Date: June 05, 2008
Contact:
Brian Cottam
Associate Director
Southern Utah University Office of Regional Services
435.865.8023
cottamb@suu.edu
Paul Husselbee
Media Relations
435.865.8556
husselbee@suu.edu
CEDAR CITY — Dr. Pam Perlich, senior research economist for the University of Utah’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR), will present a county-by-county look at the driving forces behind growth and economic development in southwest Utah at the Southwest Utah Planning Authorities Council (SUPAC) bi-monthly meeting on June 5, 2008, at the R. Haze Hunter Conference Center on the campus of Southern Utah University.
Over the past year, BEBR has undertaken the most comprehensive demographic and economic analysis ever provided for southwest Utah, which includes Beaver, Iron, Washington, Kane and Garfield counties. As she outlines her findings, Perlich will discuss characteristics, trends and implications for the region’s future.
SUPAC invites county and municipal elected officials, economic development directors, planning commissioners, and planning professionals, as well as interested members of the public, to attend the meeting, set for 1 p.m. in the Charles Hunter Room of the Hunter Conference Center. Lunch with SUPAC members is available at noon in the Shooting Star Room at a cost of $10 per person. If interested in attending lunch, contact Kathleen McDowell, 435.586.7738, before May 30 to RSVP.
SUPAC is a regional collaboration of state and federal agencies and local governments whose geographic emphasis is Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane and Washington counties. Created by then-Gov. Michael O. Leavitt in 1994, SUPAC aims to facilitate shared goals and strategies for planning and resource development, as well as to enhance information-sharing and cooperation among agencies, organizations and local governments in southwest Utah.
Cooperators include federal agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service; state agencies, such as the Governor’s Office and Department of Natural Resources; and local governments and organizations in the five-county region. SUPAC is administered by SUU’s Office of Regional Services.
Wes Curtis, SUU Director of Regional Services and SUPAC chair, said the organization provides a consistent opportunity for communication with the highest levels of government focused on important community planning and development issues in southwest Utah, such as public lands, natural resources and transportation.
“These can be very controversial topics,” Curtis said, “but SUPAC provides a safe forum to discuss these and other critical issues for our region.”
SUPAC is not a planning or advisory committee, Curtis pointed out. Rather, it is a cooperative effort focused on getting decision-makers together to exchange information, minimize misunderstandings, and seek solutions to important regional planning challenges.
SUPAC meetings occur every two months at locations that rotate among the participating counties. Anyone interested in more information about the cooperative effort or desiring to be added to the SUPAC e-mail list can contact SUU Regional Services at 435.865.8023 or cottamb@suu.edu.