Community Coordinator Report
Josephine Wyatt
Siskiyou County Community Coordinator

April - June , 2007

Local Enterprise Zone Due to Expire
 Excerpts from “News from THE ZONE”
by
Tonya Dowse, Executive Director Siskiyou County Economic Development Council

It is fair to say, the California Enterprise Zone program is the most valuable financial incentive in the state for businesses, providing significant tax credits to stimulate private investment; and Siskiyou County has been fortunate to benefit from the program for the past 15 years.

Since the local Shasta Valley Enterprise Zone expires June 2008, it is an opportune time for business to review the available credits.   Some of the tax credits are:

•    Hiring Credit
•    Equipment Sales Tax Credit
•    Interest Expense Deduction

Speaking of value….Already this year, the SCEDC and the Workforce Connection  staff have issued over 100 employee vouchers for local businesses, that’s up to $35,000 in tax credits per employee, or a potential of $3.5 million in tax savings issued in less than one year!  Consequently, when you add in the other benefits over the life of the zone, local businesses have saved many, many million in state tax dollars. 

Preparation for Application

With the  approaching sunset of our local Zone, the SCEDC, the Cities of Weed, Montague, Yreka, Mt. Shasta, Dunsmuir, the County of Siskiyou and the Workforce Connection have spent the past year planning, preparing, and fundraising for the considerable effort require to complete the application for a new Enterprise Zone designation.

Thanks to the combined efforts of Siskiyou County, Yreka, Montague, Weed, Mt. Shasta and Dunsmuir grant funds have been secured to help cover the $200,000 in estimated costs (not including the cost of an EIR) of putting a competitive application together. 

Since the grant funds come with a variety of strings and delays, private contributions have helped fund the effort too.  Several local businesses have already stepped up to offer support.  Many thanks go to Roseburg Forest Products, Crystal Geyser Roxane, Nor-Cal Products, Knuth Hinge, Weed Building Supply, Michael’s Restaurant and Nestle Waters. 

Eight Slots Open

The application for the new Enterprise Zone has just been released by the State.  There are only 42 Zones permitted in California and the current found of applications will fill the slots of eight of the expiring Zones – Kings County, Los Angeles, Oakland, Pittsburg, Santa Ana, Stockton, West Sacramento, and Siskiyou County.  This is a very competitive program; so far there are 13 regions applying for the 8 open Zones!

Since the Shasta Valley Zone is officially expiring, the application will define an entirely new program and may include new local boundaries.  This is good news because the door is open for all “eligible “communities in Siskyou County. 

The application is very complex and the timeline is intense so work is already underway to complete an application for our local area by the November deadline.  Without a doubt the most difficult part of the application will be securing the long term financial commitment required from the local jurisdictions.

Businesses that have benefited from the program, or could benefit in the future if included in the Zone, should be contacting local elected officials and encouraging them to sign on in support of the Enterprise Zone. 

For more information please contact the SCEDC at (530) 842-1638.


New "Look" in the Workforce Connection


We have two new Career Resources Technicians and a new Vocational Servies Specialist in our Workforce Connection Offices.

Fernanda Mugnolo, Career Resources Technician - Yreka, came to the United States in 2000 as a Missionary from Argentina.  She also lived in Italy, FFernanda rance, and Spain and speaks Spanish, Portuguese, English, and Italian.  She attended the University of Moron in Buenos Aires and has 2 degrees, International Tourist Guide and Italian Teacher.  For the last three years, Fernanda has lived in Yreka and is raising her two sons.  She loves this area for the beautiful nature and outdoor activities -- climbing, hiking, and swimming.  In Siskiyou County, she has worked as a Bilingual Teacher, Legal Assistant, and as an Interpreter/Translator and teaches Italian and Spanish at College of the Siskiyous.  Some of her favorite activities are gymnastics, volleyball, tennis, ice and roller skating, and yoga.

Misty

Misty Macon is working as a CRT in the Weed Office. She enjoys helping customers create resumes, do online job search, and keep up to date postings on the new jobs in our area. Misty is extremely helpful to staff members in our office, as well as anyone who walks in our building. She previously managed a small bakery in Weed. Misty lived all over the country before settling in Weed ten years ago.


Greta Greta Stevenson is our new Vocational Services Specialist.  She grew up on a ranch in Montana.  Greta received her Bachelors in Business Management from UMASS Amherst in Massachussetts. She has been living in the Mount Shasta area for four years. Greta worked as a Firefighter for the Forest Service and a Forestry Technician for the Hearst Forest Corportation. She loves traveling and has visited Mexico, Guatemala, Thailand, India, Pakistan and New Zealand. Greta enjoys alpine skiing, hiking, biking, music, dancing, yoga, eating sushi and camping with her boyfriend, Matthew, and dog, Cody.  She is happy to be here and looks forward to getting to know everyone! 

Welcome Fernanda, Misty, and Greta!

2007 Siskiyou County Staff Conference

Siskiyou County Human Services, a Workforce Connection partner, sponsored a staff conference at the Mt. Shasta Resort in June.  Workforce Connection staff were invited to participate in the one -day event that focused on “Wellness in the Workplace” and “Achieving Personal Excellence.”

The Wellness in the Workplace workshop focused on wellness as an approach to health that can result in greater vitality, control, responsibility, and on-the-job effectiveness.

Areas covered were:

•    The signs and symptoms of stress
•    The relationship of wellness to self-esteem and productivity
•    Better ways to handle job stress
•    How to minimize back strain and injury
•    Factors and habits that contribute to health risk
•    Relaxation techniques

Participants learned to better understand the factors that may contribute to health risk and ways to reduce chronic pain and tension. 

The Achieving Personal Excellence workshop presented information on better ways to work smarter, drawing on the latest research on peak performers and excellence in organizations.

Important ideas were:

•    Techniques for improving job performance-setting  goals, visualizing results and overcoming obstacles
•    Better ways to work with people, including building self-esteem in others.

As a result of this workshop participants learned how to organize their work, focus on outcomes and mange work-related stress. 

Summer is a busy time for all staff.   Weed Carnevale, Mt. Shasta Fourth of July Celebration, Dunsmuir Railroad Days, McCloud Fiesta, and the Siskiyou County Fair are some of the annual events that staff participant in volunteering time to provide support in community booths and fundraisers.  These events help to increase tourism in our communities and provide business to our local employers.  If you are planning to be in our area during the summer months, check out the local Chambers for dates.  
Have a great summer and hope to see you in Siskiyou County!!