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A tactical plan is being made for moving Newberry County forward and increasing economic development.

A host of county leaders came together earlier this summer in an effort to ban together to improve the county.

The group then had a follow up meeting Thursday.

The mission of the group will be to increase the number of jobs, grow the commercial and industrial tax base and create a sustainable quality of life.

With the mission comes a vision to pursue diversification in terms of industries, their size, the jobs and the skills needed.

The group also wants to focus on getting industries that are profitable, stable and have a low environmental impact.

The county leaders will also work to maintain available and attractive industrial parks and have a spec or shell building that is available at all times. This will allow companies to locate in the county without have the start up of building a new facility.

Over the next 12 months the group hopes to finish building a spec building at the Mid-Carolina Commerce Park at the intersection of Highway 773 and I-26. Currently the financing for the building has been obtained with the county just paying the interest on the construction for the next five years.

A second goal for the next year will be to expand the sites for potential companies and to market the county to new industry.

A fourth need for the next year is to plan a recreational facility. While the City of Newberry is currently in the planning process to revitalized its parks; a countywide recreational facility is likely not until a referendum can be held in 2014 or 2016 for the county to get funding for the project. After the funding is allocated the facility would not be finish for another 24 months.

Other goals for the next year include the creation of nice housing.

Newberry County Council Chair Buddy Livingston says that most home builders in the county are booked for the next year to two years out.

Over the next 10 years the group sees the Mid-Carolina Commerce Park being full and new parks being built.

Also the number of small businesses will grow along with infrastructure to support the growth.

But the group says they want to invite three to four large developers to the county to show them what is here and market the idea of starting subdivisions in the county.

Over the next year the group will also work to market the community and improve quality of life.

While Livingston and others agreed that the meeting was a nice pep rally; Newberry County Administrator Wayne Adams says that specific goals need to be assigned to individuals that will be help keep them accountable for getting them done.

The group will hold a third meeting in the coming weeks and assignments will be made to put people on committees and divide the responsibilities.