Thurston County’s Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) met yesterday, October 18, to discuss the establishment of the Pacific-Salish Economic Development District (EDD), composed of counties in the Southwest corner of Washington State: Thurston, Mason, Grays Harbor, and Pacific.
Jennica Machado, Economic Development Manager at Thurston County, said this initiative would bring Thurston County to partner with other counties, with it being the only non-member of the now-defunct economic district known before as ColPac EDD.
According to the Washington State Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises site, Mason, Grays Harbor, and Pacific Counties once operated an economic development district, ColPac EDD, until approximately 2015.
After choosing to disband, which led to not being recognized as a District by the Economic Development Administration (EDA), each county has pursued planning efforts supportive of but not coordinated with each other.
Thurston County has never been organized under the authority of an EDD, including ColPac.
“This is our last brief to start the process of the district known as the Pacific-Salish EDD. We met for briefs back in 2021[and] early 2023 to review and discuss the idea of an EDD, what it does, how it functions,” Machado said.
Michael Cade, Thurston Economic Development Council (EDC) executive director, said that although economic development is important, the county has been without an economic development district since its establishment.
“As I think about the history of economic development in Thurston County, I'm struck by the notion that we're always looking at every resource and opportunity for creating economic development, which is jobs, and opportunities for the citizens and residents of our county, “said Cade. “We have been without an economic development district, since its inception.”
“To form a district, you have to have the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy,” said J Robertson and Company President Jason Robertson. “It's where you elevate priority projects and in this case, those that create or retain jobs or help generate private investment into economic development.”
The Pacific-Salish EDD has a CEDS working draft containing the details of the EDD, which will be used to secure approval from EDA.
“We reviewed all kinds of the economic development-related plans for all four counties and tried to just enhance what is already known to give priorities,” said Robertson.
The CEDS’s vision is: “The Pacific-Salish region sustains a resilient and inclusive economy through intentional diversification and investment, coordinated workforce and enterprise support activities, and a proactive culture of innovation and adaptation.”
The EDD would be made possible with a grant award from the EDA. Thurston EDC is the fiduciary of the project.
Yesterday, October 18, Thurston County’s Board of County Commissioners discussed the establishment of the Pacific-Salish Economic Development District with Mason, Grays Harbor, and Pacific counties.
JOLT staff photo via YouTube
Robertson explained that the county’s responsibilities on the EDD are “varied and minimal.”
“Once we get the plan approved, we have a minute to create the operating structure and so conceptually, we're imagining that EDC directors will constitute the board, and it's their job to get input from all their partners throughout the county,” said Robertson.
For the first year, the EDD will not request any funds from the county, but if a Thurston County property is being moved forward, it requires a typical 50% match.
“If you wanted to move a project forward, you might be motivated because you have the 50%, and the other 50% from the federal government helps. You get to go faster,” explained Robertson.
Projects eligible for the EDD fund vary around construction, non-construction, planning, technical assistance, and Revolving Loan Funds (RLF).
A resolution from the county adopting the EDD is set to be approved on October 31.
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