Southern Oklahoma Regional Coalition (SORC)

Member Communities: Healdton, Ringling, Wilson, Tatums (Carter and Jefferson counties)

Partnership Brings Industrial Park, Skills to Rural Communities 

When the sinks drip at city hall or the community center roof needs repair, small towns throughout Carter and Jefferson counties turn to laborers and craftsmen provided by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

For $25 a month per work-release inmate and the cost of lunch, these rural communities get skills and labor--plumbing, carpentry, welding, and electrical--that they otherwise couldn't afford.

Purpose: Founded in 1998 to promote economic development on a regional basis. Total combined population of the partnership, 5,497.

Project Overview: The Corrections Department announced plans to close its work-release facility in Healdton. To ready a 35-acre industrial park for the new and expanded facility, which opens in summer 2006, SORC improved the park's infrastructure. The grant funded the following improvements:

• 1,300-foot gravel/chip and seal roadway to the new facility and through the park;
• Upgraded 4 acre sewer lagoon
• 6-inch water line
• Contracts for project managers and engineers because, "You can't do everything with volunteers."

Project Benefits:

• The new facility houses more inmates, which means more towns throughout the area can access this resource.
• SORC member towns, which don't pay the $25 fee per inmate, will see their worker allocations increase.
• Fully functioning industrial park.
• SORC can market the park to light manufacturing businesses.
• SORC is achieving critical mass--more volunteers, broader range of talent, more money available for matching funds.

Lessons Learned:

• Partnerships don't form overnight. "It's going to take more than one day to get people to even come to the table," says Cecil Carter, SORC executive director. "Regional partnerships don't happen that way. Success requires taking time to build trust."
• Advocates or champions of the regional approach to economic development are crucial to building that trust.
• Before applying for a grant, have your paperwork in place--audits, formal agreements, regularly updated demographic data, bank records, etc.
• Communication is crucial; don't let your local, county, or state officials ever feel out of the loop. Carter communicates regularly with a list of 75 stakeholders.
• Foster relationships with local and regional organizations that offer grants.