the boat rental, we rent kayaks down at the marina. We have boat repair opportunities. So, it gels nicely for the Port District to have commercial as well as residential connectivity.” GROWTH, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND LIVABILITY The larger goal is to make Conneaut not only a more livable city but also a place to invest, grow and raise a family. According to Trisket, there’s already a growing interest from individuals drawn to the area’s beauty and opportunity.“We’re still really early, we’re still working on the infrastructure piece to this development, the resilience plan is still in the planning stages. So, I think it’s early to say, yes, we’re going to start seeing some growth from this, but I definitely think it is the direction we’re headed,” she says. As far as commercial and industrial development, Trisket highlights, “We have, in my opinion, a gold mine, if you want to bring in a bigger industry. We have water access, we have major highway access, and we have rail access, all right there, in addition to natural gas pipelines and major power lines going through. If you want to bring a business to Conneaut, the infrastructure is there.” A DELIBERATE, PHASED APPROACH On the planning side,both Kline and Trisket emphasize that the work ahead will unfold in well planned phases.The coastal resilience planning document is expected to be finalized later this year.“From there, we can take some of those ecological projects and really start working on which ones make the most sense for us feasibility wise, and which, as far as permitting and engagement with stakeholders, is going to be our best starting point,”Trisket expands. “And then from there, design, engineering, funding strategies and get them built.” “In tandem, we are working with a couple of private developers on the next two major projects on our horizon,”adds Kline.These include the construction of a new marina section, which he says will have shovel ready drawings by the end of 2025, and a mixeduse development along nearby Naylor Drive, one of the city’s prime lakefront corridors. Additionally, 91 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 05 CONNEAUT PORT AUTHORITY
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