2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
I.
Update Introduction
Institutional Overview
This 2013 update of St. Lawrence County’s 2009 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS)
has been prepared by the staff of the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency. The 2009 CEDS
was prepared by the staff of the St. Lawrence County Office of Economic Development.
Since preparing its CEDS in 2008-9 St. Lawrence County has changed the organizational infrastructure it
uses to deliver economic development services compared with what was in place in 2009. The most
significant changes that have occurred since then include:
1. In June, 2010 the New York Power Authority, St. Lawrence County, six local municipalities, and the
St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency’s Local Development Corporation contracted
to create the St. Lawrence River Valley Redevelopment Agency (RVRDA). The contracts gave the
RVRDA access to $16 million and 20 megawatts of hydropower to use to spur economic
development in the County.
2. The County abolished its Office of Economic Development (OED) in the fall of 2010. This was the
organization that had staffed the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) since 1976 – and which had
also done the staff work to prepare the 2009 CEDS.
3. At the same time the County assigned responsibility for staffing and delivering economic
development efforts for the County to the IDA. These responsibilities specifically included updating
and revising the CEDS as needed.
4. Also, as part of the 2010 reorganization, the County transferred staffing for the St. Lawrence County
Workforce Investment Board (WIB) – the organization whose membership had provided the core of
the 2008-9 CEDS Committee -- to the St. Lawrence County Department of Social Services (DSS).
5. In July, 2012, the IDA – thru its Local Development Corporation (IDA-LDC) – contracted with the WIB
to provide management services through an IDA-LDC employee to the WIB. In other words, an IDALDC employee is now the Executive Director of the WIB.
The significance of these changes for the CEDS is that, even though the agency that prepared the update
is technically not the same as it was in 2009, the 2013 update to the 2009 document has been prepared by
the same staff that prepared the 2008-09 Strategy. This is because the IDA hired the staff of the old OED
and it is continuing to work with a CEDS Committee from the same WIB as before.
Therefore, hereafter in this Update, the term “IDA” will mean the staff of the IDA and the IDA-LDC, together
with the CEDS Committee – all of them working for and preparing this update on behalf of the St. Lawrence
County Board of Legislators.
Organization of the Update – How to Read It
St. Lawrence County’s 2009 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) had four main
sections – Analysis, Vision, Action Plan, and Evaluation. This update modifies only the Analysis and Action
Plan sections of the 2009 plan. In brief, the Update amends the Analysis section of the 2009 Strategy by
drawing data from the 2010 decennial census and other new sources. (This is Section II of the Update
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
document.). The Update also explains what progress (if any) the County has made in implementing both the
short and long term action items described in the Action Plan section of the 2009 Strategy. (This is Section
III of this document).
The County plans fully to revise its CEDS in 2014. For that reason it has not made any changes in the Vision
or Evaluation sections of the 2009 Strategy.
Reading Section II of this document should not require any special instructions. The County has simply
updated data – as noted above, mostly those related to the 2010 census – that have changed significantly
since 2008-9.
When reading Section III of this document it is important to keep in mind that the section has two interlocked
components. The first is the Action Plan matrix that formed the bulk of the 2009 CEDS’s. The only thing
new in this matrix is in the column titled “Status”. The County has entered in each box of the column a short
descriptor of what the County has done since 2008-9 related to each action, together with numerical
references linked to footnotes in the second component of Section III.
The second component of Section III is titled “CEDS Progress Notes”. This is essentially a series of footnotes
to the short descriptors in the Status column of the matrix. In these notes the County has expanded on most
of the short descriptors to give readers a more detailed explanation of what progress has been made in
following the Strategy.
II.
ANALYSIS
St. Lawrence County is located on the periphery of both the New York State and United States’ economies.
While it is impossible to change the geography of St. Lawrence County, it is not impossible to reverse the
consequences imposed on the County by its isolation. A number of factors, such as improved highway and
communications infrastructure, could occur in the future to provide the County and its residents with an
opportunity to diversify and improve the health of its economy.
The County’s distance from markets and population centers is compounded by the inadequate surface
transportation system currently serving the County. While the County comprises approximately 5% of the
land mass of the State, it is one of the few areas in New York not served by a four-lane interstate highway.
As the largest county in New York State (comprising 2,822 square miles), St. Lawrence County is larger in
land area than Rhode Island and Delaware, yet our largest municipality has fewer than 11,000 people.
Furthermore, the five population centers of the County (the City of Ogdensburg and the Villages of Canton,
Gouverneur, Massena and Potsdam) combined totaled only 37.5% 1 of the County’s population in 2012.
Resource List:
1
U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, State and County QuickFacts
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/3646019.html
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
Ogdensburg and Potsdam currently have New York State designated Empire Zones for economic
development, and have seen successful results from the program; however, the overwhelming majority of
the County, which includes many of the poorest communities in the State, does not have access to this
program. The geographic dispersion of the County’s rural communities makes it difficult to view the County
as having common labor, retail and tourism markets. This presents challenges in marketing and developing
the communities for both outside investment and internal economic expansion.
Perhaps as a result of its large size and the previously mentioned geographic dispersion, the economy of the
County is driven by a diverse set of industry types, sizes and locations. Two aluminum reduction facilities
(Alcoa East and Alcoa West) are located in Massena, taking advantage of the low-cost electricity sold from
the Robert-Moses Power Dam by the New York Power Authority. Three paper mills (Clearwater Paper, APC
Paper & Potsdam Specialty Paper) remain from a vibrant paper manufacturing industry which located in the
County in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries to take advantage of the wood fiber resources of the
Adirondacks. The two remaining zinc and talc mines located in Fowler (one of which is currently idle, the
other has recently been downsized) are the last vestiges of larger mining operations in the County which
once included lead and iron ore.
