BY PAUL MITCHELLNorth Country This Week

CANTON – With the  “Call for Projects” process complete, the Local Planning Committee (LPC) for the Village of Canton’s NY Forward program will soon be reviewing and prioritizing $14 million in submitted projects.

Director of Economic Development Leigh Rodriguez told members of the village board Wednesday night that the LPC will hold a work session next week to begin trimming the $14 million in projects to $6 to $8 million. The committee’s recommendations will be included in a Strategic Investment Plan to be handed to the Department who will make the final decisions on who will be allocated $4.5 million in NY Forward funding.

The LPC hopes to submit its projects list to the state in October or November with state approvals expected in the spring of 2025. 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.

Projects submitted needed to have a minimum cost of $75,000 with developers required to provide a 25 percent match.

The deadline for projects was July 31.

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. In the North Country Region, Canton and Alexandria Bay were each the recipients of $4.5 million.

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.

Committee members include Josh Vink, Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY), Brian Coakley, North Country Savings Bank, Ariane Palmer, Palmer Real Estate, Connie Jenkins, Canton Church and Community Program, Katie Berry, St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, Dave Nelson, United Helpers, and Kirk Davis, Con Tech Building. Support team members include Deputy Mayor Anna Sorensen and Rodriguez.

More information about NY Forward can be found at https://www.ny.gov/programs/ny-forward.