Recovery Effort Begins in April

by Bruce Farrin
     MEXICO - By April, a two-year economic recovery effort for Rumford and Mexico will get underway to try to reverse a steady downward spiral which has been unemployment hovering around 18 percent.
     Last Wednesday, town managers and selectmen of both towns, along with local representatives and members of the Growth Council and Chamber, met with the leadership team for the Fast Forward Main Street Project in Maine. Emile Paradis, executive director of the project that began when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, said with a committed leadership team and 30 businesses willing to put in the work, businesses could see an increase in the bottom line of 15 percent, with a goal of opening at least two new businesses in the Rumford or Mexico area within two years.
     Linda Walbridge, economic developer for Community Concepts under the Western Maine Economic Development Council, will also play a critical role in the leadership team, as will Mike McClellan, Maine director for Fast Forward.
     Thirty businesses, comprised of commercial, industrial, service and nonprofits, will be selected. Fast Forward offers resources, training and marketing suggestions for businesses, as well as day-to-day and visionary assistance. The program includes a day and a half of training for the advisory committee members, and two job coaches, including McClellan, to assist.
     Of the businesses that would participate, Paradis said, "We need to find out what their needs are, identify the resources you need to get ahead and then connect you with them...We need to do more to bring more of an impact to small business."
     Regarding the kinds of businesses they are seeking, he said, "We're really trying to get a cross section of the community. We're also looking for five or six non-profits to be part of this, such as the hospital, because they are integral."
     The Rumford/Mexico project is the only one of this type in the state. The others are in New Orleans, Livonia, MI and a section of Atlanta, GA. Of the four project sites, Rumford/Mexico is the smallest and only rural one. The local project will be largely funded by federal grants and some corporate contributions, totaling $400,000 over the two years.
     Within the next two weeks, a local 12- to 15-member leadership advisory team will be chosen from the chamber, town officials, banks, the hospital and other entities.
     Regarding where the money will come from, Paradis said three-quarters of it will be from national grants - federal monies and foundations. The remainder will be private monies. He said grant applications have been made to companies within and outside the state.
     Mexico Town Manager John Madigan said this area has seen "a slow painful death" over the past half century. In 1960, the area had a population of 15,000, with 3,000 people working in the mill. Today, Rumford and Mexico has a little over 9,000 people with only 800 workers in the mill.
     "How do we do something else instead of this slow, painful death?" he asked.
     Paradis responded that they will also be utilizing market development people who will analyze what market opportunities exist for this area.
     While Rumford Selectman Greg Buccina and Mexico Selectman Barbara Laramee supported the latest efforts to help the local economy, they noted that the time and effort of dedicated people with the Growth Council were not able to turn around the slow decline.
     Buccina said he was concerned that this program have mechanisms in place to sustain what will be accomplished over the next two years. He felt that it will be a challenge for Fast Forward to overcome the face that "we're off the beaten path and a mill town...If it doesn't sustain, it'll be harder to get people to buy into this."
     Laramee said the efforts of the Growth Council raised a lot of hopes. "I don't know that the area could take another disappointment. It would be devastating and I don't know if we could recover from it."
     McClellan said what is learned about the two years in the program can be shared with other communities. Walbridge added, "The goal is to sustain this leadership committee."
     The hope is that this effort can keep going after the two years, either through another Fast Forward program or by members of the advisory committee continuing to work with local businesses.
     Walbridge spoke about the need for this area to "think outside of the box."
     For example, what if there was a gondola placed over the falls from the Rumford Information Center? "If we show vibrancy in the community, people will want to come to live here."
     Walbridge said she has applied for grants with two other programs that would assist with economic development. One is for a Business Visitation Program that would target other businesses in the River Valley, and a second to the Maine Arts Commission to boost arts in the area.
     Interestly, Paradis and Madigan were buddies back in the late '60's when both attended college on the G.I. Bill while starting their young families.
     Madigan, who had not met with Paradis since those days, shared several stories of those days following the meeting.
     Businesses that want to participate in the two-year economic improvement program may contact McClellan at mmcclell@maine.rr.com. He added that there will also be a website specifically for Fast Forward Main Street Maine, which will show how the money is being spent for the program.