A review of the County’s economic condition clearly demonstrates overwhelming circumstances of economic
need. According to US Census and New York State Labor Data figures, St. Lawrence County had:


2
The State’s 3rd highest unemployment rate in 2011 & 2007 (an improvement in 2011 from the 2nd
highest in 2010); Thus far, in 2013, the semi-annual unemployment rate for St. Lawrence County
indicates a 2% higher unemployment rate than the state’s average, with St. Lawrence County
being the 2nd highest unemployment rate in June 2013; This rate of unemployment remains
consistent when comparing 2012 figures, where St. Lawrence County’s annual unemployment rate
was 2% higher than New York State’s annual average. 2
The State’s 2nd lowest per capita income in 2011; 3
NYS Department of Labor, Labor Statistics, Employment in New York State:
www.labor.ny.gov/stats/enys_index.shtm
NYS Department of Labor, Division of Research and Statistics
http://www.labor.ny.gov/stats/ur_rank.xls
NYS Department of Labor, Local Area Unemployment Statistics Program
http://www.labor.ny.gov/stats/laus.asp
Stats America – USA Counties in Profile
http://www.statsamerica.org/profiles/us_profile_frame.html
3
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Per Capita Personal Income (dollars/county):
http://www.bea.gov/iTable/drilldown.cfm?reqid=70&stepnum=40&MajorAreaKey=4&GeoStateKey=36000&Ge
oFipsReis=XX&TableIdReal=20&LineKey=3&YearReis=2011&YearReisBegin=-1&YearReisEnd=1&UnitOfMeasureKeyReis=Levels&RankKeyReis=0&Drill=1
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Per Capita Personal Income (percent of state):
http://www.bea.gov/iTable/print.cfm?fid=883A05EC9333E064B48B9F28D8C38318CA2A395C232EB0F1DAE
2ABA609980A9435D6F225B04FDE89BD42E238CAFCA5DDE8E033FF7B81C5C6E8D83ECD08F817B7
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update


Median Household Income in St. Lawrence County in 2011 reflects a decrease by 2 percentage
points when comparing 2000 to 2011 statistics, and the State’s 4th lowest median household
income;4
Lost approximately 2% of its population from 1980 to 2010. 5
During the past three decades manufacturing employment has declined as has the number of farms. In 2012
manufacturing employment accounted for approximately 7.7% of the County’s non-agricultural employment,
reflecting a -52.9% change of employment levels between years 2000 - 2010. 6
In 2012, the farming industry in St. Lawrence County accounted for only 3.7% of the County’s industry sector.
From 1996 – 2010 the number of farms has dropped by over 200 during the same time period coinciding with
an 18% decline in acreage farmed in the County. 7 In 2012 retail trade was the largest of 20 major sectors,
accounting for 14.2% of jobs in St. Lawrence County, with an average wage per job of $23,669. The service
sector accounts for approximately 80% of the County’s employment. 8
As can be imagined, the economic barriers facing the County have led to high unemployment and poverty
rates. Historically, the County’s unemployment has been, on average, 1 – 2 percentage points higher than
the annual State unemployment rate. As of June 2013, the unemployment rate in St. Lawrence County
continues to average 2% percentage points higher than the annual State unemployment rate. The
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Regional Economic Information System 1969-2010 includes revised date
from April 2012. Prepared by Empire State Development, NYS Data Center, June 2012.
http://esd.ny.gov/NYSDataCenter/Data/EconomicData/PersonalIncome/NYSCountyPCI2000-10.pdf
4
Stats America – USA Counties in Profile
http://www.statsamerica.org/profiles/us_profile_frame.html
Data taken from the 2010 U.S. Census Data and the 2006-2010 American Community Survey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_locations_by_per_capita_income
5
Stats America – USA Counties in Profile
http://www.statsamerica.org/profiles/us_profile_frame.html
6
Stats America – USA Counties in Profile
http://www.statsamerica.org/profiles/us_profile_frame.html
New York State Department of Labor, North Country Regional Report, St. Lawrence County Employment Levels
by Supersector, 2000 to 2010. Page 9
http://www.labor.ny.gov/stats/PDFs/NYS-Decade-in-Review-Appendix-C-North-Country.pdf
7
Stats America – USA Counties in Profile
http://www.statsamerica.org/profiles/us_profile_frame.html
Cornell University Cooperative Extension. Page 30 of 38.
http://pad.human.cornell.edu/profiles/StLawrence.pdf
8
Stats America – USA Counties in Profile
http://www.statsamerica.org/profiles/us_profile_frame.html
Cornell University Cooperative Extension. Page 23 of 38
http://pad.human.cornell.edu/profiles/StLawrence.pdf
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
consistently high unemployment rate reflects a 5-year percentage change in the total labor force by -2.9%. 9
Additionally, approximately 18.8% of the County’s citizens live below the poverty line (up from 14.9% in 2000),
with 25% of our children under age 18 living in poverty (up from 20.4% in 2000). (In 2011, St. Lawrence
County had the 8th highest poverty rate among the State’s 62 counties.) 10
The communities within St. Lawrence County struggle to maintain local control of their economic destiny.
Several of the communities have staffed economic development offices. For the past twelve years, the St.
Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency (SLCIDA) has led an effort to use resources of the
individual economic development organizations by developing a comprehensive economic marketing plan
for the County. This group of local developers includes a number of representatives from county, regional,
State and non-profit entities that provide services in the County. The effort has resulted in a closer working
relationship among the development entities in the County, including: a county-wide focus and input for the
marketing plan; the development of new marketing materials for the County and for each of the participating
communities; and collaborative participation in trade shows, seminars, receptions, and other promotional
activities.
In addition to working with the communities within the County, the SLCIDA is also a member of the North
Country Alliance, a regional consortium of Economic Development, Community Development and non-profit
organizations in the six northern counties of New York State (Jefferson, Lewis, Franklin, Essex, Clinton and
St. Lawrence). Through the operation of a number of programs, including regional marketing and revolving
loan funds, this organization works to improve the overall economic conditions for business in the State’s
North Country. Active participation in this organization gives the SLCIDA a view of the challenges and
opportunities facing not only its own municipalities (many of which are also members), but also a ‘bigger
picture’ view of the regional North Country economy. The SLCIDA is also a member of the New York State
Economic Development Council, providing a similar perspective on a number of state and national economic
development issues.
The five colleges and universities in St. Lawrence County constitute an important competitive attribute that
may be effectively leveraged to advance economic development objectives. In addition to being economic
engines themselves through their employee and student base, these institutions possess a diverse mix of
assets that support the efforts of the County’s developers. The St. Lawrence County Industrial Development
Agency is developing a strategy and subsequent promotion program that seeks to identify, analyze and utilize
the presence of local colleges and universities in attracting new firms to the County.
