The Blue Meets Green Initiative’s mission is to develop the Blue Water Region into a prosperous, sustainable economic environment through community collaboration. Their Phase VI priorities were established at their recent committee meeting, and address issues such as workforce training, countywide broadband access, and child care.
The Blue Meets Green committee will work to make the following Phase VI priorities a reality through partnerships with public, private, and nonprofit leaders:
- Marine City Marina – Marine City, Michigan is a destination place for thousands of tourists every year. However, Marine City is bypassed by boaters due to the lack of boat docking, fuel, shore power and boating amenities. The Marine City Marina project would add another safe harbor for boaters.
- Countywide Broadband Strategic Plan – This effort will support the development of a countywide broadband strategic action plan. The plan would serve as a roadmap to establish the infrastructure needed to push broadband forward in St. Clair County.
- Expanded Training / Workforce Training – The workforce training facilities at St. Clair County Community College and RESA require expansion. This would allow for new or expanded programs, equipment, and the capacity to increase student enrollment. The goal is to increase the number of people with credentials including degrees, advanced degrees, certifications or completed apprenticeships.
- COVID-19 Vaccine Planning – The COVID-19 vaccine distribution process / community vaccination initiatives will not be successful without the robust support and participation by our entire business community and community leadership. COVID-19 vaccines are a pathway to ending this pandemic. There has never been a vaccination project that has required this type of coordination, communications and surveillance. There is no vaccination project that will have the same level of impact on the economy, education, and quality of life.
- Increasing Child Care Options – Prior to the pandemic, many area residents were struggling with finding available child care options. This issue has exploded since the pandemic. Without additional child care options, more St. Clair County residents will be forced to leave the workforce, creating an even tighter labor market for the county.
Past Blue Meets Green projects include the Sperry’s building rehabilitation into Sperry’s Moviehouse and the YMCA property development.
To learn more about Blue Meets Green, visit their website here:
https://sites.google.com/bluemeetsgreen.org/bluemeetsgreen/home
