OGDENSBURG -- Economic development officials will seek ideas for job growth opportunities in the North Country when they travel to Ogdensburg for an open meeting Aug. 6.

The North Country Regional Economic Development Council is traveling across the region for public input on plan implementation and potential projects as they prepare for the third round of competition among 10 regional development councils for hundreds of millions of dollars in state aid.

The NCREDC wants to hear from individuals, businesses, organizations, labor, and university representatives from the North Country to attend one of the scheduled public forums in the region, one in each county, to provide suggestions and share ideas for job growth opportunities.

The Ogdensburg forum is Tuesday, Aug. 6 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority, 1 Bridge Plaza.

The forums will include a presentation on the next round of the development initiative, competitive funding guidelines, and progress made on the implementation of the North Country Strategic Plan and Progress Report since last year. Attendees may offer comments, information and input to the council regarding plan implementation and potential projects.

Priority projects are chosen based on their ability to stimulate job creation, private sector investment and economic growth in accordance with the goals identified by the council’s strategic plan.

All Consolidated Funding Applications must be submitted by 4 p.m. Aug. 12. CFA applications and other materials are available at https://apps.cio.ny.gov/apps/cfa/. Once the CFA is submitted by the applicant, it goes to the local Regional Council to be reviewed and ranked as part of its strategic planning process.

Those who are not able to attend the public forums may visit www.northcountryopenforbusiness.com to find the NCREDC’s Strategic Plan, Progress Report and other important documents, as well as to submit comments and suggestions, and to register to receive the regional council's e-newsletter.

The NCREDC is composed of representatives from business, government and education in St. Lawrence, Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson, and Lewis counties.

The NCREDC was named a “Top Performer” in 2012 in addition to their plan being named a “Best Plan Awardee” in December 2011. In 2011, the North Country aid amounted to more than $100 million. In the second round, in 2012, the North Country council received $90.2 million for 82 projects.