West Piedmont Regional Economic Recovery/Adjustment Strategy

In 2001, the West Piedmont Regional Economic Recovery/Adjustment Strategy was prepared by Thomas Point Associates of Annapolis, Maryland, for the West Piedmont Planning District Commission and its member localities (i.e., Franklin, Henry, Patrick, and Pittsylvania Counties; the Cities of Danville and Martinsville; and the Town of Rocky Mount).  The project was funded with a $60,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA), and matching funds from the Planning District Commission and its member localities.  EDA invited the Planning District Commission to submit this application due to the impacts of NAFTA on the West Piedmont Planning District as well as changes in the region's economy due to changes in the agricultural sector (particularly tobacco and dairy farming).

The strategy notes that the top regional priority for infrastructure is the improvement of regional access based on completion of construction of the Interstate 73, Interstate 785, U.S. Route 58, and U.S. Route 29 corridors.  There is consensus in the region that immediate action is needed on these highway systems.  The strategy also presents 140 recommended projects and programs representing a total value of $217 million in addition to the costs associated with the construction of the referenced transportation corridors.  While there are high costs associated with these roads and other infrastructure projects, the continuing impacts of structural economic changes and increased offshore production will further weaken this region's economy unless there is consistent strategic action on a broad front.

 The strategy also notes that the costs associated with taking no action will be high.  The continuing decline in the industries that have comprised the core of the regional economy will mean further job losses on a larger scale.  The relatively unskilled workforce will find it increasingly difficult to compete with off-shore labor on a cost basis.  Further erosion in earnings will undermine institutions and the community's ability to protect human and environmental resources.  The cost of taking no action is far higher, ultimately, than the investment costs that this strategy promotes.

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