Strategic Action Agenda

• Concerted action is necessary to address the quality of road conditions and road infrastructure improvements, inclusive of the potential for a Rooftop Highway to connect Watertown, New York to Plattsburgh, New York and on to Calais, Maine.
• Considerable funding has been made available for border crossings, and efforts should be undertaken to address the quality of the road network throughout the region.
• There are limited roadways throughout the region, many of which are recognized as New York State Byways and which have benefited from substantial levels of Scenic Byways funding for marketing. Byway designations should be a strong consideration in construction planning. The construction planning should include addressing shoulder width for other multi-modal transportation uses such as bicycling along these major transportation arteries.
• ANCA has administered more than $5M of federal highway funding to support communities in the planning and marketing of New York’s State Byways and to improve the tourism economy that is reliant on the region’s transportation network. North Country communities need continued assistance in the areas of marketing and business development. Byway and I Love New York funding is vital to the region and should be continued.
• The region’s technological infrastructure must be expanded and required improvements will be necessary to support information exchanges, high-speed internet access and broadband improvements. ANCA is a partner with the Adirondack/Champlain Broadband Network and supports the Network’s goal to build a community fiber network and secure $6M in funding support from the federal government. In addition, the network will require $6M in New York State funding (comparable to the amount New York State made available for the Development Authority of the North Country (DANC) network in St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis Counties) to begin construction while securing additional funding toward operationalization costs in Clinton, Essex and Franklin Counties.
• The development of product branding is an important foundation for a marketing strategy to support a wide range of products produced in the region including craft, wood, and agriculture while simultaneously marketing the Adirondack North Country as a special travel destination that is open to visitors through a unique network of travel corridors known as byways. ANCA provides product branding and marketing information to small businesses at www.adknccrafts.com, a regional website. Community outreach is necessary to build a regional brand that has important linkages to local and county initiatives.
• Quality sewer and water infrastructure is a baseline requirement to support community development that is essential to the economic viability of hamlets, villages and cities throughout the region and to maintaining environmental quality. ANCA has submitted a $120,000 application to NYS Department of State for Quality Community funding toward a joint partnership project with the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages. Water and sewer infrastructure funding is a priority. There is a need for regional planning assistance to help North Country communities address their water and sewer infrastructure needs and capital construction costs for projects.
• ANCA is committed to the energy sector and to reliable energy, conservation strategies and renewal energy sources as an important component of the region’s economic viability. ANCA has partnered with the Adirondack Smart Park initiative in the goal of building energy conservation throughout the Adirondack Park. There is the potential for Adirondack Park communities to develop and market themselves as green communities with unique ecotourism opportunities. ANCA has also partnered with Green Community Technology Services and Yellow Wood Associates in their work with the Town of Franklin in the development of a town facility energy audit and life cycle cost analysis for the town’s building infrastructure. A funding pool should be established to enable communities to work with established programs such as the Green Community Technologies. Such a funding pool would enable communities to inventory their facility and infrastructure assets and identify alternative and cost saving technologies.
• The On-Track Partnership, a coalition of chambers, NGO’s, and environmental organizations has called upon the NYS Department of Transportation to commit $20M of the 2005 Highway Transportation Bond Act funding that is available for New York State rail projects. A priority is to secure $6M toward the upgrade of the Adirondack Rail Corridor from Tupper Lake to Saranac Lake. The full $20M will enable the upgrade of the entire Adirondack Rail Corridor which is a vital transportation link throughout the region.
• There is a need for public loan programs and grants that support economic stimulation by making capital available for business growth in the region.

• Concerted action is necessary to address affordable housing. There is a need for an inventory of the region’s housing stock, community analyses of the housing market, and assessments of the development potential and infrastructure needs for increased housing in the region’s communities.
• Concerted action must be undertaken by elected officials to address property taxation in the region which has had an adverse impact on residents’ abilities to maintain their homes. There is a need to address the potential for tax credits (as proposed by Senator Little in 2005) for homebuyers in hamlets and low density areas in the Adirondack Park, property tax relief for owner-occupied, year-round residents, and a reexamination of the property tax system.
• There is a need to organize a network to support the efforts of housing and community development providers in their efforts to access NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal, USDA Rural Development, Small Cities and New York Main Street funding for the benefit of current and potential homeowners in the region. (ANCA was the NGO applicant for the Village of Saranac Lake in their successful application for $200,000 in Main Street funding for façade improvements in Saranac Lake’s Historic Downtown District).
• In that the majority of residents in the North Country are committed to its rural quality, all efforts should be developed to ensure that the rural communities have strong economies and healthy environments. All efforts to protect and conserve the region’s natural environment must have corresponding measures to enhance and develop the region’s communities as gateways to public lands, as applicable, with the goal of creating diversified and thriving community centers with a mix of retail and services.
• Efforts should be undertaken to address the region’s environmental threats including climate change, unplanned development and invasive species to ensure that future generations experience a quality of life that has clean drinking water, clean air, sustainable infrastructure and a natural environment that is not threatened.
• Attention is necessary to develop life-long learning opportunities that support primary and secondary education, workforce development and senior learning experiences. Four-year universities and community colleges are the logical resources to implement strategies to address workforce needs and regional educational needs. The region’s colleges and universities should be encouraged to continue to open their doors to seniors seeking new career training and service and technological needs of employers with businesses locating in the region such as Aerospace Corporation in Plattsburgh.

