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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 03City of Lakeville Community & Economic Development Memorandum To: Mayor and City Council Economic Development Commission From: David L. Olson, Community & Economic Development Director Rick Howden, Economic Development Specialist Tk Copy: Justin Miller, City Administrator Tim Roche, Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce President Dr. Lisa Snyder, Lakeville Area Public Schools Superintendent Date: February 19, 2015 Subject: America's Best Communities Application Frontier Communications along with DISH Network and CoBank are sponsoring the America's Best Communities (ABC) Prize competition among communities with populations between 9,500 and 80,000 throughout Frontier Communications' 27 state service areas. Prizes will be awarded to fifty quarter -finalists who will receive $50,000 to define and develop their vision. Eight finalists will be awarded $100,000 to bring their plans to life along with in-kind awards from the ABC Prize sponsors. Cash awards will be given to 3 grand prize winners. Third place will receive $1 million, second will receive $2 million and first will receive $3 million. Each community that applies for the ABC Prize must be comprised of an applicant team that includes organizations that represent the community. The application will be submitted by the Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce, due to the fact that the designated applicant must have a non-profit status approved by the Internal Revenue Service. Lakeville's applicant team also consists of the Lakeville School District and the City of Lakeville; continuing an existing collaborative marketing partnership. The ABC Prize competition is all about encouraging collaboration and cooperation among individuals and organizations that share the same goal: to increase economic development and create positive change within their communities. Lakeville's applicant team has identified the greatest challenge to our continued economic success is workforce development, specifically the unmet workforce needs of existing businesses. During a recent presentation by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, over 50% of businesses surveyed in 2014 reported difficulty in filling jobs. Additionally in Enterprise Minnesota's 2014 State of Manufacturing business survey, 83% of manufacturing firms of more than 50 employees are having difficulty finding qualified applicants. For these reasons, the application will focus on addressing the following: Workforce Development for Today - Address high -demand, vocational and trade development for unemployed and underemployed residents to improve opportunities for local markets resulting in additional employment and increased financial benefits for local businesses. Workforce Development for Tomorrow - Create business -education partnerships and the training to attract skilled, suitable wage jobs to meet the identified demands of increased economic development. Workforce Development for the Future - Leverage technology and expand hands- on learning experiences that integrate 21 st century skills (creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking) for students in preschool through grade 12 and align education to viable career pathways with future jobs, while also preparing the community infrastructure for a diverse and dynamic population by addressing workforce transportation and technology needs. The application deadline for submission is March 25th and requires a signed letter of support from the city's mayor. The application team recommended a_joint letter signed by the Chair of the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce, Board of Education and the Mayor. The Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors authorized the submittal of the grant application at their February 17, 2015 meeting. The timeline for America's Best Communities competition is: Application Opens SEPTEMBER 10 QI,. Application Up to 50 Quarter- Up to 75 Semi - Deadline Finalists Selected Finalists Selected MARCH 25 APRIL 29 JANUARY 13 2015 2015 2016 Up to 8 Finalists 3 Winners Selected selected APRIL 15 APRIL 26 2016 2017 Recommended Action: Recommend the signing of the attached letter to accompany application to Frontier Communications/DISH Network's America's Best Communities competition, formal authorization would be approved at the March 2"d City Council Meeting. AMERICA'S BEST COMMUNITIES Lakeville is Positioned to Thrive! Lakeville, a city of over 58,000 residents on 38 square miles of land, is located in Dakota County, Minnesota, 23 miles south of Minneapolis. Home to the second largest industrial park in Minnesota, Lakeville is prime for commercial growth with 54% of the commercial/industrial land undeveloped. Currently, 35% of the residential land is undeveloped and projections estimate the potential population will increase to 82,900 in 2040. The Lakeville Community, including residents, businesses, education and local government, recently came together to envision what our future should look like and is unified in the following vision and community values that were adopted and is included in the document "Envision Lakeville". We envision a thriving, multi -generational community where families, friends, and neighbors connect, live, learn, work and play. Great schools; a diverse local economy, exceptional parks, trails, and recreational opportunities; vibrant social and cultural institutions, safe neighborhoods, and responsive and cost-effective public services - together create a place we are proud to call home. Key to bringing this collaboratively developed vision to life are the adopted community values that support diversified economic development. We value the stability and independence provided by a strong, diversified local economy. In 25 years, Lakeville will have a diversified economy that provides residents with expanded opportunities to work within the City and to meet their shopping, healthcare, and other daily needs. A mix of industrial, office, and retail development will help to provide the tax base needed to support high quality public services. Lakeville is "Positioned to Thrive" and would significantly benefit from the America's Best Communities grant. Receipt of this grant would drive the economic development endeavors of the unified community and allow our community to implement processes that would create and sustain real change. The business community, the school district and the city have a long history of collaboration for the benefit of all. We have identified the greatest challenges to our continued economic success: workforce development including unmet workforce needs. Accordingly, we have created a proposal for Frontier Communication and Dish Network's America's Best Communities Grant Application that will drive workforce development and help Lakeville thrive. • Workforce Development for Today - Address high -demand, vocational and trade development for unemployed and underemployed residents to improve opportunities for local markets resulting in additional employment and increased financial benefits for local