CANTON – The second meeting of the Local Planning Committee for NY Forward will be held  Tuesday, June 25, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Canton Municipal Building courtroom, 60 Main St.

The meeting is open to the public and will include an opportunity for public comment at the conclusion of the meeting. 

For more information, please visit the Canton NY Forward website at www.CantonNYForward.com

NY Forward is a central component of the State's economic development efforts, working together with the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), to accelerate and expand the revitalization of New York's downtowns. NY Forward serves smaller communities with historic character that distinguishes them from the larger, more urban central business districts typically funded through DRI. NY Forward communities are walkable, less dense areas that serve the immediate local community, and are more local in nature - focusing on the immediately surrounding residential or rural agricultural centric development. Governor Kathy Hochul has committed $100 million for the second round of the NY Forward program. Each of the State’s ten Regional Economic Development Councils (REDCs) recommended two communities for NY Forward awards. In the North Country Region, Canton and Alexandria Bay were each the recipients of $4.5 million. More information about NY Forward can be found at https://www.ny.gov/programs/ny-forward.  

NY Forward is led by the Department of State, in close partnership with Empire State Development, NYS Homes and Community Renewal and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

The Local Planning Committee (LPC) includes local and regional leaders, stakeholders, and community representatives. LPC members will attend a variety of meetings at which they will be asked to brainstorm ideas, provide direction to consultants, review planning products, and prioritize actions. Village Mayor Michael Dalton and Kathryn Morris, President of St. Lawrence University and Co-Chair of the North Country Regional Economic Development Council, are the Canton LPC Co-Chairs.

A Community Survey focused on improving Downtown Canton has been released and shall remain open through June 30. The survey is available on the project website at www.CantonNYForward.com or by scanning the QR Code. Hard copies of this survey may be obtained through the Village Clerk’s Office.