More than a year ago, milling company representatives from Fort Collins based Emagine Concepts came before the Cheyenne County Commissioners with a plea for community reinvestment funds in order to set up shop at a location hosted by Adams trucking.
The 160,000 loan, designed to be repaid back to a fund that recycles the money to other growing businesses without raising taxes was needed to move equipment and personnel to the county. According to information presented at the meeting, Emagine Concepts indicated that they would bring double digit new jobs to the local economy.
Despite questions from commissioners regarding the financials of Emagine Concepts, Gary Person kept singing the praises of how this would be a good thing for the economic development of the county (note, I said county and not the city of Sidney, which would also benefit the county). County attorney Paul Schaub, likewise found no significant issues with financials.
Here we are more than a year after the money was passed out, and where is EMagine Concepts? No jobs have been created In Cheyenne County and more importantly, no money has been repaid. I would call that a win-win for EMagine Concepts who gets the money basically scott-free. It is a shame, really that the one, non-Cabela's related economic development project that the snake-charmer could have hung his hat on seems to have evaporated like the morning dew.
It makes me think of the old John Lennon song, "EMagine all the people........"
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