NEW BERLIN – On Thursday, Sept. 20, Commerce Chenango’s economic development department will hold a public comment meeting for community members who would like to be involved in updating the County of Chenango five-year economic development strategic plan. The meeting will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in the library at Unadilla Valley Central School located at 4238 State Highway 8, New Berlin. This will be an opportunity for the community to come together and share concerns, thoughts, and ideas about economic development in the county.

For community members who would like to participate but cannot attend, there will be another meeting on Tuesday, September 25th from 6pm to 8pm at the Moore Memorial Library Cynthia Raymond Room in Greene During the meetings, community members will be asked for feedback about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) that impact economic development in Chenango County, as well as for feedback about goals and strategies to achieve economic success.

The county-wide economic development strategic plan will help identify the economic needs of the county and the goals and strategies that should be implemented to improve quality of life, increase economic development opportunities, and achieve greater economic sustainability. The strategic planning process will take place over the next several months as Commerce Chenango collects data from community members, local organizations, government officials, businesses, and other resources. Additionally, the data collected during the strategic planning process will be utilized by the County of Chenango Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) to update its strategic plan.