By BRUCE GOULD, guest columnist
In considering the impact of tourism on the economy of Brown County and the county’s ability to sustain itself, an interesting seminar was presented by the League of Women Voters in 2014 with Dr. Drew Klacik as the guest speaker.
Dr. Klacik is a professor at the IU Public Policy Institute and has performed extensive statistical and analytical research on the future of Indiana, in particular the plight of small towns in rural areas with an aging and declining population versus metropolitan areas experiencing growth from the migration of youth moving in from rural areas to take advantage of job opportunities and other amenities not available in small, rural towns.
As we are seeing in Brown County, and is taking place in virtually every small town in Indiana, a declining population resulting from migration of the youth and an increasing percentage of elderly in the population results in higher and higher tax rates to sustain a level of government and services; an oversized school system that still requires a budget spread over fewer taxpayers; declining income levels; property values that decline because the demand no longer exists; small businesses disappear as shoppers find greater value in large stores in the metropolitan areas; and the list of negative impacts on small towns goes on.
Dr. Klacik was very somber in explaining that the decline of small towns is almost irreversible and the future for most small towns is very bleak. Dr. Klacik did take a very hard look at Brown County and how different it is from typical rural communities and expressed optimism for the future of Brown County and Nashville.
Dr. Klacik pointed to specific conditions that separated Brown County and Nashville from most other small towns and rural communities in Indiana. Those conditions were being located within easy driving distance of a metropolitan area, near an interstate highway, possessing unique physical and natural amenities, possessing unique architectural and historic amenities, and being near a university. Dr. Klacik specifically felt that the thriving tourist industry in Brown County provided stability and an avenue to expand economic growth that few other communities had to offer.
The Brown County Music Center was designed to provide economic growth for the entire community across the board by complimenting a tourist industry that already has a strong foundation and is located in a beautiful environment that cannot be reproduced at any price.
Tourism impacts the broadest segments of our economy, and although tourism may not provide the best jobs and opportunities, tourism provides more than what most small communities have to offer. Dr. Klacik commented that virtually all other counties in Indiana would give anything to have the Brown County State Park in their back yard and we should treasure that asset. We often take the natural beauty of our county for granted, and within that natural beauty lies many other treasures for all of us to experience.
We all hope that the Brown County Music Center provides the catalyst to reinvigorate the entire tourism industry in our community. We can all see that Brown County could easily follow Dr. Klacik’s model for small towns and rural communities, but those with vision and hope can also see the opportunity for Nashville and Brown County to take this momentum created by the music center and move our entire community in a positive direction that will set a sustainable course for our futures.
Bruce Gould is vice president of the Maple Leaf Management Group. Any questions about the venue can be sent to [email protected].
