Lorain Port plan should be adopted

The proposed five-year strategic plan for the Lorain Port Authority unveiled Nov. 27 is ambitious and can make the Port the lead economic development agency in the region.

The Port’s strategic plan would shift duties, help businesses grow and sport a slight name change.

Overall, the plan not only will benefit the city of Lorain, but because of its extension, it could prove good for the county.

The Council of Development Finance Agencies, or CDFA, a Columbus-based nonprofit group developed the plan over 10 months.

Lorain Port Executive Director Tom Brown told a crowd of at least 45 people who attended the presentation of the plan that the process was intensive, but now the Port has a guiding document for the next five years.

Brown acknowledged it’s going to take a lot of work to fulfill the components of the plan, but it’s needed to economically boost this region.

And change could come quickly because the plan suggests a number of action items take place in 2019, including a new formal relationship between the Port and Lorain City Hall, better marketing and changes to the Port’s governance.

Toby Rittner, president and CEO Council of Development Finance Agencies, said while studying Lorain, his team found out everything there is to know about the International City, the good, the bad, the negative, the positive and the ups and downs.

Incidentally, Rittner was born in Cleveland and grew up in Findlay, but he said he had never stepped foot in Lorain.

But when he finally arrived, he found there’s a lot of hope, a lot of potential and when you start to sift through all of the material, there’s a lot more positive than there is negative and he experienced the many good things about the community.

During the presentation, Brown discussed the Port under the 30 years of leadership from retired Executive Director Rick Novak.

He said the Port became good at two parts of its mission: public access and keeping the maritime going in Lorain and its harbor.

Brown, however, vows to keep that going and more.

With the help of the Council of Development Finance Agencies, Brown plans to get more involved in business financing, which is needed, especially for downtown Lorain.

The plan has three visions and each one has up to six action items with specific objectives for the action items.

Under Vision 1, the Port will establish itself as the community and economic development leader in Lorain.

But that should be codified with a three- to five-year formal partnership with the Port and City Hall to make the Port the economic development leader for the city.

The Port also should establish a formal partnership with Lorain County. The Port can do deals in all of Ohio’s 88 counties and that help provides revenues to sustain the organization.

The vision includes a name change to become the Lorain Port and Finance Authority, because the original name does not indicate the financial ability of the Port to help businesses move to Lorain or grow there.

Also, the Port should maximize the physical locations to support, encourage and catalyze waterfront activities and waterborne commerce.

Under Vision 2, the Port will utilize the finance capacity allowed under Ohio law to development finance programming and investment.

For business financing, Rittner said, “really what it comes down to is, you’re not using the tools in the toolbox to the extreme that you can.”

Rittner said Summit County is an example of how a port authority can run the financial programs that local governments use to attract businesses and help them grow.

Summit County is active in finance and that money sustains the agency and then the community.

The Port has 500 acres that should be developed, and Rittner agrees.

Rittner said, “If you have to give it away to developers, who cares? Give it away. That’s a little facetious.

“But the point is, you’re sitting on an asset that doesn’t do you any good just sitting there.”

And under Vision 3, the Port will make governance, efficiency and leadership a key strength that drives waterborne commerce and economic development.

Rittner said the Port needs some policies and procedures to streamline and improve board action and staff daily efforts.

Port board Chairman Brad Mullins was skeptical about the planning process.

Mullins said, “But I think we see what the potential is and we are all working diligently, but Tom’s leading the charge.”

The plan is a good one to adopt.

The sooner the Port gets to working on it, the better it will be economically for Lorain and the region.