Morgan, Cumberland and Roane Counties Join forces in Plateau Partnership Park
Monday September 24, 2007
Plateau Partnership Park, an historic economic development partnership between Morgan, Cumberland and Roane Counties, holds the promise of building a brighter future for the Central Cumberland area.
Rockwood, Tennessee - Plateau Partnership Park, an historic economic development partnership between Morgan, Cumberland and Roane Counties, holds the promise of building a brighter future for the Central Cumberland area.
The park, to be built on over 1,000 acres of prime industrial land near I-40 in Cumberland and Morgan Counties, offers rail and interstate access and the advantage of a commercial and public use airport. Rockwood Municipal Airport features a 5,000-foot long, 100-foot wide runway. With the recent construction of a parallel taxiway, the facility will accommodate planes up to a Boeing 737 size.
"The great location and the combination of interstate, rail and air access make this a strong contender for new business," said Morgan County Executive, Becky Ruppe.
Plateau Partnership Park marks the first time the three counties have worked so closely together. The first meeting to discuss the possibility of such a park was held in August 2004 in Roane County at the request of Ruppe.
"We have worked very closely together for 36 months and found that regional partnerships like this are the way to combine assets and promote economic development," said Cumberland County Mayor Brock Hill.
The mayors gained nearly unanimous approval of all three county commissions to issue bonds for $2.5 million dollars each to purchase the property.
"Oftentimes it is hard to get one commission to vote unanimous in approval of something of this magnitude, much less three," Ruppe said. "And we have had all three to do so with tremendous support."
Other key factors in the project's success include the cooperation and support of the State of Tennessee Economic and Community Development, the City of Rockwood, Airport Manager Danny Collins, TVA Economic Development, superior work from engineers, attorneys, the Chambers and Industrial Development Boards in each county as well as the Industrial Development Board of Cumberland, Morgan & Roane counties, which consists of three members from each county.
The mayors say they have received support from all levels of government during this process.
"We believe this signals a spirit of cooperation and high potential for new and exciting jobs for all three counties and for the region as a whole," said Roane County Mayor Mike Farmer. "Our state legislators from all three counties have supported our efforts.
Without the help of State Representative Dennis Ferguson and others, we wouldn't be where we are today. This has definitely been a collaborative effort."
The mayors have also built partnerships with many different agencies during this process, especially with ongoing alliances between Cumberland County, Roane State Community College and Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville in developing business incubators.
The three mayors met with Commissioner Matt Kisber last week during the Governor's Conference and discussed ways of marketing the park. The Commissioner told the group, the importance of labor workforce should be the top priority.
"Plateau Partnership Park is all about strategic alliances," said Ruppe. "This is a way for our three counties to work together and build on the tremendous energy along the I-40 corridor and the high tech momentum throughout the 16-county Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley."
Contacts:
Cumberland County Mayor Brock Hill- 931-484-6165
Morgan County Executive Becky Ruppe - 423-346-6288
Roane County Executive Mike Farmer- 865-376-5578
