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State to expand Web site use |
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Thursday, 03 July 2008 |
By WILLIAM LANEY
Managing Editor
State development officials plan to expand the capabilities of a Web site to better help prospective company executives more readily find potential sites, a Wapakoneta business board director says — thus “upgrading everybody’s ability in the state to market their site.”
Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) officials are working on contracting with a firm to maintain the Web site, Ohiosites.com, which is to add demographic and geographic information for prospective end-users. The Web site is already operational with basic search capabilities.
During Wednesday’s Wapakoneta Area Economic Development Council (WAEDC) meeting, Executive Director Greg Myers informed his board of the state’s intention to seek requests for proposals to manage the site and to contract with local entities in an effort toentice development in Ohio.
“If you are a prospective capital investor and you are looking to find a site, they can drill down through GIS (geographical information systems) then they will be able to identify an actual location and see an aerial photograph of it,” Myers said. “In addition, they will be able to define whether they are looking at that particular site or if they want to do a community, township, county or whatever geographical space they want and then be able to generate a demographic report based on whatever space or area they have defined on the system.”
He said the site would be able to generate such statistical information as population, available work force and expendable income, and would provide “a lot more information very readily available for a potential end-user.”
“It simplifies our work because we won’t necessarily have to continue to update our demographic information because the company the state ultimately contracts with should be doing that work for us,” Myers said if WAEDC board members agree to contract with the state.
ODOD officials are still in the process of accepting requests for proposals and no fee for local entities has been set. Myers said he believes the state would charge a nominal fee because “it is in the state’s best interest, because we all share the same goal of growing Ohio, to help us be as good as we can be at the local level.”
When state officials set the fee, Myers said he will approach board members in the future about possibly taking advantage of the programming opportunity.
Myers also updated board members on the progress at the 471-acre Job Ready Sites property.
He said plans for sanitary sewer lines are complete and have been submitted to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for approval. As far as electric work, parts to extend electric lines to the site have been ordered.
He also reported a rail spur likely will not need approval by the local Common Pleas judge since it is a spur and not a rail line, according to a state attorney general’s ruling in 1912. State law indicates any rail line traversing a county highway needs the judge’s approval. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 04 July 2008 )
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