9
Stats America – USA Counties in Profile
http://www.statsamerica.org/profiles/us_profile_frame.html
NYS Department of Labor, Local Area Unemployment Statistics Program
http://www.labor.ny.gov/stats/laus.asp
Employment in New York State:
www.labor.ny.gov/stats/enys_index.shtm
10
Stats America – USA Counties in Profile
http://www.statsamerica.org/profiles/us_profile_frame.html
USDA Economic Research Service – County-level Data Sets: Poverty.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/county-level-data-sets/poverty.aspx#.Udr9_zs3veY
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
III.
ACTION PLAN
As a result of the CEDS process, the Committee has identified the following projects for serious consideration.
The projects are divided into two categories, short-term and long-term. The short-term group includes
projects whose details are relatively complete at this point and which have an expectation of completion
within one year, provided funding is available. These projects will create or retain full-time, permanent jobs.
Long-term projects and plans are similar in nature to the short-term group with the exception of the timeframe
extending beyond one year.
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
RESPONSIBILITY MATRICES – III.a
P = Primary Responsibility (In Bold)
S = Active Support Responsibility
Matrix 1: Short Term Action Items
Action Items
RED = Items with no footnotes
Blue = Items with footnotes
Responsible Organizations
SLCIDA
SLCWIB Suggested Other Responsible
Organizations
Fully utilize the colleges and universities as drivers of economic development
Continue efforts to partner with Clarkson – highlighting
CAMP and the recent interest in University-affiliated
P
Clarkson, CAMP
businesses and entrepreneurs.
Continue conversion of former Peyton Hall site on
S
Clarkson
‘downtown’ Clarkson campus into a business incubator.
Work with St. Lawrence University to formalize promotion
P
St. Lawrence University
and fulfillment efforts with the Coming Home Initiative.
Assist the County’s other three colleges to develop and
SUNY Canton, SUNY Potsdam,
implement institution-specific projects such as those
S
S
Wanakena Ranger School
already initiated with Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
Establish a continuing means of collaboration with the
enrollment offices of the County’s five colleges to identify
SLC OED
S
S
ways in which the County can assist them in increasing
All five colleges and universities
enrollments.
Establish a continuing means of collaboration with the
placement offices of the County’s five colleges to identify
ways in which the County can assist them in increasing
S
P
All five colleges and universities
local placements of their students and/or how the colleges
could provide additional specific training for employees of
County organizations.
Status
Ongoing (1)
Completed (2)
Ongoing (3)
Ongoing (4)
Not done yet
Not done yet
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
Action Items
Responsible Organizations
SLCIDA
Suggested Other Responsible
Organizations
Develop a non-traditional outreach to the “Come Back
Coming Home/Homestead
S
S
Here” market of former residents and/or students.
Committee
Develop and enhance the County’s infrastructure
Extend the fiber facilities to, and establish a carrier cross
connection facility within, the County’s industrial and
Canton, OBPA, BDC, Potsdam
commerce parks (Canton Commerce Park, Gouverneur
S
Planning and Development,
Industrial Park, Massena Industrial Park, Ogdensburg
DANC, Utility Providers
OBPA Commerce Park, Potsdam Commerce Park).
Rebuild the road in the Massena Industrial Park.
S
Village of Massena, BDC
Expand the Massena Industrial Park to include site of the
Village of Massena,
current DPW building which would allow a railroad spur in
S
BDC
the park.
Complete lot design, layout and demarcation in the
P
Gouverneur Industrial Park.
Complete lot design, layout and demarcation in the Canton
Commerce Park that is being created adjacent to the new
P
St. Lawrence County
county jail.
Construct a 24,000 sf industrial shell building in the OBPA
S
OBPA
(Ogdensburg) Commerce Park.
Ensure adequate rail services to all areas of the County,
SLC BOL Strategic Planning
including upgrade and return to service of the short line
S
and Economic Development
serving Newton Falls.
Committee, SLC OED
Encourage the cost efficiency of rail services, advocate for
SLC BOL Strategic Planning
S
shared services agreement between CSX and local short
and Economic Development
line railroad operators.
Committee, OBPA
Encourage the establishment of affordable, convenient and
St. Lawrence Valley Air Task
sustainable air service that will serve the St. Lawrence
S
Force, OBPA, Town of
Valley region, consisting of St. Lawrence County, Franklin
Massena
County, Akwesasne, and southeast Ontario.
Status
SLCWIB
Ongoing (5)
Done (6)
Partly completed.
In process (7)
In process (8)
Completed – and
continuing (9)
Completed (10)
In process (11)
Not yet done
Done (12)
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
Action Items
Responsible Organizations
SLCIDA
SLCWIB Suggested Other Responsible
Organizations
Refine efforts to outreach and assist current employer base
Create the position of a Business Services Coordinator
within the St. Lawrence County Office of Economic
S
SLC BOL
Development.
Develop formalized calling program for outreaching the
S
S
SLC OED
County’s employer base utilizing this new position.
Continue to market and promote outside investment in the County
Continue development of our Canadian promotional
efforts by reinforcement activities within the MontrealEmpire State Development,
Ottawa-Kingston market region and through extended
P
Local Economic Development
marketing outreach to the Greater Toronto area.
Organizations
Promote available (or potentially available) SLCIDA
properties, including the Potsdam Commerce Park
Building, the Massena building, and the Gouverneur
Industrial park as well as other available non-SLCIDA
sites and facilities within the County.
As addressed earlier in this plan, highlight and actively
market the research and development, collaborative and
intellectual resources available through our five colleges
and universities.
Continue efforts to capitalize on the power cost &
reliability advantages in the Massena Electric
Department territory.
Analyze and focus resources on our identified target
industry sectors within the domestic US market.
Status
Position created and
filled - March 2008
Initiated June 2008
Major grant secured
from National Grid in
2012 that has
financed a major and
continuing Canadian
marketing effort (13)
P
Potsdam, BDC, Gouverneur
Ongoing (14)
P
All five colleges and universities
Ongoing (15)
P
MED, BDC
Completed – and
continuing (16)
P
Empire State Development,
Local Economic Development
Organizations
Planned (17)
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
Action Items
Responsible Organizations
SLCIDA
SLCWIB Suggested Other Responsible
Organizations
Capitalize on Renewable Energy Development Potential of the County
Create an inventory of the renewable energy resources
Colleges, Local Developers,
available in St. Lawrence County.
P
NYSERDA, County Planning
Office
Create offering package and direct mail advertising
P
materials for marketing renewable resources.
Create an alternate fuels development area. Provide
technical and other assistance to investors wanting to
develop alternate energy businesses and encourage the
P
development of small, local energy sources that can
reduce the cost of operating in the North Country.
