Like many Ohio communities, Erie County has felt the scourge of decline in manufacturing, particularly in the automotive industry.
Erie County commissioners Thursday approved a plan they hope will begin to turn things around, says Mark Litton, Director of the Erie County Economic Development Corporation. Devised by Texas consulting firm Angelou Economics, the plan targets four key areas of future growth - manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, business services and health services. The consultant's report notes that the county has suffered in the past from excess territorialism. Litten says the plan calls for more county-wide cooperation, and getting the commissioners behind it is a positive step.
Litten: They're signing onto it, which is a good thing, and we've also had the city of Sandusky, the city of Huron and Perkins Township pass support resolutions as well.
Erie County's population has shrunk by 2.8 percent since 2000, while the city Sandusky has lost more than seven percent of its people. One of the plan's goals is to halt the rapid exodus of young people to other regions.
