Investing in Appalachia's Future

48 Pages·2016·4.76 MB·English

by  Appalachian Regional Commission

Investing in
Appalachia’s
Future
The Appalachian Regional
Commission’s Five-Year
Strategic Plan for Capitalizing
on Appalachia’s Opportunities
2016−2020
Plan Approved
Appalachian Regional Commission
November 2015
Federal Co-Chair States’ Co-Chair
Earl F. Gohl Governor Steven L. Beshear
GOVERNORS AND STATE ALTERNATES
ALABAMA MARYLAND NORTH CAROLINA SOUTH CAROLINA WEST VIRGINIA
Governor Robert Bentley Governor Larry Hogan Governor Pat McCrory Governor Nikki Haley Governor Earl Ray Tomblin
Jim Byard Jr. Linda C. Janey Patricia Mitchell Michael P. McInerney Mary Jo Thompson
Director Assistant Secretary Assistant Secretary Director of External Affairs Director
Alabama Department of Economic Maryland Department of Planning Rural Economic South Carolina Department Community Development Division
and Community Affairs 301 West Preston Street Development Division of Commerce West Virginia Development Office
401 Adams Avenue State Office Building North Carolina Department 1201 Main Street State Capitol Complex
Room 1101
P.O. Box 5690 Baltimore, Maryland 21201 of Commerce Suite 1600 Building 6, Room 553
Montgomery, Alabama 36103 Columbia, South Carolina 29201 Charleston, West Virginia 25305
4301 Mail Service Center
MISSISSIPPI Raleigh, North Carolina 27699
GEORGIA TENNESSEE States’ Washington
Governor Nathan Deal Governor Phil Bryant OHIO Governor Bill Haslam Representatives
Robert G. “Bobby” Morgan II
Camila Knowles Ted Townsend Jim McCleskey
Governor John Kasich
Policy Advisor
Commissioner Chief of Staff James Hyland
Jason Wilson
Office of the Governor
Georgia Department of Tennessee Department
Director
Community Affairs P.O. Box 139 of Economic and Executive Director
Jackson, Mississippi 39205 Governor’s Office of Appalachia
60 Executive Park South, NE Community Development Scott T. Hamilton
77 South High Street
Third Floor
NEW YORK 29th Floor 312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
Atlanta, Georgia 30329
Columbus, Ohio 43215 Tennessee Tower Building, 27th Floor
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Nashville, Tennessee 37243
KENTUCKY Dierdre Scozzafava PENNSYLVANIA
Governor Steven L. Beshear Deputy Secretary for Local VIRGINIA
Governor Tom Wolf
Tony Wilder Government Services Governor Terry McAuliffe
Sheri Collins
Commissioner New York Department of State William C. Shelton
Deputy Secretary
Kentucky Department for 1 Commerce Plaza Office of Technology Director
Local Government 99 Washington Avenue Virginia Department of Housing
Suite 1015 and Innovation
1024 Capital Center Drive Albany, New York 12231 Pennsylvania Department and Community Development
Suite 340
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 of Community and Main Street Center
600 East Main Street, Suite 300
Economic Development Richmond, Virginia 23219
Commonwealth Keystone
Building, Fourth Floor
400 North Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120
Table of Contents
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) .....................................................................................5
Appalachia is a Region of Great Opportunity ........................................................................................7
ARC’s Vision ............................................................................................................................................................8
ARC’s Mission ........................................................................................................................................................10
ARC’s Strategic Plan ............................................................................................................................................11
ARC’s Strategic Investment Goals ................................................................................................................13
Opportunity + Investment = Prosperity .....................................................................................................15
Strategic Investment Goal 1: Economic Opportunities .......................................................................17
Strategic Investment Goal 2: Ready Workforce .....................................................................................21
Strategic Investment Goal 3: Critical Infrastructure .............................................................................27
Strategic Investment Goal 4: Natural and Cultural Assets................................................................31
Strategic Investment Goal 5: Leadership and Community Capacity ...........................................35
Performance Targets ...........................................................................................................................................41
ARC’s Commitment .............................................................................................................................................42
Partnering with ARC............................................................................................................................................43
Strengthening ARC’s Capacity to Invest ...................................................................................................44
Regional Indicators of Progress .....................................................................................................................45
Investing in Appalachia’s Future ....................................................................................................................46
www.arc.gov
Appalachia
Appalachia, as defined in the legislation
from which the Appalachian Regional
Commission derives its authority, is a
205,000-square-mile region that follows
the spine of the Appalachian Mountains
from southern New York to northern
Mississippi. The Appalachian Region
includes all of West Virginia and parts of
12 other states: Alabama, Georgia,
Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New
York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Appalachia is home to more than 25