Develop proficiency to assist local communities with their development efforts
Support upgrading the water infrastructure in
Village of Gouverneur,
Gouverneur.
S
SLC OED, SLC Planning
Department
Improve the water and sewer infrastructure in Heuvelton.
S
Village of Heuvelton
Develop an outreach plan for informing communities
about existing economic development efforts, programs
S
S
SLC OED
and services.
Continue J&L site remediation plan in Star Lake
SLC Planning Department,
S
Clifton-Fine EDC
Continue revitalization plan for former DPW site in
S
Village of Massena, BDC
Massena.
Upgrade the integrity of Canton’s water delivery system
Village of Canton, SLC OED,
so as to minimize losses due to leaks and other
S
SLC Planning Department
malfunctions.
Sewer treatment upgrading in Morristown
Village of Morristown, SLC
S
OED, SLC Planning Department
Diversify the economy of St. Lawrence County
Status
Not done yet
Done and continuing
(16)
Done and continuing
(18)
Started (19)
Ongoing (20)
Ongoing (21)
Started (22)
Not yet done
In process (20)
Not yet done
Q
H
A
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
Action Items
SLCIDA
Responsible Organizations
SLCWIB Suggested Other Responsible
Organizations
SLC Coming
Home/Homestead Committee,
SLC Chamber of Commerce
Cross-market economic development with tourism
development (i.e. Coming Home Initiative advertising in
S
County Travel Guides).
Prioritize providing assistance to businesses whose
products and/or services are (or will be) locally produced
P
SLC OED
and/or developed for which County residents are
currently traveling out of County to procure.
Address the issues related to the cost of doing business in the North Country
Build on, and improve, current Doing Business in New
York State Guide to fully understand and explain the cost
Empire State Development,
P
P
structure companies face when operating in St.
NYS Department of Labor
Lawrence County.
Advocate for continued utilization of the State’s Empire
Ogdensburg and Potsdam
Zone program and for the widespread application of its
P
Empire Zones
benefits in the County.
Advocate for the development of a 4-lane limited access
connection to I 81 to the South and to I 87 to the East.
SLC Highway Corridor
S
S
Working Group
Matrix 2: Long Term Action Items
Status
Continuing (23)
In process (24)
County developers
use this and the IDA
revises it constantly.
Zones abolished.
Continuing (25)
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
Action Items
Responsible Organizations
SLCIDA SLCWIB Suggested Other Responsible
Organizations
Goal: Fully utilize the colleges and universities as drivers of economic development
Categorize the assets and attributes of each of the
colleges and determine plans for utilizing the reach,
P
All five colleges and universities
resources and connections of these institutions within
the County’s economic development efforts.
Revise the plan to redevelop the remainder of the former
S
Clarkson University
downtown Clarkson Campus.
Education Zone development:
 Assist with marketing the colleges.
 Aid the colleges in developing new programs that
will attract additional students.
S
S
All five colleges and universities
 Create new housing and other support facilities
through tax and other incentives.
 Encourage greater cooperation and development to
keep the students in the North Country longer.
Develop and enhance the County’s infrastructure
Construct a second building in the Potsdam Commerce
P
Village of Potsdam
Park.
Develop an industrial park in the Town of Massena on 70
S
BDC, Town of Massena
acres being donated by Alcoa.
Research development potential for a 750 acre ‘super
National Grid, MED, Empire
P
industrial park’ within the County.
State Development
Improve infrastructure in order to receive more diverse
cargo base and increase bulk handling capacity at the
S
OBPA
Port of Ogdensburg.
Advocate for the development of a 4-lane limited access
SLC Highway Corridor
S
S
connection to I 81 to the South and to I 87 to the East.
Working Group
Develop the “Maple Hill” subdivision in Canton.
S
Village and Town of Canton
Develop the Canton Commerce Park.
P
Village and Town of Canton
Status
Done and
continuing (26)
Done and
continuing (26)
Done and
continuing (26)
Done
In planning (27)
Modified and done
as described in (28)
Done and
continuing (29)
Continuing (25)
Done
Ongoing (8)
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
Action Items
Construction of the “Fort LaPresentation” replica in
Ogdensburg.
Revitalize the retail centers in the county including the
St. Lawrence Centre Mall in Massena and various
downtown retail districts.
Responsible Organizations
SLCIDA SLCWIB Suggested Other Responsible
Organizations
Fort LaPresentation
S
Association,
City of Ogdensburg
Local Economic Development
Organizations, SLC Chamber of
S
Commerce, Local Chambers of
Commerce
Refine efforts to outreach and assist current employer base
Use formalized calling program for reaching all facets of
the County employer base. Compile, analyze, and
S
S
SLC OED
understand detailed company information that leads to
improved services, planning and development efforts.
Engage local employers, educators, and workforce
training specialists (1) in profiling the levels and skill
characteristics of the County’s underemployed and early
retiree workforce populations and (2) in developing an
S
P
SLC OED, NYS DOL
action plan that will guide WIB, the IDA, and State and
other County developers in their efforts to fill the skilled
worker needs of County employers.
Continue to market and promote outside investment in the County
Further refine, improve and develop a marketing strategy
that maximizes our investment by selecting and targeting
the appropriate sectors with the best promotional
messaging about St. Lawrence County.
P
Capitalize on Renewable Energy Potential of the County
Status
Not done yet
Active and
continuing (30)
Initiated in June
2008 (31)
Ongoing (32)
Ongoing (33)
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
Action Items
Responsible Organizations
SLCIDA SLCWIB Suggested Other Responsible
Organizations
Develop long-term plan for researching and responding
Empire State Development,
to developments within renewable energy sector
P
NYSERDA, Local Economic
Development Organizations
Develop proficiency to assist local communities with their development efforts
Create new platforms for delivering services to the
SLC OED, Local Economic
communities, including partnerships with the full
Development Organizations,
S
S
spectrum of organizations providing assistance with
SLC Housing Council, DANC,
development, infrastructure, housing, etc.
Empire State Development
Develop long-term reuse plan for J&L site, former
SLC OED, SLC Planning
Massena DPW site and other brownfield locations in the
Department, Clifton-Fine EDC,
S
County.
Empire State Development,
APA
Create a continuing annual forum that will identify and
analyze the issues and challenges facing the local
communities.
Integrate the CEDS with the long-term development
P
Local Communities
strategies of the County’s communities.
