Potsdam Will Host Online the Fourth Local Planning Committee Meeting for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative

The Village of Potsdam, along with its state partners, is announcing a change in format to the fourth meeting of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative Local Planning Committee (LPC). In light of COVID-19, the fourth LPC meeting will no longer take place at the Potsdam Community Room. It will instead be moved to an online platform. The online meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 17th from 6-8pm. The hosts will use Cicso WebEx software to broadcast the meeting. Audio and video will be available to the public in real time. Information on the service, as well as a tutorial for using the platform, is available on the front page of www.PotsdamDRI.com. Governor Cuomo’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) is transforming downtown neighborhoods into vibrant communities. In its fourth year, the program will invest $100 million into 10 additional downtown neighborhoods across the state. Participating communities are nominated by the state’s ten Regional Economic Development Councils (REDCs) based on the downtown’s potential for transformation, and each community is awarded $10 million to develop a downtown strategic investment plan and implement key catalytic projects that advance the community’s vision for revitalization. The Village of Potsdam was selected in October 2019 as the North Country DRI community. The DRI is a comprehensive approach to boosting local economies by transforming communities into vibrant neighborhoods that offer a high quality of life for all residents. Each community selected to participate in the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) will accomplish its goals through a unique state-local partnership that includes a Local Planning Committee (LPC), a consultant team, and state agency staff. With support from municipal staff and input from the public, this partnership will result in a strategic investment plan that will achieve the vision and goals for revitalization of the downtown. The Local Planning Committee (LPC) is made up of 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. Mayor Reinhold Tischler and Kristin Esterberg, President of the State University of New York at Potsdam, are the Potsdam LPC co-chairs.