This morning I blogged about the need for a new coalition to organize around protecting Adirondack-North Country interests in Albany. <\/p>\n
A few minutes ago, this press release arrived in my in box…so I share it in its entirety with this In Box.<\/p>\n
ADIRONDACK COMMON GROUND ALLIANCE CALLS FOR
NEW SMALL-SCALE ECONOMIC STIMULUS FOR PARK’S COMMUNITIES<\/p>\nLONG LAKE, N.Y. — The Adirondack Common Ground Alliance today called on Gov. David Peterson to create a new economic development program for rural areas of the state where boosting small businesses can have a big impact on the economic health of villages and hamlets.<\/p>\n
The Common Ground Alliance said the Governor could establish a new rural economic development program as he carries out his plan to replace the Pataki Administration\u0092s Empire Zone Program with a new \u0093Excelsior Zone\u0094 program.<\/p>\n
Businesses located inside such zones get incentives to boost job creation. Gov. Paterson said too few of the Empire Zone businesses have lived up to their promises to create jobs. He has been eliminating Empire Zones around the state and said he plans to replace the program with his new Excelsior Zone program.<\/p>\n
The Common Ground Alliance of the Adirondacks is composed of a diverse set of local leaders from the Adirondacks, including elected officials, private entrepreneurs, and representatives of education, economic development, health and environmental non-profit organizations who are dedicated to identifying solutions that benefit Adirondack communities, their economies and the environment. <\/p>\n
The group\u0092s letter to Governor Paterson explained that the Empire Zone program was mainly aimed at big cities and big employers. While that is not unusual in a state with a state with 20 million residents, the programs and business that work in big cities don\u0092t always work in small villages and hamlets, where the need for economic development is just as urgent, they explained.<\/p>\n
“There is widespread agreement on the establishment of an Excelsior Zone because the benefits not only accrue to individual businesses, but to the welfare of the citizens of and visitors to the Adirondacks as well,” said Ross Whaley of the Adirondack Landowners Association. \u0093A new or expanded business that adds a handful of jobs might not qualify for state assistance if it was in a city, but those five or six jobs would be welcomed and appreciated in any Adirondack town.\u0094<\/p>\n
\u0093Sixty-three percent of businesses in the Park employ 4 people or less, with a high percentage of self-employed. Small and micro-businesses must be seen as the bedrock of development and employment in the Park and be given strong attention in terms of State support and incentives,\u0094 said Lani Ulrich of CAP21, an economic and community development organization based in the southwestern Adirondacks. \u0093Ventures in retail, hospitality, and other tourism-related services will remain crucial.\u0094<\/p>\n
\u0093There is no inherent conflict between boosting small businesses and protecting the environmental health of the Adirondack Park,\u0094 said Brian L. Houseal, Executive Director of the Adirondack Council, the Park\u0092s largest environmental organization. \u0093Most of the Park\u0092s small, private businesses rely on the protected forests and waters of the Adirondack Park for their long-term survival.\u0094 <\/p>\n
\u0093We also recognize that many of the recommendations contained in this letter would be appropriate for other parts of the rural Adirondack North Country, including the Tug Hill region, and could benefit additional areas of rural New York,\u0094 said Kate Fish, Executive Director of Adirondack North Country Association. \u0093This should make the program even more attractive to the Legislature, which we will call upon for financial support.\u0094<\/p>\n
The Common Ground Alliance of the Adirondacks proposed three broad recommendations for policy changes that could be incorporated into the new Excelsior Zone program:<\/p>\n
1. Designate the entire Adirondack Park as a special economic development zone. The zone should be responsive to issues of scale and respect the park\u0092s natural character. Incentives are needed to overcome increased development costs associated with remote, mountainous areas, as well as limited infrastructure.<\/p>\n
2. Create a comprehensive program specific to the Adirondack Park. It should include development of shovel-ready sites, capital investment tax credits, wage credit (similar to the federal program) and a task force to administer a state-supported seed-capital fund.<\/p>\n
3. The Adirondack Planning Initiative, a group that was created at the Local Government Day in Lake Placid in 2008, should work with the Empire State Development Corp to develop a specific plan by September 2011.<\/p>\n
Among those signing on to the letter to Governor Paterson were Cali Brooks of the Adirondack Community Trust; Carol Brown, President of North Country Community College; Michael Conway, Executive Director of the Adirondack Economic Development Corp.; William Farber, Supervisor, Town of Morehouse and Chairman of the Hamilton County Legislature; Dr. John Mills, President of Paul Smith\u0092s College; Frederick H. Monroe, Executive Director, Adirondack Park Local Government Review<\/p>\n
Board; Robert Perry, President of the New York State Snowmobile Association; and, Brian Towers of the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages. A complete list is attached below.<\/p>\n
