08/15/1995 ECONOMIC DEV AND INDUSTRIAL COMMITTEE Minutes

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP MINUTES AUGUST 15, 1995 Members Present: Tom Potts, Steve Innis , Ted Lewis, Paul Reynolds, Sharon Koblinsky, Tom Fudala. Also present: Wayne Duchemin, Economic Development Coordinator Beth Siegel and Devon Winey, Mt. Auburn Associates The meeting was called to order at 7: 00 p.m. Tom Potts welcomed Devon Winey and Beth Siegel from Mt. Auburn Associates and then turned the floor over to Beth Siegel. She gave a presentation based on a Report Mt. Auburn prepared entitled Town_ of Mash_pee Economic Analysis/Review of Statistical Findings. Beth cited key points from this Report using comparison charts from the U.S. Bureau of the Census and Massachusetts Department of Labor, Res. /Employ. Data, noting statistical comparisons and trends among Mashpee, Barnstable, Massachusetts, and the USA to support the following conclusions: Demographic Trends Mashpee has experienced dramatic population growth since 1980 - Mashpee ' s population is ethnically and racially diverse relative to the Cape at large Mashpee ' s population is younger than that of Barnstable County at large - Mashpee' s population includes more high school graduates than Massachusetts and the United States, but fewer college graduates - While a substantial portion of Mashpee residents work in either managerial or professional occupations, a large number of residents are also service and construction workers. Economic Performance - The demographic and economic growth of the 1980 ' s has been a strain on Mashpee. - Unemployment rates in Mashpee and in Barnstable County in general were below those of the state and the nation throughout the 1980s. However, the boom cycle led to a "bust" in 1989 at which time unemployment soared. While the situation has improved, the economy has yet to fully recover. Mashpee residents felt the impact of the recession more sharply than did those of other Cape Cod communities.