Cooney coming to Rocky Boy in Main Street Montana tour

Montana's lieutenant governor announced today he will be coming to Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation in June as part of his second tour in the Main Street Montana – Rural Partners Project.

"Engaging our tribal communities and working to understand the unique economic challenges they face is critical to ensuring all Montanans have the same opportunities," Lt. Gov. Cooney said in a press release today. "I'm looking forward to hearing from leaders on how we can highlight each community's strengths and support efforts to increase access to education and a good job, promote and grow local businesses, and identify innovative ways to grow the economy."

Cooney also announced in the release the relaunch of the Main Street Montana website, http://mainstreetmontanaproject.com/, which includes outcomes of the first tour of the Rural Partners Project.

"It will also be a place for communities to share their success stories with similar communities and will hold a state funding tool kit to make it easier for communities to find state funding opportunities," the release said.

Gov. Steve Bullock launched the Main Street Montana Project in 2013, inviting public and private sectors to join in partnership to implement a business plan for Montana by Montanans and provide direction for Montana's economic future.

Bullock commissioned the project to present recommendations on how he could implement policies to support a bottom-to-top system where local communities attract businesses and create jobs. One stop in the first year of implementing the project was on Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, where state and economic development representatives discussed issues facing economic development in Indian Country.

Main Street Montana - Rural Partners Project held roundtable meetings last fall with community leaders and stakeholders in Troy, Choteau, Glendive, Lincoln, Harlowton and Glasgow. Cooney and Rural Partners Project Chair Lance Trebesch, CEO of Ticketprinting.com, along with state agency representatives visited the communities to discuss challenges and opportunities in each community.

Over the next two months, Cooney will hold roundtables on the state's Native American reservations to identify ways the Rural Partners Project can assist with current and ongoing efforts:

The roundtables are scheduled as:

• Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe, May 30

• Blackfeet Tribe, June 4

• Fort Peck Tribe, June 5

• Crow Tribe, June 6

• Northern Cheyenne Tribe, June 6

• Fort Belknap Tribe, June 13

• Chippewa Cree Tribe, June 14

• Little Shell Tribe, July 9 

The Rural Partners Project focuses on empowering small towns in Montana to get ahead, support their efforts to make their communities vibrant and ensure economic opportunities can be found throughout the state.

Projects include:

• Creating a roadmap for the future of broadband connectivity in Troy with Deloitte Consulting and Montana Telecommunications Association;

• Connecting Lincoln with resources to develop an in-town trail system with Montana State University Western Transportation Institute and Lewis and Clark County;

• Identifying next steps for updating infrastructure in Choteau and preparing the community for improvements to their main street;

• Connecting Glasgow with workforce and job training resources through Dawson Community College; and

• Founding of a C3 group in Glendive which has identified common priorities for the community and meets regularly to move the community toward a unified effort.