The Common Ground Alliance is a forum for public-private collaboration. State and local governments, nonprofit organizations, stakeholders, and residents of the Park participate as equals. We work to recognize the common good of the communities, residents, and resources of the Adirondack Park, not to further specific organizational, institutional, or individual agendas.<\/p>\n
Signatories on the Common Ground Alliance Letter to the Governor<\/p>\n
March 2010 (Total of 70 signatures)<\/p>\n
Richard R. Bird, Business Owner<\/p>\n
Gail Brill, Adirondack Green Circle<\/p>\n
Cali Brooks, Adirondack Community Trust<\/p>\n
Carol Brown, President, North Country Community College<\/p>\n
Rich Burns, Lead Account Executive, Energy Solutions Services- Northern National Grid<\/p>\n
Donald Caldera, Country Business Services<\/p>\n
Robert J. Camoin II, President, Camoin Associates<\/p>\n
Deborah Carhart, Executive Director, Central Adirondack partnership for the 21st<\/p>\n
Century, Inc.<\/p>\n
Michael Conway, Executive Director, Adirondack Economic Development Corporation<\/p>\n
Elizabeth Giardino Cooper, Town of Fine Community Development Coordinator<\/p>\n
Ray Curran, Adirondack Sustainable Communities<\/p>\n
Gerald Delaney, Councilman, Town of Saranac<\/p>\n
Mike DeWein, Alliance to Save Energy<\/p>\n
Bob Edwards, Supervisor, Town of Hope<\/p>\n
George H. Edwards, Supervisor, Town of Ohio<\/p>\n
William Farber, Supervisor, Town of Morehouse: Chair, Board of Legislators<\/p>\n
Michael Farrell, Director of The Uihlein Forest, Cornell University Dept of Natural<\/p>\n
Resources<\/p>\n
Kate Fish, Executive Director, Adirondack North Country Association<\/p>\n
Roger Friedman, Friedman Realty<\/p>\n
Susan Day Fuller, Fuller Communications<\/p>\n
Patrick Gallagher, former–Lake Placid Deputy Mayor, 2 term Village Trustee <\/p>\n
Kevin B. Geraghty, Supervisor \u0096 Town of Warrensburg<\/p>\n
Robert Hest, GM, Director Client Services, Fuller Communications<\/p>\n
Greg Hill, Assistant Director, Adirondack North Country Association<\/p>\n
Alan S. Hipps, Executive Director, Adirondack Community Housing Trust, Housing<\/p>\n
Assistance Program of Essex County, Inc.<\/p>\n
Holderied Family & the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort<\/p>\n
Eric Holmlund, Associate Professor, Environmental Science, Paul Smith\u0092s College<\/p>\n
Brian Houseal, Executive Director, The Adirondack Council<\/p>\n
Norman Howard, Property Owner<\/p>\n
Raymond Johnson, Founder and Director, Institute of Climate Studies, USA<\/p>\n
Molly Kasriels, Board Member, Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism\/Lake Placid<\/p>\n
Tourism<\/p>\n
Linda Kemper, Supervisor, Town of Northampton<\/p>\n
Charles W. \u0093Chip\u0094 Kiefer, Publicity Director, Town of Webb<\/p>\n
Claire Leonardi, Investor<\/p>\n
Tom Leonardi, Investor<\/p>\n
Maria Leonardi, Alliance to Save Energy<\/p>\n
Scott Locorini, Adirondack Exposure, Whitewater Challengers<\/p>\n
Hillarie Logan-Dechene, Vice President, Institutional Advancement, Paul Smith\u0092s College<\/p>\n
Howard Lowe, Dir. Economic Development, Technical Assistance Center-SUNY<\/p>\n
Plattsburgh<\/p>\n
Joe Martens, Open Space Insititute<\/p>\n
James McKenna, Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism\/Lake Placid Tourism<\/p>\n
Dennis Michael, Vice President Central Adirondack Association<\/p>\n
Dr. John Mills, President, Paul Smith\u0092s College<\/p>\n
Ed M. Milner, Past President Gore Mountain Region Chamber of Commerce<\/p>\n
Frederick H. Monroe, Executive Director, Adirondack Park Local Government Review<\/p>\n
Board<\/p>\n
Sue Montgomery-Corey, Supervisor, Town of Minerva<\/p>\n
Robert Moore, Supervisor, Town of Webb<\/p>\n
Marti Mozdzier, Executive Director, Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce<\/p>\n
Gail Murray, Secretary, The Artworks<\/p>\n
Sylvie Nelson, Executive Director, Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce<\/p>\n
Robert Perry, President, New York State Snowmobile Association<\/p>\n
Dean and Donna Pohl, Raquette Lake Navigation<\/p>\n
Victor J. Putman, Director, Essex County Department of Community Development and<\/p>\n
Planning<\/p>\n
J. R. Risley, Business Development Director, Adirondack Economic Development <\/p>\n
Corporation<\/p>\n
William F. Rivet, Jr., Rivet Realty LLC<\/p>\n
H. Bruce Russell, Supervisor Town of Bellmont<\/p>\n
Teresa R. Sayward, Assemblywoman, 113th District<\/p>\n
Dave Scranton, Chairman – Inlet Planning Board<\/p>\n
Jane E. Slack, Business Owner<\/p>\n
Justin Smith, Prestige Hospitality Group, Northwoods Inn<\/p>\n
Zoe Smith, Director, The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Adirondack Program<\/p>\n
The Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce<\/p>\n
Brian Towers, President, Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages<\/p>\n
Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors<\/p>\n
Lani Ulrich, Steering Committee Member Northern Forest SEI<\/p>\n
Gregg Wallace, Wallace Contracting<\/p>\n
Christopher Westbrook, Director SUNY ESF Ranger School, President, Clifton-Fine<\/p>\n
Economic Development Corporation<\/p>\n
Ross Whaley, Adirondack Landowners\u0092 Association<\/p>\n
Susan A. Wing, Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney <\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This morning I blogged about the need for a new coalition to organize around protecting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[6916],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1796"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1796"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1796\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}