The Seneca Falls Development Corporation (SFDC) is inviting Seneca Falls residents, business owners, and community leaders to a public Community Workshop to discuss economic development progress, explore emerging opportunities, and begin the process of drafting the Action Matrix for the upcoming 2017 Town of Seneca Falls Economic Development Plan.

The open meeting will take place from 6-8pm on Monday, May 22nd, in the Generations Bank Headquarters located at 20 East Bayard Street in Seneca Falls. SFDC board members will be in attendance and the public is encouraged to participate since the purpose of the workshop is to create a list of prospective action items designed to foster economic growth for the Town.

The 2017 Findings Report, which is available at http://senecafallsdevcorp.org/findings as a downloadable PDF, provides a general overview of the statistics, conditions, opportunities, and influences relevant to Seneca Falls. With this data, the Community Workshop participants will be invited to help create a list of tasks and action items tailored around the findings or relevant to the pursuit of economic development.

The original Seneca Falls 2007 Action Matrix comprised more than 90 recommendations in areas such as regional partnerships, helping existing businesses, improving tourism, boosting marketing, focusing on commercial revitalization, improving housing stock, and branding.

Of concern to the SFDC is that many of the goals and strategies outlined in the original Action Matrix are outdated. The hope is that the Community Workshop will determine which items should be considered for inclusion in the 2017 plan and which can be eliminated or replaced.

“Drafting an updated plan is critically important to Seneca Falls because a current, relevant, and actionable plan is often required to be eligible for regional, state, and federal grants and funding,” says SFDC Director, Greg Zellers. “By inviting the very people who live and work here to provide their input and guidance, we can better assess our needs, establish our priorities, and create a plan to match.”

SFDC Chair, Joell Murney-Karsten, added “We look forward to sharing our positive momentum to date as well as getting the kind of insight we need to help revitalize Seneca Falls. The more input we receive, the more direction we’ll have as we draft the final version of our new Economic Development plan.”

To ensure suitable space, interested participants are encouraged to inquire or RSVP via email at greg@senecafallsdevcorp.org or by telephone at (315) 338-4359. Refreshments will be made available.