Part Three: Creating economic opportunity in Emery County Potluck group looks for ways to bring economic growth to Green River

By PATSY STODDARD Editor

When you hear the word potluck you may think of a dinner where anything goes and you can bring whatever food item to the table and it’s perfectly acceptable. A group of Green River leaders, business owners and employees along with the Epicenter staff concocted this Potluck group. Everyone is welcome and everyone has something to offer around the table. They aren’t offering food, but tidbits of knowledge and suggestions.
You can sit and listen and take it all in or you can put your two cents worth in which is OK and encouraged.
The group originally thought they might be like a chamber of commerce, but that name didn’t quite fit either so Potluck became the nickname and now apparently the permanent name for the group.
They have met monthly in the past, but now they are searching for a new direction and will meet twice a month with one meeting being informational to keep everyone up to date on all the events, happenings and proposed events for Green River and surrounding areas.
The second meeting of the month will be more of a strategic planning meeting with specific goals in mind and desired outcomes for these goals.
In the August potluck meeting Mayor Pat Brady gave his report. He said the second oil refinery locating in Green River has its air quality permits. Green River continues to work on bringing natural gas to Green River. This will be an important step in economic development for the town.
The Grand County Credit Union is close to buying the former Key Bank building so Green River can maintain a banking institution for the use of its citizens. Former Key Bank employees are training with the new credit union. There’s been no further developments for the nuclear power plant. A sand mining company is looking at Green River to possibly locate in the industrial park. This company would also make use of natural gas when it becomes available.
Keith Brady gave his report from the Emery County Travel Bureau, he said two more Green River business operators have been added to the board including Travis Bacon and Josh Rowley.
Keith Brady said the Rocky Mountain Journal wants the travel bureau to advertise in their journal. They focus a lot on the national parks. Brady said the travel bureau wants to focus on state parks and really push the state parks in our area. Green River has a website called Destination Green River and they want people to visit that site to become familiar with what is available in Green River. People can make Green River their home base and then fan out to visit the state parks. One idea is to have Park Perks and when someone stays in the state park or visits the state park then they can receive coupons good at area businesses.
Chris Lezma reported he attended the rural summit in Cedar City and there was a lot of good information there. He was particularly impressed with the Gunnison lady that talked about turning around their downtown area and revitalizing it.
Keith Brady also attended and he said the presentation from the Department of Workforce Services was informative and he is going to check into what they could do for Green River. They can help with training for employees.
Mayor Brady said the city is looking to acquire the recently cleaned up land where a former gas station was located. They want to use the land for a new public safety building. There will also be enough land to expand the Green River Medical Center should the need arise.
The November Lunch and Learn for the Emery County Business Chamber will be held on Nov. 19 at noon in Green River. The Utah Film Commission will send a speaker for the event. Keith Brady will contact WestWinds about having the event there.
Josh Rowley talked about the Rural Fast Track grants. Green River has been approved for qualifying retail businesses to receive grant money. You must use your own match money. There is an application to fill out and a narrative of what you will do with the money to promote your business and also hire new employees.
The Trails Committee open house went well with 40 people participating. They are working on where the trails should be located and what types of trails will be the most beneficial. Members of the group will meet with Moab and see how they have developed trails in their area. Most people like the idea of a trails system but have wondered if there were more important things that needed to be done first. There is grant money available for the trails and the committee will apply for that grant money to keep costs to the city at a minimum. The next trails committee meeting will be on Sept. 8 at 1 p.m. The Green River diversion dam project is going forward.
Orion Stand-Gravois has just joined the Epicenter staff and is excited to be in Green River to be part of its forward motion in economic development and new opportunities.
The Epicenter staff has been involved with several projects over the years. They bring artists into the schools to teach art to the students. They have helped with after school programs for the Green River students. They have held many classes and trainings in various subjects. They have worked with the local Habitat for Humanity to bring housing to Green River. The Epicenter conducted a large study on the available housing in Green River. This study evaluated and mapped all local housing to determine what’s available as far as rentals and properties for sale. They also looked at the conditions of the housing.
One ongoing program is Habitat for Humanity’s A Brush With Kindness program which can provide the up-front money and expertise to improve the durability or accessibility of your home.Typical projects include: Exterior painting, Siding repairs, Roof repairs, Exterior ramps and stairs and landscaping. This is a loan program. No interest short term loans.
The Green River Potluck group held their planning meeting at the Epicenter on Sept. 4. The planning meeting is held to take ideas for improving Green River and bring them to fruition. The group is focusing on getting people to stay in Green River and not just a drive through to other destinations.
The first focal point was, what would the tourist experience be like. Responses included, attractive landscape and buildings, friendliness, engaging, artwork or sculptures on the streets, signage with local and regional history, be welcoming and make people feel wanted.
Businesses, employees and locals need to be knowledgeable of what Green River has to offer. There are several hiking, ATV and mountain bikes trails to explore. Tourist should be encouraged to stay for the night and an extra day to see what Green River has to offer. More tourists would stay the night in Green River if there was a more engaging night life; again, the key is capitalizing on what resources are available, such as the beautiful sunset and community activities.
Next the group discussed how would Green River attract tourists. The ideas were, word of mouth, social media, tagging pictures with the Destination Green River website, inviting travel bloggers to come to Green River and write about it and feature the local history online. Hotels and restaurants could offer an additional discount for checking in on Facebook. Things to do in Green River could be listed on Trip Advisor.
How would the tourist interact or experience Green River’s tourism-based industry. The existing businesses need to be the focal point. They need to look welcoming and clean. Customers should be welcomed to the business in a friendly personal manner. The staff needs to be knowledgeable of what Green River has to offer and what events are going on in the community. The Epicenter could forward the community calender to all of the businesses so they know if any activities are planned. In order to get tourists to return, businesses can offer a flyer with a 25 percent discount on their next stay. Local businesses could offer stay and play packages, such as golf and hotel packages. Green River has room for satellite businesses, like an office for hot air balloon companies, horseback riding, ATV rentals and mountain bike adventures.
Future projects for the Potluck action group were discussed. People need to know about Green River and know what to do. There needs to be maps of the different places and points of interest for things close to Green River. Host customer service training for interested businesses. Help residents, employees and business owners have a sense of pride in Green River and be proud of what they have to offer. If people living in Green River are not excited about Green River it is hard to get others excited about it.
The Potluck group will have an after hours event and invite the entire town. It will be at the museum. Information will be forthcoming and it will be advertised.
Alice Wadley contributed to this article.