Diversify the economy of St. Lawrence County
Integrate tourism development strategies with the CEDS.
SLC Chamber of Commerce,
S
P
Local Chambers of Commerce,
Empire State Development
Develop new tourism opportunities and support
structures, including such initiatives as passenger rail
SLC Chamber of Commerce,
service, rail tourism, river recreation zones, bicycleS
S
Local Chambers of Commerce,
friendly activities, incentives to businesses service
Empire State Development
tourism visitors, etc.
Determine way to utilize proposed 20 mw allocation from
New York Power Authority
the NY Power Authority.
Create a unified strategy for addressing and lowering the
SLC BOL Strategic Planning
costs of doing business in the North Country.
S
and Economic Development
Committee, SLC OED
Status
Ongoing (34)
Still in startup
Ongoing (35)
Still in startup
Still in startup
Still in startup
Still in startup
Done and
continuing (16)
Still in startup
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
Action Items
Continue to seek development of a rooftop highway.
Seek to dramatically reduce the cost of government by
addressing in a systematic way the multiple layers of
government.
P = Primary Responsibility (In Bold)
S = Active Support Responsibility
Responsible Organizations
SLCIDA SLCWIB Suggested Other Responsible
Organizations
SLC Highway Corridor
S
S
Working Group
SLC BOL Strategic Planning
and Economic Development
Committee, Government Review
S
S
Committee, Governor’s
Commission on Local
Government Efficiency and
Effectiveness
RED = Items with no footnotes
Blue = Items with footnotes
Status
Continuing (25)
Still in startup
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
RESOURCES
CEDS PROGRESS NOTES – III.b
2013 Update – Status of Action Items
Note: the following action item summaries are keyed to the numbers in the status column of the original 2009 CEDS.
1. Continue efforts to partner with Clarkson – highlighting CAMP and the recent interest in Universityaffiliated businesses and entrepreneurs. (Priority) Return to Matrix
a. In 2012 the IDA’s Civic Development Corporation (CDC) issued $3 million in civic facilities
bonds for Clarkson that the University used to refinance an earlier bond issue, part of whose
proceeds were used to improve facilities devoted to research and teaching.
b. The Seaway Private Equity Corporation (SPEC) made equity investments totaling about
$3.6 million in three companies whose products have been derived in part from Center for
Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP) research.
c. SPEC has made additional equity investments totaling about $3.35 million in six companies
whose presence in the St. Lawrence County is partly attributable to the information
technology resources at Clarkson University, both among faculty and students, who between
them provide research capacity and skilled personnel to the enterprises.
d. In 2012-13, funded partly by a grant from National Grid, a consortium consisting of the IDA,
the River Valley Redevelopment Agency, Clarkson, and the Council for International Trade,
Technology, Education, and Communication (CITEC) mounted a $170,000 effort to market
St. Lawrence County to Canadian businesses. A key feature of the marketing effort – which
is continuing, even though the National Grid funding termed out in July, 2013 -- is to attract
Canadian businesses that can benefit from Clarkson’s research strengths. Clarkson also
partly funded the marketing effort. Two Canadian companies attracted in part by the
scientific and engineering capacity at Clarkson are engaged with SPEC in an effort to finance
expansions into the County.
2. Continue conversion of former Peyton Hall site on ‘downtown’ Clarkson campus into a business
incubator. Return to Matrix
a. In 2012 Clarkson completed an almost $2.5 million rehabilitation of Peyton Hall, a disused
classroom building in its downtown campus in Potsdam, New York.
b. In 2011 Clarkson focused hired new personnel to staff its Shipley Center for Innovation and
has assigned that staff to manage the Peyton Hall Incubator. Presently more than 20
companies are in residence in Peyton Hall, all but 3-4 having been created by Clarkson
faculty and staff or others associated with Clarkson.
c. As the IDA continues its effort to market the County to Canadian businesses, the availability
of space in the Peyton Hall Incubator is a major feature of its sales “pitch”.
3. Work with St. Lawrence University to formalize promotion and fulfillment efforts with the Coming
Home Initiative. (Priority) Return to Matrix
a. The IDA has cooperated with St. Lawrence University in promoting its Coming Home
Initiative by putting advertisements promoting the Initiative in the St. Lawrence County
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
Chamber’s travel guides, in the Chamber’s 2011 and 2012 vacation guides, and in North
County This Week’s Annual Manual.
b. Bond issues
4. Assist the County’s other three colleges to develop and implement institution-specific projects such
as those already initiated with Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
a. The IDA is currently meeting with the administrations of the three SUNY schools resident in
the County – SUNY Potsdam, SUNY Canton, and the Wanakena Ranger School (a branch
of the School of Environmental Science and Forestry) – to determine whether and how they
and the County can cooperate to capitalize on the Governor’s new StartUp New York
program to spur economic development in the County.
b. The IDA is also meeting with the administrations of the two non-SUNY schools resident in
the County – Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University – to determine whether and
how they and the County can cooperate to capitalize on the Governor’s new StartUp New
York program to spur economic development in the County.
c. In 2011 and 2012 the IDA’s CDC issued over $32 million in bonds that Clarkson University
used to make major upgrades to student housing and meeting facilities on its campus.
d. In 2012 the IDA’s CDC issued almost $47 million in bond to help St. Lawrence University
refinance debt that it had incurred to upgrade multiple campus facilities, as well as build two
new major campus buildings. Return to Matrix
5. Develop a non-traditional outreach to the “Come Back Here” market of former residents and/or
students.
a. As noted in 3.a above the IDA has cooperated with St. Lawrence University in promoting its
Coming Home Initiative, which perfectly synchronizes with the County’s “Come Back Here”
effort.
b. In addition the IDA has identified a cadre of business owners who have come back here and
hosted a meeting with many of them to identify the reasons they returned, the difficulties
they faced, and how the IDA could recruit more people like them to return to the County and
bring their business ideas and businesses with them. Return to Matrix
6. Extend the fiber facilities to, and establish a carrier cross connection facility within, the County’s
industrial and commerce parks (Canton Commerce Park, Gouverneur Industrial Park, Massena
Industrial Park, Ogdensburg OBPA Commerce Park, Potsdam Commerce Park).
a. Fiber services are in place in the Canton, Massena, Ogdensburg, and Potsdam parks.
b. In Gouverneur fiber is available a quarter of a mile from the park’s boundaries.
