Duane Hicks
The Rainy River Future Development Corp. has a new development and project co-ordinator intern.
Maria Cristina Ciotti, from Innisfil, Ont., started last Monday and is eager to get to work on a variety of projects.
“It’s definitely very exciting,” said Ciotti, whose boyfriend, Earle Farquharson, is a nephew of Pat Clysdale-Cornell of Devlin.
“It’s a new place, it’s new everything,” she added.
“New people, new community.”
Ciotti, who graduated last year from Fanshawe College in London, applied for the one-year position late last year after seeing it advertised online.
She came to town for an interview in December and got the job.
The position ties into her background in GIS (geographic information system) and urban planning, as well as integrated land planning.
Ciotti will be involved in a range of projects.
These range from the community foundation being established to build endowments and disperse grants for local projects to developing signage and marketing materials for the industrial park here.
She also will be helping the RRFDC with agricultural projects in the west end of the district, as well as facilitating the “Your Next Hometown” project, which is intended to promote the town as a place to live through social media and other marketing.
Ciotti said the industrial park and ag sector work interest her most as they speak to her background in planning.
“I’d like to use my skills as much as I can, and hopefully maybe even work with the planner of the town,” she remarked.
As a newcomer to the district, Ciotti noted it’s an interesting time to be involved in economic development here.
“With the mill closing and the mine opening, you’re kind of in-between,” she said.
“When a door closes, a window opens, right?
“So now we’ve got that mine coming in and hopefully that will boost us and help,” she added..
“With us [RRFDC] being a part of a lot of these projects, we can have our feet in there to help bring the town to where it used to be, or at least somewhere close to where it used to be,” Ciotti reasoned.
While she arrived at perhaps the least hospitable time of year weather-wise, Ciotti said she’s looking ahead to the next year—learning and taking in what Fort Frances and the surrounding area have to offer.
“I’ve heard the summer is beautiful,” she smiled.
“I’m waiting.”
