May 6—CARTHAGE — To the proprietor of a Carthage insurance coverage firm, the Economic Development Visioning Summit for communities in the River Area Council of Governments, or RACOG, was a possibility to study extra about economic development efforts and to be heard by resolution makers. The solely shock at the assembly for him was that so few enterprise house owners seized the chance to attend.
“I was just disappointed because there were a lot of municipal officials there and they need to hear from the business community if we’re trying to attract talent or if we’re trying to grow our local economy,” mentioned Adam Fuller, proprietor of Fuller Insurance. “They need to know what the business community wants.”
Four different companies additionally had representatives at the occasion — the Natural Bridge KOA, CREG Systems of Watertown, Squishy’s Barbecue and C2AE Consulting.
The summit, held April 29 at Zero Dock Street restaurant in Carthage, featured audio system and shows on matters together with tourism, enterprise development alternatives, enterprise success tales and group development applications in the works to reinforce economic development alternatives.
Lewis County presenters outlined grant initiatives, small enterprise development alternatives and bigger-picture applications — from offering wi-fi broadband in unserved areas of the county, to efforts of municipalities to mix their shopping for energy to push down electrical energy prices for residences and small companies via “community choice aggregation” applications.
Jefferson County spokespeople detailed a advice for the village of Carthage to remodel the property alongside the Black River with “expanded parking and dense waterfront development,” with Zero Dock Street as a key characteristic and architectural guidepost.
The constructing’s journey from a long-empty and deteriorated business entity into a trendy and well-liked restaurant owned by Scott C. and Shannon J. Sauer utilizing $760,000 in state grant awards was additionally introduced as a serious success story.
Tug Hill Commission Executive Director Katie H. Malinowski outlined numerous tasks which have comprised the Black River Initiative, together with the creation of the Blueway Trail, the signed scenic byway and watershed administration planning.
“Overall I think it went pretty well,” mentioned RACOG circuit rider Mickey D. Dietrich.
Circuit Riders are staff of the Tug Hill Commission who attend city and village conferences, facilitate communication and coordinate applications for member municipalities.
While attendees gave Mr. Dietrich constructive suggestions in regards to the shows, it was the ultimate brainstorming session analyzing the strengths, weaknesses and alternatives in the RACOG area that supplied probably the most perception.
Partnerships — between municipalities on the village, city and county ranges, companies and organizations — had been cited as a giant energy in the area.
“That’s really what the summit was about,” Mr. Dietrich mentioned. “I wanted it to be that we are all just working together for the common good of everybody by sharing ideas and networking. It helps to bring people together and get people focused on certain issues or projects moving forward to make that cooperation with each other.”
Partnerships had been additionally listed as a weak point as a result of because the variety of entities concerned in a undertaking will increase, the extra difficult, cumbersome and sluggish the method can turn out to be, and often, extra adjustments in personnel occur and not using a “succession plan,” additional complicating multi-municipal tasks, Mr. Dietrich mentioned of the brainstorming outcomes.
“With elected official turnover, it takes a lot of effort to get new people up to speed,” he mentioned. “So it can take a long time to complete a project.”
A serious weak point in the area was famous to be the issue getting youthful folks to both keep, return or relocate to the area, though Mr. Fuller prompt the rising reputation of “remote work” as a possibility to draw folks to reside the quiet north nation life whereas they work wherever they select.
Fort Drum and the alternatives it creates was pinpointed as a “strength” by dialogue members.
Officials from the city and village of Lowville, the villages of Castorland, Deferiet, Carthage, West Carthage, the city of Croghan and the city of Wilna; organizations together with Northern Regional Center for Independent Living, Lewis County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Railway Historical Society of Northern New York and the Adirondack North Country Association had been additionally among the many 35 attendees.
Mr. Dietrich mentioned the subsequent section of the method will contain strategizing and planning to satisfy and overcome the challenges uncovered via the day’s discussions.
RACOG is one in every of 5 area councils on Tug Hill established by the Tug Hill Commission to assist foster cooperation and leverage the sources of the small municipalities all through the area.