The Craig and Moffat County Economic Development Partner-ship board has narrowed its list of possible directors to two.

“Hopefully, we can get one of the two hired,” Chairman Scott Cook said.

The position has been narrowed down to one in-state candidate and one out-of-state candidate.

Cook said hiring a new director has been tough because it is such a “specialized position.”

The new director must have an interest in coming to the area and, in general, like Moffat County, he said.

He said the new director should have ideas for diversifying the economic environment of Moffat County.

“We want to improve the economic and business climate in Moffat County and eliminate the economic booms and busts,” he said.

One of the goals for EDP and the new director in the future is to eliminate the mandatory fees businesses pay to be part of EDP.

“I don’t know if that’s realistic,” Cook said.

Currently, businesses pay between $700 and $2,000 depending on how many employees they have.

Cook said the position of director is vital for the EDP to succeed.

Because everyone on the board is a volunteer with another job, Cook said a director is key to the group’s effectiveness.

“We’ve got to have someone to steer the boat,” he said. “We’re going to try to get someone in here as fast as possible.”

The board had hoped to have someone to fill the position by Aug. 1, but Cook said that is not likely.

Nevertheless, Cook said the board hopes to know which candidate will be hired by the end of the week.