought together under a single umbrella Partnership, to streamline their efforts, and because they frequently work together on community projects. The city manager said he frequently hears strong concerns about the effectiveness of the Partnership from throughout the community. "The partnership was a good idea but the public has lost confidence it it," he told the board. "I want to limit the damage so the way to do that is to go back to the way it was operated before the Partnership was formed," he told the EDC board. Finchum argued for saving the Chamber saying, "everyone who comes into town goes to the chamber for information. We owe it to the community to save the Chamber of Commerce." He also pointed out that the city has not cut it's funding for the Partnership. The Partnership board now will have to decide whether the Chamber will be spun off the umbrella organization, into a separate entity. The Executive committee of the EDC had previously voted to recommend that the contract with LaGrace Properties not be renewed after the firm reneged on it's lease/purchase of the former Ace Products site on Industrial Road. The full board Thursday decided against re-instating the LaGrace contract. Michael Ball of LaGrace said he has been in discussions with Bush Brothers who is interested in the site. He said when he missed a payment in the past by a day, the contract was not cancelled. But County Mayor Vaughn Moore said another firm is interested in the site. He said the firm wants to conduct an environmental survey and if there are no issues, the company has offered $300,000 for the site. The organization had previously asked Mayor Moore to go with EDC Chair, Newport Mayor Connie Ball to meet with the prospective buyer. There was a telephone conference call with the company official's and Mayor Ball described the prospect as "a legitimate firm, not a fly-by-night organization." Discussions will continue with the prospect which plans to visit the site.


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