Return to Matrix
7. Expand the Massena Industrial Park to include site of the current DPW building which would allow a
railroad spur in the park.
a. The Business Development Corporation for a Greater Massena (BDC) – who owns the
Massena Industrial Park – has decided not at this time to absorb the old DPW building site
into the adjacent industrial park.
b. However, with some financial assistance from the RVRDA, the BDC is currently doing the
design work for extending a rail spur to the industrial park. Return to Matrix
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
8. Complete lot design, layout and demarcation in the Gouverneur Industrial Park. (Priority)
a. The IDA – who owns the Gouverneur Industrial Park – has leveled the site (the park land
south of Factory Street) and put in a construction access road.
b. In addition, the IDA has prepared a draft sub-division plan for the site. Return to Matrix
9. Complete lot design, layout and demarcation in the Canton Commerce Park that is being created
adjacent to the new county jail. (Priority) Return to Matrix
a. In 2011, St. Lawrence County donated about 25 acres of land to the IDA that the IDA has
begun to develop as the Canton Industrial Park.
b. In 2012-13 the IDA constructed the first building in the Park, and ran road, water, sewer,
gas, and electric services to the Park and the first building.
c. In 2012 the IDA applied for and received a $470,000 grant from New York’s Regional
Economic Development Council program that it will use, together with other funds, to expand
the water, sewer, and other utilities in the Canton Industrial Park. Return to Matrix
10. Construct a 24,000 sf industrial shell building in the OBPA (Ogdensburg) Commerce Park.
a. In 2008 the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority – who owns both the light and medium
industrial parks in Ogdensburg – completed its 14th building in the light park. Presently
Tulmar Manufacturing and Allied Vanguard occupy the building. Return to Matrix
11. Ensure adequate rail services to all areas of the County, including upgrade and return to service of
the short line serving Newton Falls.
a. In 2011, the IDA applied for and received a $9.97 million grant from New York’s Regional
Economic Development Council program that is being used to completely rehabilitate the 47
mile Newton Falls Secondary Line from Carthage (in Jefferson County) to Newton falls (St.
Lawrence County).
b. Work on the rehabilitation began in the summer of 2013. Return to Matrix
12. Encourage the establishment of affordable, convenient and sustainable air service that will serve the
St. Lawrence Valley region, consisting of St. Lawrence County, Franklin County, Akwesasne, and
southeast Ontario.
a. After several years of uncertain scheduled air service to the two international airports located
in St. Lawrence County, Cape Air won the Essential Air Services contract. Since then Cape
Air has been providing services to both in-County airports, as well as to the Adirondack
Airport in Franklin County. Among the three, direct flights to both Albany and Boston are
now available on a regular basis.
b. Ridership has increased by over 100% since Cape Air began to deliver services to the
County. Return to Matrix
13. Continue development of our Canadian promotional efforts by reinforcement activities within the
Montreal-Ottawa-Kingston market region and through extended marketing outreach to the Greater
Toronto area. (Priority)
a. Since the early 2000s the IDA had contracted with an Ottawa marketing company to help
the IDA market the County to Canadian companies whose expansion requires a US location.
This liaison has extended into 2013.
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
b. In 2011 the RVRDA hired a Toronto-based consulting firm specializing in electric power
usage by Canadian companies to help plan a marketing program to Canadian companies
for whom power costs are a significant issue.
c. As noted in 1.c above, in 2011, the IDA, together with the RVRDA, CITEC, Clarkson, and
National Grid built on the foundations laid by the contracts with these two companies to
create a long-term marketing strategy and implementation effort to attract expanding
Canadian companies to the County.
d. As of this writing the marketing effort has done the following since the first quarter, 2012:
i. Attended thirteen Canadian trade shows and/or sales events;
ii. Hosted two trans-border seminars in the County for Canadian companies;
iii. Done three mass mailings to potential Canadian clients;
iv. Made in excess of 50 site visits to Canadian companies; and
v. Hosted visits to St. Lawrence County by eleven distinct Canadian companies.
e. The marketing effort’s active “sales pipeline” – which excludes any companies who have
been contacted but who are clearly not interested in the County, for whatever reason –
currently include well over 100 Canadian companies. Return to Matrix
14. Promote available (or potentially available) SLCIDA properties, including the Potsdam Commerce
Park Building, the Massena building, and the Gouverneur Industrial park as well as other available
non-SLCIDA sites and facilities within the County. (Priority)
a. Over the last four years the IDA has:
i. Revised its core marketing brochure;
ii. Revised its website; and
iii. Published community-specific brochures for the six major population centers in the
County
b. These materials have been used as part of the sales efforts to attract expanding Canadian
companies described in 13 above. Return to Matrix
15. As addressed earlier in this plan, highlight and actively market the research and development,
collaborative and intellectual resources available through our five colleges and universities.
(Priority)
a. This has been done and will continue to be done – especially as the IDA continues to recruit
Canadian companies. The IDA and other developers in the County realize that the location
of five colleges in one of the most rural counties in the State is one of St. Lawrence County’s
chief attractions to Canadian firms.
b. In addition to relying on the general resources available through the five colleges, the IDA
especially cooperates with Clarkson’s Shipley Center for Innovation and the Reh Center for
Entrepreneurship in its marketing efforts. Return to Matrix
16. Continue efforts to capitalize on the power cost & reliability advantages in the Massena Electric
Department territory. (Priority)
a. In 2009, the IDA contracted with a Clarkson University student consulting team who
prepared a report identifying a handful of industrial sectors who were especially interested
in power reliability.
b. In 2010, as part of the contract that set up the RVRDA, the New York Power Authority
(NYPA) agreed to allocate 20 megawatts of low-cost hydro power through Massena Electric
Department (MED) to customers throughout St. Lawrence County.
