Video: Tri-County ECD Effort Not Really New

[bitsontherun GeZZLFdb]COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — A Golden Triangle economic development partnership that will come together over the next two years may seem like a new idea.

But Lowndes Link President Joe Higgins, the coordinator of Lowndes, Clay and Oktibbeha partnership, told Columbus Rotarians it’s an idea that first was tried 40 years ago.

Tuesday night, the unified group will take its first step toward financing when Starkville aldermen consider allowing the Oktibbeha County Economic Development Agency (OCEDA) — one of Oktibbeha County’s current job-creating agencies — to start moving toward joining the regional effort.

“Tommy Lott, who is in this club was one of the original guys 40 something years ago that tried to do the original Golden Triangle Group. And its at least 40 years ago they tried it. So if we’re able to pull this off, it’s something that’s been in the making for about 40 years,” Higgins told Rotarians.

The nine-member board that will oversee the newly formed Golden Triangle Link,  is expected to operate within a $2.5 million budget once it’s in place in October 2014.