Planning and Economic Development Specialist at Lee-Russell Council of Governments
In January 2020 Ms. Esco became the Planning and Economic Development Specialist at Lee-Russell Council of Governments in Opelika, Alabama.
In this position at Lee-Russell Council of Governments (LRCOG), she was able to support and advance a community-based initiative to convert a 37-mile abandoned rail line into a potential Rails-to-Trails project. During this initiative, she met and recruited local and regional jurisdictions, chamber of commerces, tourism bureaus, and economic development authorities to obtain buy-in for the project. The regional support and enthusiasm for the project paved the way for identifying initial project priorities and goals such as: (i.) connecting rural towns, (ii.) providing new recreation amenities, (iii) improving and supporting healthy initiatives for the local population, (iv.) restoring and conserving habitats, and (v.) providing space for outdoor education. With the buy-in from our partners, she was able to compile a grant application in February of 2021 for the The National Park Service - Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance to bring this project one step closer to fruition.
Providing effective communication to her team, stakeholders, and state/ local officials was a key role in her day-today activities while working on a variety of projects. While at LRCOG, she was tasked with writing a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plan that covered eleven counties and fifty municipalities along with managing 100 stakeholders in a multi-phase process. Ms. Esco's role was to support the Emergency Management Agency (EMA) from each of these eleven counties to ensure they met FEMA’s guidelines, Alabama Emergency Management Agencies goals, and local municipalities’ strategies to mitigate the impacts from natural hazards.
During October 2020, she was tasked with organizing and writing a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies Plan for Lee and Russell County, Alabama. Her role was to coordinate with local officials, stakeholders, and community members through a variety of meetings to identify strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats that hinder the region’s quality of life and attractiveness. Throughout this process, She planned and presented my team's findings and project progress based on the feedback received from all parties involved to support sustainable growth for all communities in our region.
Her co-workers and herself, in coordination with a local jurisdictions and Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) have been compiling and ranking potential brownfields. The goal was to identify the most suitable properties to redevelop based on a variety of factors. We are working towards applying for a Phase 1 grant through ADEM, which will examine the soil for containment on a select few of properties.
She also act as the RPO (rural planning organization) for rural Russell county, as well as a grant writer for local jurisdictions. Since January of 2021, she has written grants on behalf of our local jurisdiction for state and federal grants from programs such as the Delta Regional Authority's SEDAP, or Alabama Department of Economic Development Agency's CDBG. She was co-author of two funded EDA grants for LRCOG. We are currently seeking additional grant opportunities for various projects in our region such as broadband expansion, trail development, sewer installation, blight removal, stormwater management, and brownfield redevelopment.
In the summer and autumn of 2020 I was apart of the event planning committee that was charged with organizing the Alabama-Mississippi American Planning Association conference. This was the first digital conference for the Alabama and Mississippi chapters. During the conference she hosted the trivia night, as well as acted as the mediator throughout the week.
In this position at Lee-Russell Council of Governments (LRCOG), she was able to support and advance a community-based initiative to convert a 37-mile abandoned rail line into a potential Rails-to-Trails project. During this initiative, she met and recruited local and regional jurisdictions, chamber of commerces, tourism bureaus, and economic development authorities to obtain buy-in for the project. The regional support and enthusiasm for the project paved the way for identifying initial project priorities and goals such as: (i.) connecting rural towns, (ii.) providing new recreation amenities, (iii) improving and supporting healthy initiatives for the local population, (iv.) restoring and conserving habitats, and (v.) providing space for outdoor education. With the buy-in from our partners, she was able to compile a grant application in February of 2021 for the The National Park Service - Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance to bring this project one step closer to fruition.
Providing effective communication to her team, stakeholders, and state/ local officials was a key role in her day-today activities while working on a variety of projects. While at LRCOG, she was tasked with writing a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plan that covered eleven counties and fifty municipalities along with managing 100 stakeholders in a multi-phase process. Ms. Esco's role was to support the Emergency Management Agency (EMA) from each of these eleven counties to ensure they met FEMA’s guidelines, Alabama Emergency Management Agencies goals, and local municipalities’ strategies to mitigate the impacts from natural hazards.
During October 2020, she was tasked with organizing and writing a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies Plan for Lee and Russell County, Alabama. Her role was to coordinate with local officials, stakeholders, and community members through a variety of meetings to identify strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats that hinder the region’s quality of life and attractiveness. Throughout this process, She planned and presented my team's findings and project progress based on the feedback received from all parties involved to support sustainable growth for all communities in our region.
Her co-workers and herself, in coordination with a local jurisdictions and Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) have been compiling and ranking potential brownfields. The goal was to identify the most suitable properties to redevelop based on a variety of factors. We are working towards applying for a Phase 1 grant through ADEM, which will examine the soil for containment on a select few of properties.
She also act as the RPO (rural planning organization) for rural Russell county, as well as a grant writer for local jurisdictions. Since January of 2021, she has written grants on behalf of our local jurisdiction for state and federal grants from programs such as the Delta Regional Authority's SEDAP, or Alabama Department of Economic Development Agency's CDBG. She was co-author of two funded EDA grants for LRCOG. We are currently seeking additional grant opportunities for various projects in our region such as broadband expansion, trail development, sewer installation, blight removal, stormwater management, and brownfield redevelopment.
In the summer and autumn of 2020 I was apart of the event planning committee that was charged with organizing the Alabama-Mississippi American Planning Association conference. This was the first digital conference for the Alabama and Mississippi chapters. During the conference she hosted the trivia night, as well as acted as the mediator throughout the week.