The Cazenovia Chamber of Commerce and the town and village of Cazenovia have partnered with the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) to develop a set of goals for economic development in Cazenovia. The initial meeting was held May 1 at Cazenovia College, and resulted in a vision statement for the area's economic development and five goals aligned with the vision.
A follow-up meeting was held at the Cazenovia Public Library on May 27, and was attended by about 50 community members. The members reviewed the vision and goals, then met in small groups to discuss changes or additions to them. While everyone agreed the goals are admirable, all groups expressed concern that the visioning project should not meet the fate of other "bookshelf studies" conducted in the name of progress but left to history because no action was taken as a result of the studies. Town and village leaders said that their financial sponsorship and active participation in the current process would help ensure that action will be taken.
After the review session, groups re-formed around each of the five goals to discuss which resources were available and which were needed in order to accomplish the goals. The next step in the visioning process will be a discussion of how to procure those resources and develop actions that will help make the goals -- and the vision -- real to Cazenovia-area residents.
It was an interesting process and the enthusiasm of the community was evident. Business people, real-estate developers and agents, preservationists, elected officials, and interested citizens made for a diverse and passionate team.
I will locate the vision and goals and make an effort to either publish them here or find the web site(s) that house them.
Posted by jimj at May 31, 2004 12:08 PM | TrackBack