The NCRC: Opportunity vs. Ideology
Update: Read Cabarrus County BOC Chairman Bob Carruth's Letter of Support for the NCRC
In 1803, Thomas Jefferson made a decision which ran contrary to his ideology and agreed to the Louisiana Purchase - more than doubling the size of the United States, insuring access to a port vital to our national interest, and staving off international conflict.
The decision was anathema to his belief in state's rights and the national government's intervention in state and local affairs. He thought that tyranny from a strong, central government was not much different than tyranny from aborad. The United States didn't even have the money on hand ($15 Million) to make the purchase and had to borrow. There has never been a move made like that domestically before or since; and it is a perfect example of magnitude of an opportunity trumping ideology.
A little more than two hundred years later, our local leaders face a similar challenge with the North Carolina Research Campus. There are many who feel that government should not give special consideration to businesses - especially new ones. The John Locke Foundation President John Hood, in his Daily Journal recently called the funding from the state "Corporate Welfare".
While I enjoy Carolina Journal - I have to disagree with Mr. Hood. He doesn't need to look too far to understand why someone might disagree with him that building the support infrastructure for the NCRC isn't "corporate welfare"
The irony is that he went to a school (UNC) and lives in an area that exists as a high-growth, dynamic area because of a large, publicly-funded initiative: The Research Triangle Park. The RTP has shaped the whole state and defined that area of it. In a recent survey of small cities in the US, Cary, NC came in fifth - largely due to the economic opportunities provided by businesses within the RTP. It was the only city in North Carolina to make this exclusive list.
The North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) could have a greater effect on this area than the RTP has for several reasons.
All of the plans that I've seen presented show a stop date in the 2010s. That's a $1 billion (with a "b") project completed within 10 years. Fully developed before my son will be out of elementary school. Employing 4,000 people at the Center and that's not counting the dozens of associated and spin-off businesses. Direct job creation from the project will be 500 high-paying jobs per year - that's in addition to the support jobs.
There won't be a ripple effect - there will be self-sustaining momentum in economic growth unseen in this region in a long time.
Dole Foods is a large enterprise with international brand-name recognition. This community will benefit from Dole's marketing efforts over decades to attract new businesses for us. RTP's anchor tenant was the UNC system - and that's not quite the same.
This project will quickly attract firms of all sizes and they will locate as close to the center as possible.
Simply put - Kannapolis could be in the same position that Redmond, Washington was in 20 years ago (Microsoft) or that Bentonville, Arkansas was in 50 years ago (Wal-Mart). A small town with a soon-to-be-famous corporate resident. The now-famous businesses there attract other businesses that wish to work directly those now famous residents. Those businesses attract talent, investment, and entrepreneurs who pay taxes. The folks who were there before the boom reap the benefits. It's that simple.
Alright, so what are we to do?
Act and act now.
I don't feel that this project is in jeopardy of having difficulty at the local level; but I believe that all of our local government entities should achieve consensus on support and funding for infrastructure for this project. We don't need 3-2 or 4-3 votes in the Board of Commissioners or City Councils - we need 5-0 and 7-0 votes. We need to send a message to the region, and the world, that we're behind this project as a community.
In the nearly 200 posts that I've written, I've rarely asked you to do anything that you couldn't do without leaving the comforting glow of your computer monitor. This is no different. Here are three things you can do right now to help insure that Kannapolis, Cabarrus County, and this region sees all of the benefits of this opportunity.
The resources on the web about this project are just coming to age. Here are some places which offer most comprehensive information on the project and it's promise.
Either by phone or by e-mail. First, contact a Commissioner - any of them. I know that Bob Carruth has written a letter to the other Commissioners rallying support for the project. Sending him an e-mail might be helpful; but the other Commissioners (and candidates) need to hear from you that you support this project. In addition to that, If you live in a city - contact a City Council member or your Mayor. This goes for people living outside of Kannapolis, too. For example, Concord has been fighting the good fight on the Interbasin Transfer - this initiative will insure that we can have the water resources to continue to support economic growth. Don't let it stop at "I support the project" - make them tell you specifically what their governmental body is doing to support this project.
There are people in this community who are against this project who have already contacted local officials. I usually don't make blanket assessments; but I don't see how opposition to this project can come from anything but backwardness and ignorance. It's your duty as a citizen to not allow those people to be your voice.
Here's where you can go to contact officials.
OK, this is easy. At the end of this article, there's an envelope with an arrow pointing to the right. Go ahead and find it. You can e-mail this article to anyone you know with e-mail by clicking that button and following the directions.
For those who would rather take the article address from the address bar and put in their own e-mail - that'll work, too. I'll be updating this article with any NCRC-related news - so any Cheap Seats reader can come here and get to any NCRC resources that are anywhere else on this site. Spreading the word about this project is vitally important.
I've lived in a number of different places in the US and I can honestly say that I've never been in a community that had this opportunity. Make sure that your voice is heard and that this project is a reality for the County now and for generations to come.
