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Committee backs business-retention materials and will seek CDBG microenterprise grant; brownfields outreach continues
Summary
The committee supported moving forward with a business-retention and recognition packet and recorded approval to apply for a CDBG microenterprise grant; the IDA reported progress on RDBG site identification, brownfields outreach, and ongoing construction at local energy projects.
Melissa Pingore, assistant director of the IDA, updated the committee on site-identification and redevelopment activity tied to a Rural Development Block Grant (RDBG) effort, said turbines and solar-panel work is underway on multiple projects, and described an upcoming Teams outreach call featuring Herkimer County IDA executive director John Pisak and consultant Tom Segelic to advise local site owners on brownfields redevelopment and cleanup funding.
Pingore said microenterprise funding remains contingent on Congressional appropriations for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocations; she said Allegany County could open another microenterprise round within a month or two if funding is approved.
Michelle (staff presenter) described a Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) initiative and presented a draft recognition packet — a letter of recognition from legislators, a milestone certificate and a small window sticker — intended to support outreach to existing businesses. The committee discussed quarterly business-resource 'popups' and a first popup scheduled March 30 at the Solutions Hub in Wellsville. Members moved and seconded a motion to move forward with the packet and folders; the transcript records the motion and seconds and supportive comments about a modest printing budget but does not record a formal, detailed roll-call vote in the provided text.
Later in the meeting the county administrator described applying for another CDBG microenterprise program grant (the county's third) and said the IDA would act as subrecipient to administer the program. The committee recorded a motion, a second and an explicit "It's approved" in the transcript segments provided.
The committee did not adopt a detailed budget in these segments; presenters said design work will be done in-house and that printing costs for the packet are expected to be limited. The committee asked for follow-up on the Teams brownfields call and signaled general support for launching the BRE materials and for pursuing the microenterprise CDBG application.
