Big plans — Former mayor establishes economic development board

A group of Newcastle residents, headed by former Mayor Pam Gualtieri, has established the Newcastle Economic Development Board with the aim of invigorating the economic activity of not only Newcastle but also Weston County.

The board was formed last August and, in addition to Gualtieri, counts Dan Fields, Kolby Pisciotti, Holly Borton, Gilbert Nelson and John Butts as members.

Gualtieri said the group was inspired by the Upton Economic Development Board, with which the group hopes to eventually partner.

“We were reviewing some of their stuff online and really liked some of the things that we saw and want to mirror a little bit of it and go forward with some of those as some of our goals,” she said.

Kasaundra Bishop is the new director of the nine-member Upton board, having taken on this role in October.

“The aim of the Upton Economic Development Board is to grow Upton. We want to send kids off to college, and we want to bring educated adults back. (We want to) grow the businesses, support the businesses and get more housing,” Bishop said.

Inspired by the Upton board’s success, Gualtieri’s group hopes to achieve similar results. Gualtieri said that the Newcastle board has committees and that some of the committees, like the Upton board, are focused on “property development readiness.”

“What I mean by that is what areas do we have in Newcastle, in Weston County, that are either shovel-ready or have buildings on them already? (Which areas have) electricity, water – everything that’s necessary for a business to start?” she said.

The biggest project the Upton board has tackled so far is the construction of the Iron Creek Hotel in Upton, which opened a year ago. The Upton board is the primary shareholder of the hotel.

“It’s like our anchor. In order to get another restaurant and get more housing development and get more people to live here and get more businesses in town … the best way to start is a hotel,” Bishop said.

According to Bishop, the Upton board started the Upton Logistics Center — now Tiger Transfer LLC — and, using funds from the sale of this business, invested in lots of property in Upton, which the board hopes to develop.

Gualtieri said the Newcastle board is working with real estate agents to identify areas suitable for redevelopment or new development and that the board hopes to eventually establish an industrial park.

The board has other plans as well.

“There’s a lot of ranches that have dinosaur bones on them that are in large museums in bigger cities. You have stuff in Hot Springs and Hill City,” Gualtieri said before asking, “Why aren’t we capitalizing on it here in Newcastle?”

The board hopes to work with the Anna Miller Museum to build an addition that will house an exhibit of dinosaur bones. Gualtieri said the board is confident it can realize this project by securing donations of bones from local ranches and by obtaining a grant to fund the construction of the museum addition. She said that the board is undertaking the necessary steps to apply for such a grant and has had designs for the addition created as part of this preliminary process.

“We want to move forward and get stuff going with the museum so hopefully we can break ground this year,” she said.

Gualtieri said that the board is focused on finishing this project to show the community that success is possible and to build momentum for larger projects.

Two potential future efforts the board hopes to eventually tackle are broadband expansion and increased city security.

Gualtieri credited businesses such as Spectrum and Range with working toward making high-speed internet accessible to all Weston County residents but said that the board would like to work with such businesses, and potentially others, to make service available to all county residents.

Regarding security, the board has discussed the relative lack of security cameras in commercial areas and would like to bolster such video surveillance.

Gualtieri anticipates challenges in the way of what the board hopes to accomplish.

“With the way that the economy is and the way budgets are being cut — with property taxes being cut — it’s going to be harder on the communities. They’re going to have that loss of income, so it’s going to be harder to get things done,” she said.

In addition to economic headwinds, Gualtieri pointed to the tendency of entities not wanting to work together as another major impediment to success. She said that, in her experience, entities are sometimes hesitant to work together. However, she hopes that the board, which she said will be independent of local government, can “break down that wall” and show that entities can accomplish more by working together.

“If we join together and have a similar project, and we unite together on that project, we have a better chance of getting that done together than separately. If we work together instead of competing against each other, I think it’s just better for our community and our county as a whole,” she said.

This squares with Bishop’s advice for the Newcastle board.

“Be on good terms (with other entities.) Be involved with the chamber of commerce, be involved with the city. Work as a team. Work with the superintendent of the schools, and I think that’s the best route to success,” Bishop said.

Gualtieri admitted that the Newcastle board has a long list of tasks ahead. She said that members will build a website and a Facebook page and that they plan to start meeting more frequently. They have been meeting once a month but will increase this to once every other week to build momentum on a project such as the proposed museum addition.

According to Gualtieri, success for the board will be measured by “completing a project and working together and … showing that group that (they’re) working with that the purpose of the project was for the community.”

The board has an open seat, and Gualtieri encourages interested parties to apply to fill it. She said that having great ideas, useful connections and/or a skill such as effective grant writing would set an applicant apart. She also said the board would prefer someone “who is goal-oriented and doesn’t let obstacles stop them.” Anyone who is interested may get in touch with any member of the board about applying.