Monday, August 25, 2003
Jonathan Krebs from the Sikta Economic Development Association writes to give us the latest in what's happening in Sitka, Alaska.
In my experience, EDPros in Alaska are innovative and entrepreneurial. So I was not surprised when Jonathan passed on news that the City and Borough of Sitka has 25 million gallons per day of raw alpine water for sale.
The water source is Blue Lake at the Sawmill Cove Industrial Park. The lake is fed by snow and glacier melt and the 95" of rain Sitka receives each year in the Tongass National Rain Forest. The source is a protected watershed without human or farm animal contamination.
Sitka is one of a handful of communities in the US with specific water rights allowing the export of water. In this case, the water is available for export in bulk form such as by tanker ship, barge or in cardboard totes with bladders capable of holding 250 gallons each or larger and put into shipping containers.
The sale offer is presented in an open RFP currently accessible at the Sawmill Cove Industrial Park web site. Go.
Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber:
Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Alaska EDPros selling water for export
