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Residents and business owners praise Cortland Collaborative, single staff member cited for outreach
Summary
Several members of the public used the council’s comment period to praise outreach efforts led by staff and volunteers forming the Cortland Collaborative; speakers asked the council to recognize the group’s contributions to downtown revitalization.
Several residents and business owners praised a volunteer-led group called the Cortland Collaborative and singled out staff assistance for downtown property and business development during the public-comment portion of the Jan. 6 Cortland City Council meeting.
Ron Bowman of 136 Elizabeth Street said a staff member, identified by commenters as Jeffrey (Jeff) Jang, “has been helping a lot on me buying a couple properties downtown” and that the assistance helped local property efforts. Bowman told the council he was working with city staff and volunteers on downtown building façade projects.
Matthew Derrick, who said he recently bought a property on Main Street, told the council that since meeting Jeffrey the experience has been “incredible,” citing the staff member’s “mentality of service” and encouragement for small-business growth.
Michelle Angenie, a commercial real estate adviser, said she moved to the area in 2020 and that she was impressed by local volunteer and staff engagement. “I am also here to appeal to the board that you should know the value that you have and what an impact it's made on this community,” she said, urging the council to recognize the work of those involved in downtown revitalization.
Speakers described plans connected with the Cortland Collaborative, including outreach to small businesses and efforts to revive downtown properties. A council member who spoke afterward thanked the volunteers and said private-sector involvement was important to the city’s revitalization work.
