Helena working to improve economic development through new board

HELENA, Ala. (WIAT) — The city of Helena is launching an economic development board to help enhance economic opportunities across the city in 2021.

Mayor Brian Puckett selected 12 members of the community with various business-related backgrounds to work on behalf of the new board, where they will be tasked with creating new industry, retail, and commercial development opportunities. Puckett said the city faces its own unique challenges in its efforts to continue growing. This includes there now only being two ways to get in and out of Helena which effects area residents and visitors.

“We went from being a very small town to now having over 20,000 residents and our infrastructure is a little bit behind. So the economic development board’s got to look at those different things as well when we are trying to improve the economic goals of the community and bring in new companies or new industries is what the infrastructure going to be able to handle,” Puckett said.

The board will begin meeting later this month. All meetings are open to the public and officials are asking for community involvement to help them implement the most effective change.