Representatives of the Economic Development Council presented an upbeat review of development activity to the Clay County Commission July 22.

Teresa Burns and Tim Kristl of the EDC Executive Board and staff members Jim Hampton, executive director, and Greg Martinette, business recruitment consultant, made the presentation at the courthouse. Despite a sour economy, they listed progress during the first half of 2011 that ranged from redesign of Chouteau Parkway to Smithville’s fiber optic park.

A total of $561 Million dollars of new project announcements were reported during the first half of 2011. The EDC was involved in 80 active recruitment projects and its affiliate organization, Midwest Small Business Finance, worked on $23 million in approved or funded loans. MSBF was also selected as SBA Lender of the Year.

Clay County fared well statewide as well. It was the second highest county in Missouri for job gains in 2011—a status it has held for nine years. Clay County has the region’s third highest income, trailing only Jackson and Johnson Counties, and is the sixth highest in Missouri.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked Clay County second in new jobs created in the Kansas City region from December 2001 to December 2010. In that period, Clay County up by seven percent in job growth with a gain of almost 5,900 jobs.

The EDC’s list of projects was especially dramatic in 2011. Although most were initiated by other organizations or private business, the EDC is involved with everything from planning coordination to funding assistance.

One example was Ford Motor Company’s announcement of a $400 million investment at the Kansas City Plant to allow assembly of a new vehicle to replace the Escape, which is being moved. The announcement followed more than a year of work by the EDC-initiated 20/20 Ford Task Force and a Missouri manufacturing bill.

An upcoming project is transformation of Chouteau into a Parkway south of I-35. The project will widen the current two-lane road into a four-lane divided parkway, with two lanes of 12-foot roadway and a five-foot bike lane in each direction. The project will cost about $22 million, with$20 million to be paid by the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Major private projects include announcement of a $15 million Marriott Courtyard Hotel and Conference Center and construction of nearly 90,000 square feet of office space at Briarcliff Development.

The largest announcement involves a $100 million mixed-use project along I-35 in North Kansas City. Scheduled to begin later this year, the work will remove an old grain mill and create restaurants, stores and office space. Nearby, North Kansas City Hospital project includes a $16 million expansion of the emergency department.

The new Latter-Day Saints Temple on Shoal Creek Parkway near I-435, a Liberty Hospital medical office building and the Liberty Science and Technology Park illustrate the diversity of Clay County projects.

The EDC also noted that Franklin Elementary School was honored as one of eight Missouri’s “Gold Star Schools” for 2011. Franklin is the only elementary school in the metropolitan area to be added to this list.

Smithville’s Fiber Park will support wireless towers to support the area’s industrial parks. Smithville was also cited recently by the Mid-America Regional Council as the second lowest cost of living in the Kansas City region.

Much of the report dealt with the EDC’s work with business expansion and location prospects during the second quarter of 2011. The organization has worked with some 25 companies looking to grow in Clay County, ranging from an international automotive parts manufacturer to an animal health company looking at the area’s locations.