Bear Paw Development shares good news

Paul Tuss, executive director for Bear Paw Development Corp., shared two pieces of news in Monday's Havre City Council meeting that are likely related.

He began by presenting the council with Bear Paw's 2010 Annual Report, which discusses the $4,135,180 that Bear Paw helped bring into the community.

"For every dollar invested by Bear Paw's local government member entities, we were able to secure an additional $45.94 for locally-derived economic and community development priorities, " the report says.

Councilman Bob Kaul voiced his appreciation of the Brownfields program that Bear Paw helped establish to provide assessments of the environmental quality of potentially contaminated lands and means to take care of those lands.

Apparently Kaul, and other local government figures, aren't the only ones that appreciate the work Bear Paw does.

Tuss announced at Monday's meeting that Bear Paw Development, and it's partner agencies, would be included in a study by researchers at Cleveland State University, in Ohio, about the nation's top 12 economic development districts.

The researchers will be along the Hi-Line this week to interview Bear Paw Development staff, and those they work with, to figure out how they are so effective.

Mayor Tim Solomon is on the list to be interviewed today, and is excited by the news.

"It's great to know that we're having such a positive impact in the area, " Solomon said. "And that we have such a great group working for us. "

Tuss said that their success depends on support from the community.

"Economic development doesn't take place in a vacuum. It's the partnerships, " Tuss said. "It comes from the support of the local governments, the tribal governments and the private sector. "

"We had a good year, but we're looking forward to projects in 2011. "

Aside from being honored by inclusion in the study, he hopes Bear Paw can use the study.

"We're very interested in the product of the study and what we can learn from the others. "