Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Picayunish with Ricky Ragsdale, Publisher

The lack of growth in a community cannot usually be blamed on any one individual. But now it may be blamed on a host of citizens who lacked the foresight to see that a company could excel if given the opportunity. Growth in Prescott and Nevada County has been fairly nonexistent for several years. What "could have been" is all in the past. You and I should prepare for the future.

The city of Prescott has an opportunity to readily accept growth by allowing Aegis Bio-Systems to locate a small operation on city property, which was once used as a city dump.

But, after only hearing the Aegis proposal on Monday, July 17, the committee hastily formed to look into the facility quickly shot it down during its only meeting last Friday.

Ignorance and public perception are to blame for not following through with the proposal by Aegis, according to officials. The public doesn't have enough knowledge and the perception of a company that handles medical waste is too negative. Pooh.

It is the responsibility of leaders to educate the public and change its perception in situations like this. And when you recognize the committee is formed of an educator, a former hospital administrator and a farmer, they should recognize this immediately.

Your educator, councilman Howard Austin, knows the public's perception of many things are often distorted and he is aware of the great lengths it often takes to change that same perception.

Councilman Dick Bright, former administrator for the now defunct Nevada County Hospital, knows the stringent regulations and requirements Aegis will have to follow and are currently following. He also knows that educating a community to the good is needed to change its perception.

The farmer, councilman James Roy Cornelius, knows more than the average person about chemicals and their proper uses and applications and the disposal of such. He understands the value of educating the public for its own good.

They all three understand the responsibility a company like Aegis itself has, the strict rules and regulations it must follow. They all know that Aegis is more regulated than the city itself.

So why would they shoot it down so quickly? Educate us, so we will no longer be ignorant. Show us the light, change our perception so we can understand the value of a company like Aegis.

Many of us understand that our community needs more than its fair share of above-minimum wage jobs ($9 to $16 an hour) like Aegis would provide.

If you are afraid of chemical leaks or bio-hazard waste, watch the trains that go through our town. Or watch the trucks that roll into our truck stops and go through our county along Interstate 30 and other highways.

It could be to the benefit of Aegis not to locate on the old city dump site. The site was used long before the EPA told cities certain things could not go into a dump; no telling what is below the surface.

There is still hope for Aegis locating in our community, but the city will stand to lose the income from utility services if they locate in a rural area. The city will lose an estimated $21,600 yearly in royalty fees by not allowing them to locate on city property. Educate me on why that is such a good deal.

Prescott-Nevada County Economic Office director Jon Chadwell says he will present a proposal from Aegis to still locate in the county. If they fail to locate here they could end up in Gurdon, Hope or maybe even Texarkana. Their desire to locate here is hinged on the fact they already have one employee living in Prescott.

Common sense tells us this is not a fly-by-night company, but one that is prepared for the future. The future of health care tells us that this type of business can only grow.

If you want an education call Little Rock. Ask officials of the foresight their forefathers had by not selling a few acres to a company hoping to start up by the name of Federal Express. That multi-million dollar business is located now in another state. What foresight!