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1/15/2010–Mount Airy Building Partnership with Winston
City building partnership with Winston
Mount Airy officials are trying to establish a “sister city” relationship with its larger neighbor to the south — Winston-Salem — which they hope will lead to gains in economic development, tourism and other areas.
A initial meeting was held Tuesday afternoon in that city which was attended by Mount Airy Mayor Deborah Cochran, Commissioner Dean Brown and Martin Collins, the city’s community development director.
“It was a preliminary discussion,” Brown said Wednesday of the meeting held with Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines and Derwick Paige, deputy city manager.
The session was the brainchild of Cochran. She said after becoming mayor last month that one of her goals involves trying to establish partnerships with cities including Winston-Salem in addition to maintaining relationships with state agencies involved in economic development such as the N.C. Department of Commerce.
“Generating jobs is my top priority, and I think it’s important for Mount Airy to have a presence all over the state,” Cochran said Wednesday. She added that since Winston-Salem works with other municipalities on an international basis, it also makes sense to partner with a city 35 miles away.
Although Tuesday’s gathering in Winston-Salem was deemed a “preliminary” session, the two sides did make progress during discussions aimed at sharing ideas on key issues, local officials say.
The No. 1 area was economic development, with Brown pointing out Wednesday that while some in Surry view Winston-Salem as competitor in terms of seeking new industry, that city actually could benefit this community economically.
For example, if an industrial prospect could not be accommodated in Winston-Salem, leaders there theoretically will steer the client to Mount Airy where the company might find a better fit. It also could share leads in other cases. “One could come through their office today,” Cochran said of a potential recruit.
The mayor added that a local availability of industrial park space is a selling point in this regard. Another is a huge water supply to offer new industry.
A main accomplishment of Tuesday’s meeting involving Mayor Joines agreeing to support an effort to have a state prison located in Surry County, a project Brown has been pursuing more than a year. “He agreed to give me a letter of support,” Brown said.
In addition, officials of the two cities discussed working together on tourism growth, especially as it pertains to the area wine industry.
Another part of the meeting involved learning about several business-development programs operating in Winston-Salem which could be beneficial here, including a revolving loan fund for industries.
The two cities also have common ground in the realm of transportation.
One item discussed this week involves working together to keep the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) program a viable entity in this area. The program promotes express bus, vanpooling and carpooling availability for residents of Surry County traveling back and forth to Winston-Salem.
Brown said that while PART is beneficial to Surry citizens who work in Winston-Salem, the latter also is boosted through system users shopping and conducting other business in the larger city.
Another transportation-related issue involves Mount Airy and Winston-Salem joining forces to make an Interstate 74 bypass loop around Winston-Salem a reality. One benefit for this community would be shortening the travel time to Mount Airy from other areas of the state, which could be a factor in a company deciding to locate a plant here.
Apart from the progress made on mutual goals, Cochran thinks Tuesday’s conference with Winston-Salem officials will reap benefits in other ways.
“Nothing compares to that face-to-face contact — meeting people,” she said. “So it was very beneficial. You never know what might come out of a meeting.”
Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.
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