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
c. In 2012, MED executed a contract with NYPA that set up the mechanisms through which
the allocated power would be awarded and delivered to qualifying companies.
d. Following up on the work described in 13.a and 13.b above, in 2013 the IDA sent several
mailings to Canadian companies highlighting the availability of low-cost hydro power in the
County made possible by the NYPA allocation.
e. The IDA is presently working with NYPA and MED to develop a comprehensive application
through which employers can access the power provided through the agreements
mentioned above. Return to Matrix
17. Analyze and focus resources on our identified target industry sectors within the domestic US market.
(Priority)
a. The IDA has participated in the Center State CEO’s program to highlight, among other
things, center/upstate New York’s educational resources and focuses on how these
resources could benefit the following target industries: back office operations, digital and
electronic devices, environmental systems, information technology, and medical technology.
b. The IDA has joined developers in Jefferson and Lewis counties to create and implement the
“Drum Country Business” marketing effort. Drum Country has identified the following sectors
as key marketing targets: Food Processing, Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (FIRE),
General Manufacturing, and Renewables.
c. In addition to working with its development partners in the two counties to its south to develop
these four sectors, the IDA has also engaged in marketing activities – e.g., by attending
numerous trade shows – to the defense, wood products, packaging, bio-tech, and paper
industries. Return to Matrix
18. Create an alternate fuels development area. Provide technical and other assistance to investors
wanting to develop alternate energy businesses and encourage the development of small, local
energy sources that can reduce the cost of operating in the North Country. (Priority)
a. In 2008 the IDA, together with SPEC, invested in a $10 million wood pellet production plant
in the Massena Industrial Park.
b. In 2012 the IDA encouraged and supported the first tenant of its Canton Industrial Building
to apply to the Regional Economic Development Council program for $65,000 with which to
construct an energy-recovery system in its brew house and purchase a fuel efficient vehicle.
The grant request was successful.
c. See 16 above for additional information on the availability of low-cost hydro power in the
County through MED. Return to Matrix
19. Support upgrading the water infrastructure in Gouverneur.
a. In 2009 the IDA applied for and received a $200,000 grant from the Northern Border
Regional Commission to help upgrade the Gouverneur water system so that services to
Kinney’s could be improved. In 2012 the IDA assigned the grant to the Village of
Gouverneur.
b. In 2011 the Village and Kinney Drugs applied for and received $100,000 from the RVRDA
to add to the funding available for the Gouverneur project.
c. Also in 2011 Regional Economic Development Council awarded $900,000 to the Village to
add to the resources available for this upgrade.
d. Work on the water system began in the summer of 2013. Return to Matrix
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
20. Improve the water and sewer infrastructure in Heuvelton; upgrade the integrity of Canton’s water
delivery system so as to minimize losses due to leaks and other malfunctions; and sewer treatment
upgrading in Morristown.
a. In 2013 the Village applied for and received a $500,000 grant from the Regional Economic
Development Council program to help upgrade the Heuvelton sewer system to remove
constraints on local food production plants in the Village.
b. Starting in 2012 the State Department of Transportation began a major reconstruction
project on Main Street in Canton. This included an almost complete reconfiguration of the
major water and sewer lines in the village’s core corridor. The project is scheduled for
completion in 2013.
c. Morristown Return to Matrix
21. Develop an outreach plan for informing communities about existing economic development efforts,
programs and services.
a. The IDA hosts quarterly meetings among all the County’s development organizations at
which development plans, programs, and services are described and at which the other
partners are informed of and invited to join the IDA’s marketing activities. Regular
participants include local development corporations, public authorities, the SBDC, chambers
of commerce, the NYS Department of Labor, community developers, and college
development personnel.
b. The SLC Planning Office publishes a monthly summary – more often if necessary – of grants
that are available for economic and community development. Return to Matrix
22. Continue J&L site remediation plan in Star Lake.
a. Since 2009 St. Lawrence County, DEC, and ESD have spent or committed to spend about
$1 million in its efforts to identify the scope and scale of the cleanup required to allow the
J&L site to be redeveloped for productive industrial use.
b. In 2012 the IDA applied for and received an additional $175,000 in Regional Economic
Development Council program funds to add to the resources available to continue to clean
up the site. Return to Matrix
23. Cross-market economic development with tourism development (i.e. Coming Home Initiative,
advertising in County Travel Guides).
a. The IDA and RVRDA have invested $150,000 from 2011 through 2013 to help the St.
Lawrence County Chamber to market St. Lawrence County as a premier sports fishing
venue (the fishing capital of the country, a/k/a FishCap), especially in the northeastern US
and eastern Canada
b. The RVRDA has committed $45,000 to help the Village of Waddington to mount the
nationally-recognized BassMasters tournament in August, 2013 – an event that builds on
the FishCap initiative. Return to Matrix
24. Prioritize providing assistance to businesses whose products and/or services are (or will be) locally
produced and/or developed for which County residents are currently traveling out of County to
procure.
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
a. In 2008, the IDA helped finance and sold two buildings to a wood pellet manufacturer in
Massena, whose presence here allows County residents to use locally-produced renewable
fuel. In 2012 the IDA sold a third building to the same company to assist it to expand
b. Over the last two years the IDA – together with associated agencies like the RVRDA and
SPEC – have financed and/or provided facilities to companies that slaughter chickens,
manufacture wine and beer, and roast coffee – capitalizing on the increasingly popularity of
locally produced food.
c. The IDA also lent money to a local building truss manufacturer, thereby insuring that a
building component is available locally.
d. Over the last two years the IDA – together with associated agencies like the RVRDA – has
lent over $1 million to a locally-headquartered internet access company that provides
broadband access to rural customers throughout the County and elsewhere in northern New
York. Return to Matrix
25. Advocate for the development of a 4-lane limited access connection to I 81 to the South and to I 87
to the East.
a. The IDA has passed several resolutions in support of a 4-lane highway linking interstates 81
and 87.
b. In 2011 the RVRDA provided $10,000 to the Business Development Corporation for a
Greater Massena that the latter used to promote exploring the feasibility of I-98. Return to
Matrix
26. Education Zone development: assist with marketing the colleges; aid the colleges in developing new
programs that will attract additional students; create new housing and other support facilities through
tax and other incentives; and encourage greater cooperation and development to keep the students
in the North Country longer.
a. The IDA generally assists the County’s colleges and universities by advertising them when
it is showcasing the County’s advantages in its sales efforts in Canada and elsewhere.
b. The IDA has worked with Clarkson’s Shipley Center and the Reh Center for
Entrepreneurship to foster the development of new businesses in the County.
c. In 2012 the IDA provided mortgage recording tax and sales and use tax exemptions to
Affinity Housing, who began construction in 2012 of 100 units of student housing (scheduled
for completion in 2014) adjacent to the SUNY campus in Potsdam, New York.
d. In 2011 and 2012 the IDA issues bonds for Clarkson University amounting to almost $36
million. These bonds not only helped to upgrade student housing, but also improved the
amenities at the college, which will help Clarkson attract and retain students.
e. In 2012 the IDA issued bonds for St. Lawrence University amounting to almost $47 million.
