BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- Village of Massena officials are streamlining regulations and procedures in an effort to encourage economic growth downtown.

Trustee Shelyn Peets told fellow trustees during the Feb. 13 board meeting that she has been assisting a handful of businesses in recent months to relocate downtown.

One such business is Beyond the Tarot, which will have its grand reopening at its new location of 71 Main Street on March 10, she said.

"They totally renovated the space and they're having their grand reopening on March 10. It looks great in there," she said.

Peets also spoke of another business she is attempting to assist in a move to the downtown but mentioned that the owner is still struggling to find the appropriate space for the business.

Among her other projects, Peets said she is also helping Code Enforcement Officer Aaron Hardy streamline the paperwork related to establishing businesses downtown.

"I'm working with Aaron on some guidelines and the application on how to start a business in Massena. We're hoping to streamline that process as far as code and licensing goes. We're going to work with (Village Administrator) Monique (Chatland) to get that uploaded to the website too," she said.

Trustee Ken McGowan also touched on economic development efforts as well, saying that he and Peets would be a welcoming committee for new businesses.

That role previously fell to the Massena Chamber of Commerce which has since merged with the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce.

At the meeting Mayor Greg Paquin said that no local representative had been hired to represent Massena, however St. Lawrence County Chamber Director Ben Dixon said in an email Friday that Laura Pearson has in fact been appointed to represent the Chamber in Massena, starting not later than March 4.

Pearson also serves in that role for Ogdensburg, Dixson said she would be spendning about half of her time in Massena.

McGowan told trustees that he and Peets would be part of the welcoming committee.

"We'll go knock on their door and see what we can help them with," McGowan said.

Hardy said he would also send the trustees planning materials as well to help businesses moving into the downtown area with compliance and village regulations as well.

In other news, trustees say the compressor at Massena Arena that was in need of repairs has been up and running for a few weeks now without issue.

The extensive repairs, which cost over $23,000 will luckily be covered almost entirely by the insurance plan, Trustee Christine Winston said.

"The insurance company's going to cover all but $1,000. It turns out there were metal filings in the internal oil filter, so that's good. That's $23,000 that will be given back so that's good," she said.