million people.
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The Appalachian
Regional Commission
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a regional
economic development agency representing a unique partnership
of federal, state, and local government.
Established by an act of Congress in 1965, the draw up annual state Appalachian strategies and
Commission is composed of the governors of the select projects for approval by the federal co-chair.
13 Appalachian states and a federal co-chair, who ARC has made investments in such essentials of
is appointed by the president. Local participation is comprehensive economic development as a safe
provided through multi-county local development and efficient highway system; education, job-train-
districts with support from community, business, ing, and health care programs; water and sewer
and civic leaders. Each year Congress appropri- systems; and entrepreneurial and capital
ates funds for Commission programs, which ARC market development.
allocates among its member states. The governors
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Appalachia is a Region
of Great Opportunity.
For 50 years, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has
invested in the efforts of its local, regional, and state partners to
transform Appalachian communities and advance its mission of
helping the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.
These efforts have laid a foundation on which average) has decreased from 295 in 1960
to build in pursuing current opportunities and in to 90 today.
creating and strengthening the building blocks of • Between 1970 and 2012, in counties that received
future opportunities. Since 1965, ARC has made ARC investments, employment increased at a
nearly 25,000 targeted investments and invested 4.2 percent faster pace, and per capita income
more than $3.8 billion in the Region. These increased at a 5.5 percent faster pace, than in
investments were matched by $9 billion in other similar counties that did not receive
federal, state, and local funding sources. Since 1978, ARC investments.
when ARC began tracking leveraging data, every • The percentage of adults in the Region with a
dollar invested by ARC has leveraged an average of high school diploma has increased by more than
$6.40 from the private sector. 150 percent, and students in Appalachia now
graduate from high school at nearly the same rate
The record of progress in the Region over the past as the national average.
few decades includes these accomplishments: • The percentage of homes in Appalachia with
complete plumbing has increased from 86.4
• The Region’s poverty rate has decreased from percent in 1970 to 96.8 percent today, in line with
nearly 31 percent in 1960 to 17 percent today; and the national rate of 98.0 percent.
the number of high-poverty counties (those with • The infant mortality rate in the Region has been
poverty rates one and a half times the national reduced by two-thirds since 1960.
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A R C ’ S V I S I O N
Appalachia is a region of
great opportunity that will
achieve socioeconomic
parity with the nation.
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ARC investments can address
the challenges associated with
economic transition.
Despite progress, continued investment is needed. • More investment to improve health
The Appalachian Region’s economy has historically status. The health status of the Region’s
been dominated by a few industries, including residents continues to decline: the mortality
mining, textiles, tobacco, and timber. Dependence rate in Appalachia is 27 percent higher than
on these industries as economic drivers and the national average, and the Region has
employers has left many communities, particularly disproportionately higher rates of cancer,
those in the most economically distressed diabetes, substance abuse, and obesity.
counties, vulnerable to economic fluctuations
as their businesses face increasing competition, • More investment in areas of persistent
specialization, and market changes. and severe economic distress. Nearly a
fourth of Appalachia’s 420 counties still face high
This includes the need for: poverty rates, low per capita market income, and
high unemployment rates.
• More jobs. Job creation is increasing more
slowly in the Region than in the nation as a whole. ARC is committed to investing in Appalachia’s
The number of jobs in the nation has jumped 83 future by helping the Region’s communities
percent since 1975, while the number of jobs in seize opportunities that both reduce disparities
Appalachia has increased only 50 percent over and advance prosperity. The Commission’s
the same time period. In addition, the Region’s unique federal-state partnership enables flexible
labor force participation rate remains low (59.5 community- and state-driven project development
percent in the Region compared with 64.2 as well as opportunities to advance regional
percent nationally). initiatives and model practices. ARC supports the
efforts of local communities across the Region
• Higher educational attainment. While to transform their economies by working with a
overall educational attainment rates in the Region network of local development districts and other
have improved over the past 50 years, Appalachia local partners. ARC also partners with private and
continues to fall behind the nation on this nonprofit organizations, regional and national
measure. Fifty-seven percent of Americans have philanthropic institutions, and federal agencies to
some post secondary education; less than half leverage its resources for the benefit of Appalachia’s
of Appalachians (48 percent) have reached that people and communities. Together with its local,
education level. state, and national partners, ARC is making progress
toward achieving its vision.
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A R C ’ S M I S S I O N
Innovate, partner, and invest
to build community capacity
and strengthen economic
growth in Appalachia.
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