Transportation, workforce and housing to be
discussed
RBC — El Pomar Foundation’s Northwest Regional Council, along with Club 20, Associated Governments of the Northwest and Mesa State College, will convene leaders from more than six northwest counties impacted by growth to discuss transportation and infrastructure, workforce and housing.
The meeting will be Friday, June 13 from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at Colorado Mountain College auditorium, 3695 Airport Rd., in Rifle.
The Northwest Colorado Summit will provide a venue for community leaders from across the region to discuss these growth issues together. By the end of this day-long summit, participants will develop actionable items for future implementation.
Counties participating include Garfield, Grand, Mesa, Moffat, Rio Blanco and Routt.
Former U.S. Senator Hank Brown will facilitate the summit. Summit participants will include more than 100 federal, state and regional leaders representing local business, nonprofit, government and community interests.
In addition, notable attendees include Reeves Brown, executive director of Club 20; Aron Diaz, executive director of AGNC; Ann Driggers, president and CEO of Grand Junction Economic Partnership; Tim Foster, president of Mesa State College; Sherry Long, EnCana Oil and Gas community representative; Larry McCown, Garfield County commissioner; Ken Parsons, Rio Blanco County commissioner; Diane Schwenke, CEO of the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce; Dave Sturges, Glenwood Springs city councilor; and representatives from the office of Sen. Ken Salazar.
This summit follows a study commissioned by El Pomar’s Northwest Regional Council and completed by Mesa State College’s Land Policy Institute to determine the socioeconomic impacts of growth in northwest Colorado. The regional advisory council sought to build upon study results by establishing actionable items to address major growth issues as determined by the study. Other organizations conducted similar studies and reported similar findings, indicating the need for this type of forum.
