Civil Municipal Magazine - Dec 2023

115 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 CRAIG , COLORADO to focus on commercial development. As a new energy source is introduced, the old one must slowly fade out, which is exactly what’s occurring with the city’s coal-fired power plant, as well as the accompanying Trapper Mine. “With the support of Trapper Mine, and its local partners, the City of Craig has worked extensively with the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado to market the Trapper Mine site as an ideal location for a future heavy Industrial Park”, notes Economic Development Manager, Shannon Scott. “The Trapper Industrial Park is located on an 11,200-acre site with over 85,000 sq. ft. of modern office and industrial space with dedicated utilities, explosion permitting, and uncontrolled airspace.” The city is in discussions with several aviation and aerospace-related companies like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon that could utilize the Trapper Industrial Park site for their business operations. Because Craig’s coal plant is one of the region’s largest industries, many other industries must be bolstered to compensate for the inevitable economic dip. “Once the coal mines and power plant shut down, it is imperative that we recruit new and support existing industries in which the miners and plant workers can easily transition into utilizing their experience and skill sets.” “It is also important that these jobs pay an equitable salary to what they are currently making”, Scott explains. A Regional Ecosystem of Partnership, Support, and Collaboration Craig’s leadership is creating a multifaceted solution that includes external as well as internal sources of growth for the city. A number of key partnerships have been secured to ensure that all of its projects have the support needed to come to fruition. Craig has developed several inter and intra- state engineering vendor relationships that they rely on. Most notably, is the City Engineer, SGM, based in Glenwood Springs and Baseline Engineering, located in Steamboat Springs, Trapper Mine aerial Trapper Mine admin. facilities