businesses. Workforce Development for Tomorrow - Create business -education partnerships and the training to attract skilled, suitable wage jobs to meet the identified demands of increased economic development. Workforce Development for the Future - Leverage technology and expand hands-on learning experiences that integrate 21st century skills (creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking) for students in preschool through grade 12 and align education to viable career pathways with future jobs, while also preparing the community infrastructure for a diverse and dynamic population by addressing workforce transportation and technology needs. Our America's Best Communities application provides a clear vision of our community's future and how financial support of a workforce development plan will benefit and drive economic development and community revitalization. Our team of civic, business and governmental leaders are eager to put the plan into action to help Lakeville thrive! Chamber of Commerce Chair Mayor of Lakeville Board of Education Chair r W. � J wdk 41nr UAMERICA'S BEST COMMUNITIES Backgrounder Sponsored by nfier z –'sh VCOBANK Frontier Communications, DISH Network and CoBank are the proud founders of America's Best Communities, an innovative $10 million competition to boost small cities and towns that are the spirit of our country and the foundation of our economy. Frontier, DISH and CoBank recognize that our nation's economic success is reliant upon the vibrancy and resiliency of rural communities, many of which have faced significant hurdles in these economically challenging times Regardless of the obstacles, these self-reliant communities possess the tenacity and creativity to address the challenges that are present within their communities, and to identify innovative solutions that encourage long-term growth and sustainability. America's Best Communities is determined to help — investing in the big dreams that small cities and towns can use to transform and re-energize their local economies. Legacy of Prize Competitions Prize contests have a proven track record of stimulating creative solutions. In 1919, French hotelier Raymond Orteig offered a $25,000 prize to anyone who could fly non-stop between New York City and Paris. Eight years later, aviator Charles Lindbergh became the first to complete a non-stop transatlantic flight, landing the Spirit of St. Louis in France and winning the Orteig Prize. More recently, in 1996, entrepreneur Peter Diamandis offered a $10 million prize to the first privately financed team that could build and fly a three -passenger vehicle into space twice within two weeks. The X Prize was won on Oct. 4, 2004, by Mojave Aerospace Ventures, and the winning vehicle, SpaceShipOne, now hangs in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum adjacent to Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis airplane. Inspired by the vision of how a prize competition can engage spur growth and innovation, Frontier, DISH and CoBank are now offering a new prize — America's Best Communities will award $6 million in cash to three communities with the best plans for economic growth and vitality. While ABC FAUSHEET 1 1 a mer irasbest_urnmurvOes.corn UAMERICA'S BEST COMMUNITIES on this journey, up to 50 communities will benefit from $4 million in support. America's Best Communities: An Innovative Approach to Competitions America's Best Communities is a unique, multi -stage, three-year contest. Launched in September 2014, communities with populations of 9,500 to 80,000 and located within Frontier's 27 -state footprint are eligible to apply. Those with populations less than 9,500 are encouraged to join forces and collaborate with neighboring communities to become eligible. Spearheaded by Frontier Communications Chairman and CEO, Maggie Wilderotter, and supported by other sponsors, America's Best Communities aims to inspire the revitalization of small town America and harness the power of community collaboration and innovation for the greater good. The America's Best Communities' approach to engaging small towns and cities across America through a contest is unique, as the communities involved will become a center for change through an incentive and reward structure. In addition, this prize competition will provide a framework for new rural investment by both local government and businesses. According to the Center for Rural Affairs, communities that have the opportunity to invest in themselves are likely to keep and attract the young families that energize communities and create new businesses. "This contest is designed to challenge a community's brightest and most innovative thinkers to develop meaningful strategies and plans that will transform their town or city;" said Maggie Wilderotter, Chairman and CEO of Frontier Communications. "Whether ideas come from an individual or a group, visionaries in a community can effect powerful transformations. And the $10 million in support from Frontier, DISH and other partners is just the tip of the iceberg. As businesses join together to support their local community through the America's Best Communities Contest, there will be a multiplier effect that will expand the size and impact of the prize. Frontier is offering qualified applicants the resources they need to be their own agents for positive change." "DISH got its start serving remote areas of Colorado, so we understand the innovation and entrepreneurialism that springs forth from America's smaller communities," said DISH CEO and ABC BACKGROUNDER 1 2 americwbustcommurnties com UAMERICA'S BEST COMMUNITIES President Joe Clayton. "Every small community has a story to tell and we want to help create an opportunity for the best ideas that lead to thriving communities to be identified and shared." "We're extremely pleased to be a sponsor of this highly innovative campaign," said Robert B. Engel, CoBank's chief executive officer. "Rural community development is the central focus of CoBank's corporate social responsibility program, and closely aligned with our broader mission to serve rural America. We look forward to seeing the tangible benefits it will deliver to all communities who decide to participate." Communities must apply by March 25, 2015 to qualify. Judges will then select up to 50 qualified applicants in April, each of which will receive $35,000. These communities will then have six months to leverage resources and track progress, submitting their final proposals in November 2015. Up to 15 semifinalists will be selected in January 2016, and an America's Best Communities Summit will take place in April 2016 during which up to eight finalists will be named, winning $100,000 each. The America's Best Communities top three competition winners will be announced in April 2017 following a year of implementing the visions and plans. The community with the most innovative and effective plan will be awarded a $3 million grand prize. Second place will win $2 million, and third will win $1 million. More detailed information on eligibility and how communities apply can be found at www.americasbestcommunities.com. ABC BACKGROUNDER 1 3 america�bestcornmu n ties.com