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2005 Annual Report
ENTERPRISE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
ANCA and its partners work on issues that strengthen the entrepreneurs and businesses of the region’s economy through programs in marketing, crafts industry development, entrepreneurial support and training, workforce development, infrastructure (sewer, water, transportation and communications). Highlights of 2005 work activities are as follows:
- Outreach to the Tupper Lake Revitalization Committee with preparation of a Quality Community application as a joint application between ANCA and the Town and Village of Tupper Lake.
- Worked with the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks in project development and in securing public funding. In late summer 2005 Governor Pataki committed $5M to the project.
- Worked in Tupper Lake to address the potential reuse of the ski facility and planning for the Adirondack Club project.
- Assisted the Electrical Power Commission in Tupper Lake in addressing community electrical power needs and coordinated contacts with the New York Power Authority, Niagara Mohawk Power, congressional and New York legislative leaders, and the Governor’s office.
- ANCA’s Board of Directors provided a letter in support of the Tri-Lakes Reliability Project.
- Provided outreach to Saranac Lake’s Red Carpet Tourism Committee to discuss the Olympic Byway Planning and Tourism project and its impact on community development. Staff provided traffic information and community goals identified in the Olympic Corridor Plan.
- Staff assisted with streetscape recommendations for the Community Development Office for historic color paint restorations in the business district for the $200,000 New York State Housing grant that ANCA received in 2005 and is administering for the Village of Saranac Lake.
- ANCA maintained a partnership with ComLinks in their implementation of a $530,000 program for the Northern New York Women’s Business Center and provided technical support and workshops for businesses through ANCA’s Craft Development Program.
- Staff participated in sessions to address long-term infrastructure needs with involvement with the Adirondack Community Fiber Network Project.
- Staff participated in discussions about the potential for the Adirondack Park as an Energy Smart Park where energy conservation and planning is promoted as a vital element of community and economic development. Staff developed a contractor database to enable North Country Energy Smart Communities and NYSERDA to present training information to increase the number of contractors in the North Country eligible to conduct home/business energy audits.
- ANCA worked with the New York Power Authority to recruit businesses to a September 17 Energy Fair in Saranac Lake that was open to the public.
- Staff worked in partnership with the NYS Tug Hill Commission and Jefferson Community College in the presentation of an Energy Tour and Renewable Energy Forum that was hosted by Congressman John McHugh and Senator James Wright in Watertown. Guests were invited on a tour of the Maple Ridge Wind Energy Farm in Lewis County and the Rodman Landfill to view and discuss alternative energy options.
Crafts Business Development:
Nadia, ANCA Craft Programs Coordinator, and Lowville business owners, critiquing retailer exteriors as part of the Marketing Toolkit workshop
- Developed the curriculum for and presented Design a Website In a Day workshops servicing 23 small businesses in partnership with the Plattsburgh Small Business Development Center in a smart-room facility.
- Successfully administered USDA Rural Business Development Grant funding and developed the Marketing Toolkit—Best Practices for Gift Shop and Studio Owner workshops to 135 participating businesses at 16 workshop locations throughout the Adirondack North Country region.
- Provided staff support for the editing and copy development of the Handmade in the Northern Forest Guidebook developed in partnership with the Northern Forest Center and Businesses for the Northern Forest.
- Sponsored the 2005 Buyer Days at the City Center in Saratoga Springs on March 31 and April 1 with 72 exhibitors and 256 buyers from 156 shops. Buyer Days—the region’s only gift tradeshow, generated $232,476 in show sales and $400,000+ in follow-up wholesale sales. Organized 2006 Nature and Rustic Buyer Days for April 6 – 7, 2006.
- Sponsored a group booth at the Western NY Gift Show in Rochester in February 15 -18 for 6 vendors and at the New York Souvenir Show in Saratoga Springs in October with a total of $24,000 in sales.
- Designed and distributed 30,000 copies of ANCA’s Adirondack North Country Arts, Crafts and Foods publications to 1100 lodgings in the region. Publication included 10 self-guided driving tours to 36 companies.
- Provided craft marketing services to 600 small businesses.
- Assessed the potential overlap between Byways marketing and craft development. Staff began to develop a profile of art and regional food and product vendors/venues and galleries/businesses throughout the North Country Byway region.
- Provided contact information about craft businesses to businesses and service organizations including the Franklin County United Way, WEBC ComLinks, SBDC Plattsburgh and Watertown, and Northern Forest Center, amongst others.
- Provided content for and layout of three email newsletters with distribution to 840 regional small businesses and support organizations. Transitioned to an online/blog format in the final quarter of 2005 to keep regional small businesses and support organizations as current as possible with developing news.
- Distributed 22 announcements regarding activities of interest to businesses and support organizations sponsored by ANCA and/or by other organizations and businesses.
- Continued development and maintenance of a regional crafts portal website at www.AdkNCcrafts.com including online applications and description to ANCA’s crafts marketing programs and links to regional and national resources and to 245 regional retail and studio businesses with their own websites.
- Received and responded to 1600 emails regarding regional small business development.
Art, Crafts and Foods cover featuring photos of some of the participant businesses from across the region
Infrastructure:
- ANCA worked to encourage local involvement in DOT planning efforts. ANCA prepared a DOT contact sheet for use by plan implementers in establishing a communication network for Adirondack, Olympic and Central Adirondack Byway communities to seek assistance with their transportation and related community development projects.
- ANCA’s Board of Directors submitted a resolution to Mark Silo, Regional Director, Region 2, to request that roadway improvements be made to Route 28, the Central Adirondack Byway, to support safety and economic development.
- In November ANCA staff and Board members met with the three NYSDOT Regional Directors, along with NYSDEC Regional Directors, and Adirondack Park Agency Executive Director and requested that ANCA be the “go to organization” for Byway work. The Board request built upon ANCA’s goal to develop an ongoing dialogue with community members about planned roadway construction on the Byway corridors and to have a mechanism within DOT to have ANCA on a contact list for advance meeting notification.
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