A review of the last 10 years

Ten years do go by fast, and while it seems hard to imagine for some, we have been the “CCC&I” for 10 years now! In 2000 the CDC and the Caribou Chamber merged. This decision to merge took over a year and a half between both boards, it solicited input from the membership of each entity, and included public meetings at CPAC and the Caribou Inn for the general public. The chamber moved to the CDC location on 24 Sweden St; and during that time “Focus on the Future” was created.
At the time of the merger, the CDC received $205,000 in appropriations from the city, and the Chamber received $36,000. The appropriation went to $240,000 at that time. The savings were based as much on the strength of the combined entity, as much as it was on eventual savings in tax dollars. The merger meant less duplication of efforts related to tourism and attraction, and a consolidation of board members’ time and resources from the two separate entities with similar goals to a one united board which would not be as “burned out” over time by duplicating efforts of the separate organizations.
Branding ourselves this new entity cost just over $70,000, over three years’ time. Marketing by seasons: foliage, summer bus tours and golf packages were created (two years before Aroostook County Tourism was formed). The CCC&I purchased the Newberry building for ATX in March for $75,000. The last of the jobs related directly to ATX/CCH are slated to leave our community in 2012. During this time the payroll in Caribou by this business fluctuated between several hundred thousand a year to several million, and then a loss by 2012 of an estimated $1.5 million.
In 2002 the CCC&I was awarded $120,000 in new FAME REDRLP funds. The CDC first received FAME funds in 1997 (when they received $71,000). This fund has grown to just over $700,000 in equity since then.
In 1998 the CDC received an award from the USDA for $593,000 in loan funds. These are not funds granted to us, but must be repaid at 1% interest and principal over 30 years. 2010 marks our tenth year of making these payments.
The portfolio has grown to $852,000, with $190,000 in equity. We are the only single service community to have USDA, FAME and as well as our own funds (we manage the city’s revolving loan fund) in the state. By design the CDC directors in the 1990s aggressively obtained these pools as an essential element in their economic development toolbox, with the premise that the businesses would be best served by local invested bankers and business men and women. Membership in the new entity was at 175 members by 2002.
In November we re-organized, and decided to stop marketing tourism outside of Aroostook at the level they had previously of $30,000 and $40,000 annually, in addition to staffing (in excess of an additional $40,000). In 2003 we were served (along with the city of Caribou) by a prominent business person, beginning a lawsuit which would end at the Supreme Court five years later with our organization prevailing, as a private non-profit organization, not a governmental agency or political subdivision of the city of Caribou (thus our financials are private, and our clients’ information is privileged).
In the fall the board re-organized (again), eliminating “business attraction” as one of its aggressive economic development initiatives. We cut $120,000 from the operating budget, and $80,000 from our request to the city of Caribou for appropriations for services to the community. We were the first community approached by Walt Elish, MPS and NMDC in November of 2003 to participate in the new Aroostook Partnership for Progress initiative, because of our reputation as a progressive economic development community.
We developed a “business plan” and a Scope of Work for 2004, which we’ve maintained and updated annually ever since. 2004 was all about collocation — BDS, BGS and DHS. The CCC&I in close collaboration with the Caribou City Council lobbied for the next two years (with much help from everyone in the community, and literally dozens of meetings, more than a dozen letter writing campaigns) a home page on our Web site devoted to the cause; 10,000 postcards to the Governor, etc.) to keep DHHS in Caribou. In October that year, DHHS was forced to consider factors brought forward for a second RFP.
We also began setting aside funds to the bad debt reserves for “a rainy day” — for both the FAME and IRP accounts – at 15% across the board. By the end of 2009 this rainy day reserve has been cultivated to just over $420,000. In 2005 the war to keep DHHS in Caribou continued throughout the first half of the year.
2006 marked the beginning of the Children’s Discovery museum efforts – which started as a seed from meetings we’d had with the city at the Chan Center. The hope was perhaps the JC Penney’s building would be involved, as part of downtown revitalization. The CCC&I was asked to take over the Caribou Country Club’s note from the city of Caribou, to allonge their note for a period of 18 months, which we did (returning the RLF funds of just over $86,000 back to the city). We were staffed with two full-time employees in the office that year: we did not make member visits, and we did struggle to maintain services to the members, clients and community. We took on the additional responsibilities of Aroostook Association of Chambers of Commerce as the central location for the organization, and remained the torch carriers for the next three years. We added “our members news, events and our members people” to the newsletters. Our Web site was revamped to include the “members spotlight,” a section to post the new Caribou video, and the section to post not just commercial properties – but also the section for community/nonprofit organizations events and fund-raisers.
Early in the planning for “Cariboufest” in 2006, the decision was made to go back to “Caribou Cares About Kids” as the signature name for the event. At the same time, the “chamber side” of the organization determined to also brand “Caribou Cares About Kids” into all the annual events, and to use this widely recognized term as a signature for the overall “quality of life” culture of the organization. By the end of 2006 Aroostook SCORE had lost most of its current members, and we began efforts to recruit a new group of volunteers in 2007.
2007 was the year for annual events beginning with Winter Carnival: we spent more funds and had more participation in Winter Carnival than we had in 15 years prior, complete with fireworks, and a program of events by all the larger civic groups and organizations in town. In terms of economic development projects, ESM (Employment Specialists Management based out of Augusta), received a contract with DHHS to provide services in Aroostook, and we helped them find office space in Caribou. We traveled to the Potato Blossom Festival with a Caribou Cares About Potato Farming float, and marketed Caribou at the Agri-Business tradeshow, and the Women’s Expo. In 2007 our loan clients paid just under $175,000 in property taxes.
In 2008 we cleared three lots in the industrial park at a cost of $15,000, and loaned $765,000 in new funds. We traveled back to the Women’s Expo, and ended 2008 with a kick off 150th celebration event at the PI Light Parade: celebrating 150 years of good neighbors. Indeed so many participants who went with us had such a good time, they decided to end 2009 as they’d started it, by going back for PI’s 30th anniversary Light Parade: where we handed out 2,000 mittens to the children! Our loan clients paid just over $180,000 in property taxes.
2009 was Caribou’s 150th Birthday, and we had a party all year long! In terms of benefactors, participation, alumni, family, friends and neighbors who came home, the programs were unprecedented and incredibly well received. Our clients paid just over $192,000 in property taxes. Our membership has remained steady at between 230 and 240 members, with a total business base of just over 450 (which includes farmers, hairdressers and many home based businesses). This is a larger percentage of membership than any other single community in Aroostook, although the Houlton Chamber, under the direction of Lori Weston (with Caribou roots), has increased their membership by leaps and bounds the last three years, and may well be passing us in terms of community support and participation. In terms of tax monies saved from 2000 to now, in direct appropriations, the CCC&I’s merger, has saved the city of Caribou $564,000. In terms of loan funds diverted from city notes to CCC&I notes, the CCC&I has converted $128,000.
2009 began a serious thought process in terms of social networking, and different marketing initiatives to attract and retain businesses, community participation, and overall awareness in our mission and vision. We began writing weekly articles in the local paper and publishing in a variety of magazines.
2010 has begun with our serious plans to exploit Caribou with all the hot social media Web sites: we’re Facebooking, tweeting, twittering and blogging — linking in and stumbling up. We have plans for a City Wide Commercial Open House on May 19th, and we are optimistic a community/economic development committee may make strides to not only plan a grass roots Downtown Revitalization, but also cultivate a serious burgeoning interest in a Farmers’ Market. We look forward to our anniversary, and hope everyone with comments, thoughts and suggestions will continue to visit and talk with us as we strive together to continue to improve our community. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint!