The Village of Gouverneur’s NY Forward Local Planning Committee is now accepting project proposals to be evaluated for potential inclusion in its NY Forward Strategic Investment Plan. The Call for Projects officially opened on Tuesday, June 17, and submissions will be accepted until 4:00 PM on Thursday, July 31.
The public is invited to submit project proposals for consideration. Eligible projects must be located within the designated NY Forward project area boundary. All submissions will be reviewed by the Local Planning Committee (LPC) and the consultant team based on completeness, feasibility, and alignment with the NY Forward vision and goals.
To support interested applicants, the consultant team will offer virtual office hours to answer questions and provide guidance on the NY Forward application process. Office hours will be held in 30-minute appointment slots on Wednesday, July 16, from 8:00–9:00 AM and 12:00–1:00 PM. Participants must sign up in advance to reserve a time. For project forms, submission instructions, scheduling links, and program updates, visit: www.GouverneurNYForward.com.
NY Forward is a central component of the State's economic development efforts, working together with the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), to accelerate and expand the revitalization of New York's downtowns. NY Forward serves smaller communities with historic character that distinguishes them from the larger, more urban central business districts typically funded through DRI. NY Forward communities are walkable, less dense areas that serve the immediate local community, and are more local in nature - focusing on the immediately surrounding residential or rural agricultural centric development. Governor Kathy Hochul has committed $100 million for the third round of the NY Forward program. Each of the State’s ten Regional Economic Development Councils (REDCs) recommended two communities for NY Forward awards. In the North Country Region, Gouverneur and Keeseville were each the recipients of a $4.5 million award.
The NY Forward program is led by the Department of State, in close partnership with Empire State Development, NYS Homes and Community Renewal and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
Public engagement is a key component of the NY Forward planning process and fundamental to the success of the program. The objective of public engagement is to ensure that all stakeholders have ample opportunity to be informed about the NY Forward process and its intended outcomes; to comment on the process as it progresses; to express their concerns and contribute ideas; and to participate in building a consensus about the vision for the downtown and other outcomes, culminating in a locally supported NY Forward Strategic Investment Plan. Public workshops and engagement activities will be scheduled throughout the effort to allow opportunity for public input. More information about NY Forward can be found at https://www.ny.gov/programs/ny-forward.
The NY Forward process is being facilitated by a consultant team led by M.J. Engineering, Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Land Surveying, P.C. and supported by Andropogon, E.M. Pemrick & Company, and Captain Consulting.