Project Summary 2007-2009
Commuter Rail
Jackson Citizens for Economic Growth continues to promote inclusion of Jackson County in southeast Michigan’s commuter rail system on two fronts: a rail repair yard and a passenger stop. Jackson’s existing rail repair yard could be operational in a short period of time at a tremendous cost savings to taxpayers. The rail yard would also add about 20 direct jobs and many more indirect jobs. Including Jackson as a passenger stop would also have a strong beneficial impact on the community.Newly-elected U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, who has expressed his support for a commuter rail system in his district, is now in a prime position to see that Jackson is not overlooked. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, he will have significant influence on how federal transportation dollars are allocated.
On April 9, 2009, Schauer met supporters at Jackson’s Amtrak station to announce a stimulus package of $938,000 to improve the nation’s most historic train station. JCEG is hopeful that a commuter rail stop will soon follow this sizeable investment – along with a link to the Midwest high speed rail network
High-Speed Rail
Jackson Citizens for Economic Growth also supports linking a commuter rail system in Jackson with a broader high-speed rail network. Several organizations, including the Midwest High Speed Rail Association and the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, are already advocating the development of fast, frequent and dependable passenger trains linking the entire Midwest. The network they envision would use existing Amtrak service as a foundation and connect over 200 cities and airports.Billions of dollars in government funding are available to set this high speed rail network in motion. Jackson and the Midwest could benefit from a strong network of fast trains in a variety of ways, including attracting business, improving quality of life, and slowing the growth of auto congestion. Railroad construction can also be accomplished with substantially less cost and land use than interstate highways.
To educate the community about the economic benefits that high speed rail can offer not only to Michigan but to the entire Midwest, Jackson Citizens for Economic Growth will host the Jackson High Speed Rail Summit on Monday, April 27, 2009 from 5:30 -8:30 p.m. at the Ella Sharp Community Room. Speakers will include Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, and Rod Diridon, chair of American Public Transit Association’s Intercity and High Speed Rail Committee and member/chair emeritus of the California High Speed Rail Authority Board.
QUESTIONS: Young Professionals Group
In November 2008, Dr. Robert Rando, Tina Wright and Cassandra Wilkins founded the young professionals group QUESTIONS, an affiliate of JCEG. The group’s mission is to recruit, unite and retain young professionals of Jackson County who are enthusiastic, motivated and committed to actively enriching the greater community and developing relationships through business and social networking. With mentorship from JCEG members, QUESTIONS hosts networking events, educates members about important community issues, and encourages active participation in local public and political events.International Baccalaureate (IB) School
High quality educational programs for children are an essential component to attracting businesses, high-tech jobs and a well-educated workforce to our community. To that end, Jackson Citizens for Economic Growth has been working with the Jackson Public School Board and Sharp Park Academy to bring the globally-respected International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) to Jackson.Thanks to the hard work of Ellen Seguin and Jane Schultz, principal and teacher at Sharp Park Academy, Dan Evans Superintendent of JPS along with the IB Committee on Oct. 6, 2008, we received approval from the school board to complete the application process for transforming Sharp Park Academy into an International Baccalaureate school. Sharp Park Academy was selected because it was the only elementary school that already had a foreign language program in place.
Sharp Park Academy application was submitted to the IB foundation and has been approved. They have now moved on to step two in the three-part process to become a fully certified International Baccalaureate Primary School. Teachers have completed extensive training and are currently developing the curriculum for each grade level. The program will be implemented in 2010 under the coaching and guidance of the IB foundation.
The International Baccalaureate program is the most popular K-12 educational program in the world and is recently building momentum in the United States. Currently, the only International Baccalaureate School PYP in Michigan is located in Bloomfield Hills. JCEG would like Jackson to become the location for the second school.
To learn more about the program visit http://www.ibo.org
Jackson Seed Fund
The Jackson Seed Fund is an organization that enables Jackson County residents to contribute toward their economic future. The fund was established as a means of supporting all new and expanding business enterprises, with an emphasis on those bringing new technology to the area. The Seed Fund is administered by a volunteer board of directors, who are community residents with a demonstrated ability to analyze new or growing business opportunities, are committed to the economic success of the Jackson area and have a passion for the community. The Seed Fund Board will review each case on its own merits and determine if the applicant is eligible for a loan or a grant.SmartZone
On Oct. 15, 2008, a celebratory air filled the room as James Epilito, president and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp (MEDC), gave Jackson the news we’ve been waiting for: our application for a SmartZone in Blackman Township was approved. The announcement culminated more than a year of effort by Jackson Citizens for Economic Growth and numerous other community organizations, including The Enterprise Group, the Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce, Jackson County, Blackman Township and the City of Jackson.Smart Zones allow local governments to capture taxes generated by new businesses and use the money to provide infrastructure such as roads, utilities and fiber optics. These improvements could help attract new business to the community. Efforts will be aimed at attracting businesses focused on alternative energy, life sciences and advanced manufacturing. According to the MEDC, the first SmartZones created in 2002 have given rise to more than 845 new or expanded businesses, more than 16,000 jobs and more than $1 billion in private investment.
Last year, JCEG invited Epilito to speak on the future of economic development in Michigan. During this event, JCEG and our supporters rallied to show Epilito that Jackson was serious about the need for increasing the number of SmartZones in Michigan. Through a community-wide effort, JCEG succeeded in encouraging Michigan lawmakers to pass legislation creating three more SmartZones.
JCEG joined forces with a variety of community organizations to create the winning application, which was submitted by The Enterprise Group in the spring. A great big thank you goes out to everyone who contributed their talents to help make this project a success. We could not have done it without your support.
Higher Education Hub
Jackson Citizens for Economic Growth supports developing a higher education hub in downtown Jackson, which would provide a joint presence for Jackson Community College, Baker College and Spring Arbor University. The hub would increase downtown traffic from young people by offering a location where prospective students could gather and obtain information about the programs offered at each institution.
Downtown Revitalization
Through partnerships with the City of Jackson, the Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce, The Enterprise Group and the Downtown Development Authority, Jackson Citizens for Economic Growth seeks to create a more business-friendly atmosphere that will attract businesses to downtown Jackson. JCEG is willing to assist in capital investment, goal setting and economic development processes that will attract more business, more youth and more activity to the downtown area.
