Linda Shannon-Hills
The Lecture Series on February 12 was presented by the Copper Corridor Economic Development Coalition, Bill Bolin, consultant for the CCEDC, and Elizabeth Magallanex, president for the CCEDC. SaddleBrooke Ranch skirts the lower part of the Copper Corridor, which starts at Superior and goes down through Oracle. This mission for this coalition is to unify Eastern Pinal and Southern Gila Counties into a regional community to promote economic development, plan and prepare for population growth while preserving the region’s values.
Their vision is to develop sustainable communities and a prosperous future for eastern Pinal County. We are poised to create something new in our area. The CCEDC has no paid staff and is comprised of volunteer representatives from the participating communities of Superior, Kearney, Hayden, Winkelman, Dudleyville, Aravaipa, Mammoth, San Manuel and Oracle. The group has been meeting monthly since November of 2003 and has succeeded in educating participants about the value of regional planning and cooperation for sustainable business growth.
The current activities of the CCEDC include management and oversight of a public art project, the Copper Corridor Ore Cart Trail and operation of a website, the Business Success Center, funded through a grant from the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI), a division of the Arizona Department of Commerce.