Escanaba City Council meeting (June 6th, 2024): Things getting digitally sophisticated, ordinances, and open committee positions

Another exciting city hall meeting in Escanaba. In case you are not familiar with Escanaba it is a Hallmark type picturesque town nestled on the coast of the Great Lakes. You can get fluffy snow and ice fishing or beaches and bonfires. Being somewhat isolated in the Upper Peninsula it has grown into a tourist and investment hot spot through the good works of community members and wider stakeholders. It is one of those towns that is re-emerging onto the global market decades after the lumber barons have gone and is doing so in its own special way. Small but increasingly mighty! As a town on a path to development it is showing itself to be resourceful and sophisticated (The woodsmen have IPhones too!). Looks like they have a pretty good teams in all three local government entities and if they put their minds together who knows what they could come up with.

 (I mean really? Think about it. Three local entities working together to build their own future through resource coordination, shared marketing, community support, etc.? They could attract a lot more interest, jobs, and investments.)

 Attracting interest and resources will be the name of the game and that includes increasing revenue (industry, investors, events, entrepreneurs, business, etc.) and improving functioning infrastructure (water, sewage, electricity, etc.) as well as reducing costs while maximizing quality of life services (i.e. library, city expenses, etc.). No simple feat and most towns struggle with finding the balance. So far Escanaba has weathered some of these challenges and is still solvent and ready. It has a good base for much more world engagement and development. With luck and a few net positives maybe they could create additional streams of net positive resources. Visit Escanaba

Esky June 6th, 2024 City Council Agenda

Escanaba Beach 2024
You can view the pic HERE
or you can see the Wooded Pathway Gallery
Putting a plug in for may amateur
photo gallery.

-A few ordinances discussed on issues such as tax rate, wastewater,  and another on electric rate. The city and county are currently brainstorming solutions which could include solar in the area. My suggestion is to hash out a coordinated deal between the County, Gladstone, Escanaba and surrounding on solar panels that first feed the local area before the wider grid (energy independence) and a discount rate for local residence for overcoming challenges with aesthetics. There are probably many ways to look at this and slice it. Maybe reduce costs for local residents and industry making the place just a touch more attractive to investors. This could be a net positive opportunity that result in a a win-win. Do that enough and you build yourself an oasis in the U.P. Just an idea. Its not fully vetted. 🤔

Some open committee spots if people still want to get involved. 

Digital Sophistication, What about an Investor's-Entrepreneur's page?

Escanaba is getting digital sophisticated with its website. If you look at their sight they separated tabs into upcoming and past meetings as well as all the videos. While these things were leading back to pre-Covid what we can say is that the area is rural but it is updating well to the modern digital market. Another thing that could help is to put in place an investor tab or something that contains information on where to find empty buildings, available grants, market studies, important departments, information, zoning, a contact, etc. to provide an easy clickable understanding of what the area offers. i.e. content and info directly to investors. Stakeholders could consider putting this on Visit Escanaba or the Chamber of Commerce if needed and or just reuse key pieces of the info. Having the right information on where and who to create investments in the area can boost local development. Think about it from the perspective of younger entrepreneurs and seasoned investors that want to get a snap shot of the area. The investment side is either non-existent or not prominent leading to a market difference that can be maximized. It could be doubled as a landing point for advertisement and other wider stakeholder awareness activities. Anways...just a few ideas to ponder and each person might come up with a few of their own. It is to get the juices flowing. 

Question: What do you think a small rural town like Escanaba could do to attract new investment opportunities? Think of the geography, attributes inherent to the town, and what the market is saying is on the upswing for the next 30 years. (I'm not expecting you to answer it but just think about how each town has some solutions that are likely to improve its attractiveness to domestic and foreign investment).