EDC approves housing study
The study's objective is to find what the housing stock in Decatur County currently looks like, where the gaps are in the market, locally, and determine how to attract the types of housing needed.
EDC Director Bryan Robbins noted that the EDC hopes to get the city and county to help cover the cost of the study.
Home sales remained flat in January, which Robbins said was because 'it's been a really interesting time in the real estate market.' He believes that as spring approaches, sales will rebound.
In other news, the Opportunity Expo will take place Feb. 26. Robbins said there's still room for local businesses interested in participating. Participation is free and is 'a great way to get in front of soon-to-be graduates and people looking for internships,' Robbins said.
Businesses interested in participating should contact the EDC office at 812-222-2520.
The Opportunities yearbook is complete and will be available to schools soon. The yearbook highlights businesses in Decatur County and what skills one needs for a career there. The yearbook's purpose is to give local students a chance to see what career opportunities exist in Decatur County.
The board also reviewed goals for 2025, which include increasing the EDC's visibility in the community.
'We want people to be able to identify our organization,' Robbins explained. 'People sometimes don't understand what the EDC does. We want to do a better job of explaining that to the public, what our strategy and goals are as an organization.'
EDC Project Coordinator Emma Luttel will be helping with that goal via social media outreach, according to Robbins.
The EDC also wants to increase its contact with local businesses, working on expansion and retention efforts. They're also planning to collaborate with the GDC Chamber of Commerce to create a pathway for businesses that want to expand into or open in Decatur County.
Robbins said there have been issues 'with businesses not knowing exactly what they need to do permitting-wise,' to open; the EDC wants 'to make it as clear as possible what needs to be done' and has been working on this for the past year and a half to create what Robbins described as 'a map of how to do business in Decatur County.'
The organization's other major goal for the year is continuing outreach to secondary education institutions to strengthen relationships with colleges, universities and training facilities, increasing Decatur County's presence while building a connection between local industries, small businesses and classrooms to ensure area students know what opportunities exist locally.
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