Confused about the LDRC Community & Business Surveys?

By Jeanie Barnett & Stephen David, Co-Chairs, LDRC Steering Committee

    There seems to be a lot of confusion about the LDRC Zoomerang surveys and how you should answer the questions to best indicate your views.  The purpose of the surveys is to assess the current state of Central with a view to its suitability to the types of businesses we’d like to attract.  We citizens would like to be in a favorable position to pick and choose who we want “setting up shop” here in Central.  Like preparing a house to sell, we want to highlight our strengths and minimize or alleviate our weaknesses.  The point of the survey is to determine what those strengths and weakness are. 

    The surveys were provided by Louisiana Economic Development and established using best practice and time tested surveys used to solicit opinions of community stakeholders.  In addition, the survey questions are based upon the multiple factors that business investors and site selection consultants use to analyze communities competitiveness in the economic development process.

    Look around you.  What you see in Central is what potential business investors will see.  Is our City a desirable site for a high-end technological park or upscale medical college?  Or is it suitable only for businesses that may reduce our air quality, tear up our roads or bring in workers who don’t fit in with our small town culture?

    These surveys are only step one in an ongoing communication between the LDRC Steering Committee, Louisiana Economic Development and Central’s citizens and business community. 

    Please sound off about what you see as Central’s great assets and which things could be improved.  The more people participate, the more valid the result.  Go to www.CentralGov.com and click on the link in the center.  It only takes a few minutes to help guide and direct Central’s economic growth in positive and constructive ways.