MASSENA -- In the wake of Alcoa’s announcement it would take 487 high-paying jobs from Massena, Mayor Tim Currier says he has formed a coalition aimed at finding economic solutions for the community, which he calls Moving Massena Forward.

“Initially, the coalition will be tasked with three primary responsibilities and it will work in parallel and collaboratively with the efforts to be undertaken as a result of the Alcoa decision,” Currier said, adding he expects results by March.

He says the group’s goals include:

• “Articulate a collaborative vision for our future bases on input from community members, the business sector, education system, our workforce, and government.”

• “Determine how we can move Massena away from the ‘Industrial Development Model’ towards a ‘Diversified Job Growth Strategy.’”

• “Revive the Massena Downtown Coalition and use it as a model for developing the Diversified Job Growth Strategies that come out of this process.”

He is encouraging members of the public to get involved.

“As we embark on this mission, we ask that you become involved by expressing where you see opportunities for job growth, and helping us develop and carry out actions that will diversify our economy,” he said. “Every citizen can play a role in reinventing Massena based on a shared vision.”

He says anyone who is interested in participating can call Village Clerk Monique Chatland at villageclerk@village.massena.ny.us or 769-8625.

Currier said in advance of Moving Massena Forward, he has started “four initiatives that are already bringing people together to work towards the future”:

• Massena Community Services Board, whose mission is to coordinate efforts and facilitate communication amongst the various agencies in our community designed to provide assistance to the residents of our area, according to Currier. This board is comprised of representatives of Back the Pack, BOCES, Compassion North, Greater Massena Ministerial Association, Massena Community Meal, Massena Drug Free Coalition, Massena Housing Authority, Massena Independent Living Center, Massena Mayor or Liaison, Massena Neighborhood Center, Massena TRIAD, Massena Wellness Clinic, Meals on Wheels, Salvation Army and St. Vincent DePaul.

• Massena Leadership Council, whose purpose is to “break down the barriers that prevent our community from moving forward and to work collaboratively to improve Massena,” Currier said. This council includes leadership representation from healthcare, including the hospital and our two nursing homes, the school district, utility companies, major employers, financial institutions, economic development officials, business leaders and members of local government.

• The Village of Massena Board of Trustees launched what Currier calls “an aggressive Grant Writing Strategy” this year by entering into an agreement with Strategic Development Specialists, LLC. “Working with SLIC, we were successful in receiving a grant award for high speed internet in Massena that will be operational in the first quarter of 2016,” he said. “Enhancing our telecommunication infrastructure, coupled with Massena Electric Department’s dependable and affordable power, will be a key economic development strategy that we will use to transform our business sector and create jobs.”

• Grant-writing efforts are ongoing. “We are continuously and aggressively pursuing outside funding sources for our various Village departments as well as with our partners in the Massena community, including not-for-profits, our school system, our hospital and the business sector, allowing for alignment of our overall strategies,” Currier said.

He believes Massena’s historical economic success is based on the ability to adapt, not hinge on one particular segment of the economy.

“Alcoa has been such a long-term, major presence here that it has made it difficult to see other development opportunities and to take the necessary steps to pursue them. The good news about the recent announcement is that not all of Alcoa is going away, there will be a core that remains that we can build on, but because it will be less dominating it will give us the ability and impetus to see what else this community can become,” Currier said. “There was a time when our economy was based on hotels, and then on the construction of major infrastructure projects, and then on manufacturing. We think of Massena as not ever evolving, but in fact we have had large-scale, radical wholesale changes in the economic backbone of this community. Our economic heritage is one of seizing opportunities, of building big things together, and of working together to make things of value to the rest of the world. We know how to work as a team to get things done and we aren’t afraid of challenges. This community has reinvented itself before, and come out ahead. Now, it’s time for the next great wave of development here, and I know we have the talent, skills and desire to find it and ride it into a grand future.”