by Bea Peterson
Mayor David Borge opened the second meeting of the Hoosick Rising Economic Development meeting downstairs in the HAYC3 Armory on Wednesday, June 11, by saying, “Hoosick is a great place to live, a better place to work and play.” He said, “This is the Village and the Town working collaboratively. We need economic development downtown. We have terrific public and private schools, plenty of stuff for kids to do, the Country Club, Greenway and a rich history and traditions.”
He continued, “We need to start planning for the future and how to market the community. That is why we went with Camoin Associates. They have a lot of experience working with rural communities. They will help us develop strategy for our unique community and help us market the region. To do what’s best for the community we need new blood and new perspectives.”
Though Borge was encouraged by the larger group of people that attended this meeting, he said, “We need to continue recruitment, to interest more people to help increase visitation and tourism to our community, to attract new residents, grow businesses and continue the momentum that is beginning.”
Robert Camoin of Camoin Associates began his power point presentation noting that the necessary components for this are communication, initiatives and projects. Using the acronym SWOT for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, he told the group it is essential to identify initiatives and identify and prioritize project ideas. From there it is important to put together an economic development and marketing strategy.
Other areas are going through the same thing, he said. “The important thing is to develop a capacity to move forward.” He cited examples.
• Entrepreneurship, small businesses – how do we support them.
• Business friendly – zoning laws must be clear. Don’t change the rules in the middle of the process.
• Regionally – the community can’t do it alone, it needs to help and support other areas and vice versa.
• And a quality workforce is essential.
People And Leadership Needed
He encouraged everyone to “think big.” He cited the 30 million dollar Adirondack Museum on Blue Mountain Lake as an example of what a dedicated group can do. He encouraged those attending the meeting to make a plan and keep focused, to think about funding and incentives and to engage the private sector in funding. To these ends skilled leaders are needed. “Never doubt what a small group can do,” he concluded.
Next Meeting July 22
Christa Franzi of Camoin Associates said that at the next meeting on Tuesday, July 22, at 6:30 pm the group should be prepared to consider leadership and priority projects. She challenged those at the meeting to identify helpful social media, to find Hoosick Rising advocates and to invite five new people to attend the July meeting. She encouraged folks to begin thinking about private funding.
Franzi and Camoin expect that they will meet with the Hoosick Rising group four more times, about every two to three months for a year to offer ideas and encouragement for choosing and completing community projects.