These bonds not only helped to upgrade student housing, but also improved the amenities
at the college, which will help St. Lawrence attract and retain students.
f. IDA personnel (see 1.b above) have served as Board members of the Seaway Private Equity
Corporation from its inception in 2006. Many of the companies in which SPEC has invested
have employed students and graduates from local colleges and universities.
g. The IDA is partnering with Clarkson University’s bid to become one of five “Innovation
Hotspots” that New York State plans to designate through the 2013 Regional Economic
Development Council process.
h. As noted earlier (4.a and 4.b) the IDA and its associated agencies are currently in serious
discussion with all five County colleges and universities on how the agencies can collaborate
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
with any or all of them to capitalize on New York’s recently-created Start-Up New York
program. The collaborations include inclusion of existing IDA buildings in the Start-Up New
York economic development plans to be proposed by colleges to Empire State
Development, as well as the construction and/or rehabilitation of non-IDA owned facilities.
Return to Matrix
27. Develop an industrial park in the Town of Massena on 70 acres being donated by Alcoa.
a. The Town of Massena has requested that the Department of Environmental Conservation
and the Environmental Protection Agency release the Horton Road site (to be donated to
the Town by Alcoa) from environmental liability.
b. However, the site has not yet been transferred to the Town. Return to Matrix
28. Research development potential for a 750 acre ‘super industrial park’ within the County. (Priority)
a. Work on the super-industrial park has been put on hold as the County attempts to re-develop
the 200+ acre industrial site vacated by General Motors’s Central Foundry division in
Massena.
b. The IDA and Massena developers are working closely with the RACER Trust – set up
nationally to manage the properties shed by GM when exiting from bankruptcy – to find new
users for this fully-served industrial site.
c. In the meantime, the RACER has been implementing a thorough environmental cleanup
plan for the site and is currently about two-thirds of the way through the cleanup.
Return to Matrix
29. Improve infrastructure in order to receive more diverse cargo base and increase bulk handling
capacity at the Port of Ogdensburg.
a. In 2012 the RVRDA awarded a $95,000 grant to the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority
that the OBPA used to construct a new access road to the Port of Ogdensburg that was
completed in 2012. In the same year the IDA’s Civic Development Corporation loaned
$87,000 to the OBPA for the same purpose.
b. The OBPA used these funds, together with other financing from the NYS Department of
Transportation and the North Country Regional Economic Development Council to assemble
the $1.8 million required to fund the access road project. Return to Matrix
30. Revitalize the retail centers in the county including the St. Lawrence Centre Mall in Massena and
various downtown retail districts.
a. The IDA and other development organizations throughout the County have made scores of
loans to retail businesses that congregate in the downtowns of the County’s population
centers. Most, but not all, of these loans have been micro-loans.
b. In 2013 the IDA provided a PILOT and a sales/use tax exemption to an Ogdensburg
beverage distribution company that was expanding its operations?
c. Dick’s Sporting Goods has recently decided to site a store in the St. Lawrence Center Mall
and the IDA is currently negotiating to provide tax abatements assistance to the mall’s
operating company in its efforts to rehabilitate the space to meet the new tenant’s
requirements. Return to Matrix
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
31. Use formalized calling program for reaching all facets of the County employer base. Compile,
analyze, and understand detailed company information that leads to improved services, planning
and development efforts.
a. The IDA has reorganized its data base system for keeping track of the status of local
employers. All IDA staff – which includes at least six employees who deal directly with
County employers – are required to fill out call reports whenever they have a substantive
interaction with an employer.
b. The IDA’s marketing and sales staff meet frequently – as often as once a week – to ensure
that they share their data on companies and events that might create opportunities or
problems for them. Return to Matrix
32. Engage local employers, educators, and workforce training specialists (1) in profiling the levels and
skill characteristics of the County’s underemployed and early retiree workforce populations and (2)
in developing an action plan that will guide WIB, the IDA, and State and other County developers in
their efforts to fill the skilled worker needs of County employers.
a. In 2006 the County retained the services of The Pathfinders out of Dallas, Texas who
prepared a “Labor Availability Report” for the County. Though there have been changes in
detail in the profile of the County’s labor market since then, the general pattern of
employment and unemployment has remained stable. Therefore the IDA and the WIB – as
well as other developers -- have relied on this study as they have implemented their
marketing strategies ever since.
b. Annually the WIB prepares a Local Plan for the management of the County’s One Stop
Career Center. Each year the WIB consults with the One Stop partners and with the NYS
Department of Labor’s regional economist to develop an up-to-date listing of demand
occupations. The WIB and its One Stop partners attempt to create programs that train
individuals in these demand occupation categories. The WIB submitted its most recent Local
Plan to the NYSDOL in June, 2013. Return to Matrix
33. Further refine, improve and develop a marketing strategy that maximizes our investment by selecting
and targeting the appropriate sectors with the best promotional messaging about St. Lawrence
County. (Priority)
a. The IDA – not to mention other development agencies in the County – constantly reviews
the success or failure of its marketing strategy and implementation.
b. As noted in 13 above, the IDA partnered with CITEC and with two Canadian consultants to
help the County refine its message to select Canadian industrial sectors.
Return to Matrix
34. Develop long-term plan for researching and responding to developments within renewable energy
sector. (Priority)
a. The IDA has partnered with Blue Springs Energy to create the “Renew SLC” website as a
way of centralizing information flow regarding renewable energy ideas in the County.
b. The IDA has been working with a local wood products harvester and biomass fuel provider
to develop a wood products industrial cluster in the County.
c. The availability of the 20 megawatts of hydro power allocated to the County from NYPA
through the RVRDA has prompted the County to survey the kinds of companies – especially
Canadian firms – who would be attracted not only by the power’s low cost, but also by its
green and renewable credentials. Return to Matrix
2009 St. Lawrence County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
2013 Update
35. Develop long-term reuse plan for J&L site, former Massena DPW site and other Brownfield locations
in the County.
a. As noted in 22 above, the County, the IDA and others have engaged in what will be a longterm project to clean up the J&L site near Star Lake, New York.
b. As noted in 28 above, the IDA and Massena developers are working with the RACER trust
to complete the cleanup of the GM site and to market it as a ready-made industrial site.
c. The IDA is working with the community of Newton Falls and the owner of the recently-closed
paper mill located there to determine what cleanup the owner might be required to perform
in order to fit the facility for marketing as a general industrial site.
Return to Matrix