" WE ' RE ALL IN BUSINESS , WE ALL NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO HOW OUR ECONOMY CAN BE BETTER , STRONGER AND LARGER ."
I ’ m a little worried about what happens in 2020-21 , when the big construction projects currently underway are done , especially if we don ’ t have another one in the pipeline . I worry that losing 10,000 skilled , highly-paid workers in 2021 could push us into a localized downturn . I worry about house prices then , I worry about the car dealerships , I worry about the small business stores . It ’ s why proposals like the ExxonMobil project , which could employ about 5,000 workers during peak construction , for 3-5 years in the early 2020 ’ s , are important . You might not realize it , but it will keep our economic engine moving along . Oh , and add to that the 600 + permanent workers , $ 90,000 average salaries , adding over $ 50 million every year in payroll to our economic island . Oh , and the $ 20-30 million it could add in tax revenues , to pay for local government services .
So let ’ s think about this . We ’ re all in business , we all pay attention to how our economy can be better , stronger , and larger . We all need to be promoting economic development for our “ island ” – and all be working together to ensure our economic future is a strong one .
22