MEXICO – Scott Christiansen plans to explore the possibility of getting foundation funding so that the River Valley Growth Council could become a think tank for new economic ideas.

The council’s board gave the organization’s executive director a tentative go-ahead to spend some time developing a plan that could bring in enough money to operate the council for the next several years.

Christiansen told the board Wednesday that funds that have been used to operate the economic growth organization are slated to dry up by the end of 2005. Much of that money, which pays for the day-to-day operation of the council, has come from MeadWestvaco or bio-refinery grants.

“We want to take our strengths of creating new programs, pilot those programs, then teach others within the state,” said Christiansen.

He said he will begin a search for foundations known to fund such projects.

He plans to apply for $600,000, enough to operate the RVGC for at least four years.

“We’ve gained a reputation for thinking outside the box,” said Christiansen.

Although the board isn’t ready to appropriate money or substantial staff time to Christiansen’s plan, members said the idea is worth exploring.

“We’d be interested in hearing answers from foundations,” said long-time board member Rich Allen.

Christiansen also updated the board on the council’s long-term projects, including a hoped-for fractionation research center. Fractionation is a process that would develop products from a bio-refinery, which extracts oil from wood.

Although the Legislature hasn’t yet come through with a bond issue that might provide the RVGC with seed money that could in turn access federal money, Christiansen said local legislators and others are working to develop a bond issue for the November elections.

He has been working in collaboration with the University of Maine, the State University of New York at Syracuse, and others to establish the research center in the River Valley Technology Center.

Plans are also going forward to establish Pine Tree Zone centers in several River Valley towns. The centers would provide qualified new and expanding businesses with several state tax incentives that would allow them to get started for less money. Town meetings are being held to gain resident approval. The Growth Council will begin marketing the sites as soon as local approval comes.

Plans are also going ahead for the development of super-insulated housing. The Growth Council is working with Keiser Industries, Oxford, on the plan that would use wood saplings for the truss and straw bales for insulation. A pilot straw-baled home is slated to be constructed next year.

[email protected]