• The planning and marketing of the region’s recreational corridors, Byways and Blueways benefits communities. It provides unique interpretive material and allows the promotion of North Country destinations as a very special place to visit or create a business. The ongoing planning and marketing builds the tourism economy. Communities need to be encouraged to identify their particular linkages for business development and to have access to available capital for business growth in the areas of retail, lodging and services that cater to this unique and growing travel niche.
• Building the region’s creative economy through development and promotion of the arts and crafts through a wide range of strategies including business development, product marketing and product branding has a positive economic impact on rural communities. There is a continued need for investment in the development and promotion of the arts and crafts community with benefits to thousands of businesses that populate the North Country. ANCA’s program work with these businesses which is presented at www.adknccrafts.com highlights the broad spectrum of services and details where there is a need for continued investment that will be beneficial to the region.
• The interpretation and promotion of the region’s history and cultural heritage presents tremendous opportunities for communities. There is a need for State policy makers to recognize that funding and planning in the areas of cultural and heritage tourism supports economic and community development.
• There is a need for tourism capital to assist business owners in upgrade of lodging facilities and new site developments. Presently there is no large conference center capacity in the region. Lake Placid has been identified as the location for a conference center. The $20M in state investment will renew the competitiveness of Lake Placid for the convention and meeting market.

• The maintenance of air and water quality contributes to the natural resource based assets of the region’s open space, diverse forested and agricultural landscape, and quality communities. All steps should be undertaken at the federal and state level to address air pollution from acid rain and mercury.
• The control of invasive plants and animals is vital to the environmental health of the region. ANCA has partnered with the Adirondack Nature Conservancy on an exciting project to control invasives with funding provided by the NYS Department of Transportation’s Scenic Byways Program. ANCA believes funding to enact recommendations in the Adirondack Park Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan should be made available within NYSDOT and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for invasive species control throughout the Adirondack North Country.
• Conservation easements ensure that the rural and natural landscape of the region is conserved, and that working landscapes contribute to the region’s economy. All efforts must be undertaken to ensure that conservation easements are employed in situations where New York State undertakes land acquisition.
• There is a significant role for agricultural producers and farmers in their contributions to the Adirondack North Country economy. Additional funding resources must be made available to address product variety, product distribution channels, and strategies to revitalize the lost agriculture infrastructure in slaughterhouse capacity, distribution and markets.
• The agriculture development in the region has tremendous potential to capitalize on the locally grown and organic branding initiatives. There is a need for planning and investment to rebuild the agricultural strength of the region and to reverse the trend of farm losses to larger dairy operations.
• Initiatives such as Adirondack Harvest also have an important relationship to tourism development through provision of local crops to area restaurants. There is a corresponding need to increase consumer awareness about the health, economic and environmental benefits of buying local
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• The future of the region is dependent on the employment of individuals and organizations to work in partnership to foster interest in improving and securing the economic and environmental well-being of the region. There needs to be a commitment to continuing the information networking that is a vital service to businesses and communities throughout the region. ANCA maintains a wide-range of business, organizational and municipal databases and has a history of sharing information to assist organizations and businesses in email, network, meeting setup, and buyer/seller contacts.
• There is a need for community and economic development planning services throughout the Adirondack North Country Region including both within and outside the Adirondack Park. ANCA believes coordination with the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages is necessary to ensure that communities throughout the Adirondack Park receive the benefits of economic development planning services. Funding is required on an ongoing basis to support local communities in their strategic planning and implementation work.
• There is a need to continue and expand regional websites that are of benefit to local communities and businesses. ANCA supports a variety of websites to promote business activity in the Adirondack North Country region: ANCA’s website at www.adirondack.org features public announcements, program highlights, business features and links to a wide range of business and organizational contacts. ANCA is expanding its web presence to feature linkages with other organizations and communities. In partnership with Holmes and Associates, ANCA supports www.adirondackcraft.com - a retail marketing service for giftware companies. In partnership with Holmes and Associates, ANCA supports www.Adirondackwood.com - a website for wood manufacturers. ANCA’s website at www.adknccrafts.com supports craft businesses throughout the Adirondack North Country. In partnership with Holmes and Associates, ANCA supports www.bikeadirondacks.org which will feature an on-line atlas of bicycle trails and information about regional bicycling information.

• ANCA’s partnership with projects such as Handmade in the Northern Forest and the Northern Forest Canoe Trail have benefited from strong regional collaboration and planning. There is a need for additional ongoing educational outreach to help communities learn how to benefit from regional projects.
• ANCA’s 2004/05 involvement in the Ten-Year Review of the Northern Forest Lands Council study enabled ANCA to provide a community perspective to the North East Foresters Association (NEFA) in their assessment of the Council’s work. There is a need for New York State to continue the commitment acknowledged by Governor George Pataki, Governor Jim Douglas, Governor John Lynch and Governor John Baldacci to implement the four NEFA recommendations, including "to invest public and private resources to develop and implement community and economic development strategies across the region to reinvigorate the rural economies of the Northern Forest."
• The future economic viability of the Adirondack North Country region can benefit from and build on the national recognition generated by the Northern Forest Lands Council study more than a decade ago that resulted in tremendous benefits in land conservation and stewardship. There is a continued need for implementation of the NEFA recommendations for a coordinating entity with regional capacity; a regional economic assessment and strategy; and a sustained commitment of federal funding to support economic and community development across the Northern Forest.
• There is an ongoing dialogue underway about the future of the Northern Forest region which includes the Northern Forest region of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Continued advocacy will be necessary at the State level to maintain a dialogue about the future of the Northern Forest while simultaneously exploring the potential for increased federal funding across the Northern Forest that will support community-based initiatives in New York. In addition, the potential for congressional legislation as proposed by Congressmen McHugh, Boehlert, and Sweeny for a Northeast Development Commission must be explored. A corresponding Senate proposal by Senator Olympic Snowe has also been presented.
• There is a need to ensure that communities in New York’s Great Lakes Basin get their fair share of Great Lakes restoration resources.