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13 <br /> 1 Anthony Carey said the education and purpose of a visitor's center would serve well to <br /> 2 the residents of Orange County. He said setting up a pop up tent in a high traffic area would be <br /> 3 a highly effective way to disseminate information, and the VB should be more creative in <br /> 4 connecting with residents about all that Orange County has to offer. <br /> 5 Chair Rich said the VB still needs office space, but not necessarily a building. <br /> 6 Commissioner Greene said she has a different perspective, and despite being high tech, <br /> 7 she and her family still frequent visitor centers all over the country simply for the "human touch" <br /> 8 aspect. She said there is still some talk about turning the old Town Hall into a museum and co- <br /> g locating the visitor's center there, and wondered if this idea is still on the table. She said visitors <br /> 10 love stories and personal recommendations. <br /> 11 Commissioner Price said she also likes to frequent visitor's centers around the country, <br /> 12 and finds the human presence to be important. <br /> 13 <br /> 14 Economic Development Advisory Board Jim Kitchen, Chair & Steve Brantley <br /> 15 <br /> 16 Jim Kitchen said he wanted to remind the Board about the Point of the Economic <br /> 17 Development (ED) SWOT analysis that the Economic Development Advisory Board (EDAB) <br /> 18 initiated in 2018. He said the purpose was to: <br /> 19 <br /> 20 1. Determine the number of viable sites in the Economic Development Districts (EDDs) <br /> 21 2. Determine what to do next with what to do next in order to be more competitive with <br /> 22 the surrounding counties <br /> 23 3. Develop a plan for more shovel ready sites, and move the needle significantly for <br /> 24 creating more opportunities to diversify Orange County's tax base, while funding <br /> 25 education, delivery of services, etc. <br /> 26 4. Promote social justice by bringing in high quality, high paying jobs to those who need <br /> 27 them. <br /> 28 <br /> 29 Jim Kitchen said the BOCC has spirited ED discussions in the fall, including the pre- <br /> 30 zoning and optioning of land within the EDDs; the type of industries Orange County wishes to <br /> 31 attract; commissioning a GIS study; ED in Cedar Grove, etc. He said Orange County lacks a <br /> 32 clear and defined ED strategy, and he thinks this strategy should come from the Board of <br /> 33 County Commissioners. He said the ED office can do it, but the BOCC should take charge as <br /> 34 the CEO's of the County. He said he did not run any of his remarks past Steve Brantley, but <br /> 35 plans to proceed with them anyway. He said the ED plan should do the following: <br /> 36 • Determine why ED is vital to Orange County, first deciding, "is it?" or"isn't it?" <br /> 37 • Determine where ED currently stands and where does the Board want it to go. <br /> 38 • Determine where ED will be physically located in the rural parts of the County, what <br /> 39 locations make the most sense, and align rules, regulations, and zoning with these <br /> 40 goals. <br /> 41 • Develop quantifiable, measurable goals ED to get there. <br /> 42 • Determine the potential impact on the County's budget: how much funding, if any, should <br /> 43 be allocated to ED. <br /> 44 <br /> 45 Jim Kitchen said all of the above can only be achieved via a comprehensive strategic <br /> 46 plan around ED. He said this plan is vital due to the following: <br /> 47 • Potential GIS sites cannot be identified, if one does not know what one is looking for <br /> 48 • One cannot know if the land across West Ten Road makes sense without a needs <br /> 49 assessment <br /> 50 0 How to know which land to option <br />