Highlights

• CaRDI Seeks Feedback
• CaRDI Website
• CaRDI Publications
  -Rural Gentrification
  -NYS Poverty
  -Community Energy Initiatives

Dates

• PAST: Upstate, Getting Down to Business (held on Thursday, November 15, 2007)
• New resources for Extension Educators from the Beginning Farmer Project
• Turning Adversity into Opportunity: Small Markets Can Raise Big Money
• New York State Association of Counties Legislative Conference
• New American Farm Conference

Resources / Articles

• Affordable High-Speed Internet For Every New Yorker
• Choosing an Energy Service Company New York State Electric & Gas Service Area

Funding / Grants / Other Opportunities

• Northeast Region Sun Grant Competetive Grants
• Community Development Society: Outreach Scholarship Call for Proposals
  

For more information regarding the Communiqué or to subscribe/unsubscribe to this list, please email Ann Prince at ach37@cornell.edu.

For more information about CaRDI, please visit us at www.cardi.cornell.edu.

Highlights

Dates

PAST: Upstate, Getting Down to Business (held on Thursday, November 15, 2007)

Description: The program is called Upstate, Getting Down to Business because our economic development leaders believe it is time to do just that. WCNY brought together Daniel Gundersen, Upstate Chair of the Empire State Development Corporation, regional economic development officers, and live studio audiences from several cities. Participating PBS-affiliate stations included: WMHT Schenectady/Albany, WSKG Binghamton, WNED Buffalo, Mountain Lake PBS, WXXI Rochester, and WPBS Watertown.

Each station presented an economic overview of their regions and shared economic success stories and challenges. The distinguished panel provided answers, dialogue about specific economic concerns and possible solutions and present ideas on how to fuel our future workforce. If there is power in numbers, we are moving in the right direction!

Here are the regional vignettes:

• http://east.streamguys.com/wcnyvideo2/ugdb/UGDB_WMHT_Albany.wmv
• http://east.streamguys.com/wcnyvideo2/ugdb/UGDB_WPBS_Watertown.wmv
• http://east.streamguys.com/wcnyvideo2/ugdb/UGDB_WSKG_Binghamton.wmv
• http://east.streamguys.com/wcnyvideo2/ugdb/UGDB_WXXI_Rochester.wmv
• http://east.streamguys.com/wcnyvideo2/ugdb/UGDB_WCNY.wmv

New resources for Extension Educators from the Beginning Farmer Project
Are the calls from new farmers stacking up? Not sure where to direct the questions? Would you like a way to keep track of all the new farmer clients calling your office for resources or help?

Then you’ll want to attend this free training!
Tools to Make Your Job Easier:

Client Intake Forms, Resource Packets and Information Sources for New Farmers Including:

• New information resources to offer to your clients
• Templates for tracking and responding to calls or office visitors
• How to integrate the intake form and resource packet into your office protocol
• One Educator’s perspective on how to spot a new farmer
• Opportunities to share questions or challenges from your office and get creative assistance from your colleagues

WHEN: Two Dates to Choose From: Wed. Dec. 5 or Thurs. Dec. 13, 10am-12pm

WHERE: From the comfort of your own desk, using Adobe Connect (No experience required! Minimum requirement is a computer with internet and speakers, though you will have a fuller experience with a microphone -- speaker/mic headsets work well.)

HOW: Register now as space is limited! Email Erica Frenay at ejf5@cornell.edu or call 607-255-9911 to register or if you have questions. This training is offered by the NY Beginning Farmer Project, which is a collaborative effort between the Cornell Small Farms Program and Cornell Cooperative Extension. The project is funded by NY Farm Viability and CCE.


Turning Adversity into Opportunity: Small Markets Can Raise Big Money

Date: Wednesday, December 12
Time: 2:30 - 4:00 pm EST
Cost: $85 for IEDC Members, $125 for non-members
Registration deadline: Monday, December 10

The act of raising money is often a daunting task for most EDO’s, let alone an EDO in a smaller market. Knowing how to raise money makes all the difference. IEDC’s December web seminar, Fundraising for Smaller Markets: How to Raise Big Money for your Economic Development Organization, focuses on how to effectively develop a strategy that will enhance your ED program.

You will learn from Dwaine Chapel, Executive Director of the Lake Area Improvement Corporation, on how rural Madison, South Dakota raised $2 million to fund an ambitious economic development plan. This effort exceeded the community goal by $700,000! Howard Benson, Chief Executive Officer of National Community Development Services, Inc. will also provide tactics of what smaller communities can do to enhance their fundraising strategies and discuss NCDS’ role as the Lake Area Improvement Corporation’s fundraising counsel.

• Learn how a rural community of 7,000 turned economic adversity into economic opportunity
• Learn how elected officials and business leaders came together to shape an aggressive strategy that is generating impressive results
• Learn the 5 steps any economic development organization can take to enhance its programs and trigger a fresh infusion of capital

Not only will economic development staff executives benefit from this topic, but it is also an excellent opportunity for your volunteer chairs, chairs-elect, vice-chairs, treasurers, and board members. This web seminar is geared to volunteers as well as professionals because we know professional economic developers have neither the time nor the capacity to do the job alone.

ED professionals, gather a crowd in your board rooms and offices for this very special opportunity to raise the awareness, confidence and readiness of your key leaders. All you need is a telephone, computer with internet connection, and registration.

http://www.iedconline.org/
International Economic Development Council
734 15th Street NW / Suite
900 Washington, DC


New York State Association of Counties Legislative Conference, January 28-30, 2008 at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center in Albany
http://www.nysac.org/

Dennis A. Pelletier County Government Institute related workshops include .....

Orientation for Newly Elected & Appointed County Officials
The Pelletier Institute will offer its annual Orientation Program for Newly Elected and Appointed Officials on Monday January 28 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This orientation program, a joint presentation of NYSAC and Cornell University, provides new county officials or existing county leaders looking to refresh their knowledge, with an overview of the complex issues they will face as county leaders. Basic instruction in the duties and responsibilities of county officials, county organizational structures, government ethics, adopting the county budget, open meeting law requirements, the state legislative process and a description of the issues confronting counties in the year ahead will be included in this orientation session.

Ethics In Government
This session will provide an overview of the codes of conduct and other related legal requirements of county elected and appointed officials under state and local ethics laws, policies and procedures. The session will describe state and local laws governing gifts and inducements, conflicts of interest, financial disclosure requirements, operations of county ethics boards and other areas relating to integrity in government.

Foundations of County Government
This session will detail the historical and legal foundations of county governments in New York State. During this session, Institute participants will learn about the forms and structures of county governments in New York State, their authority, duties and responsibilities under state law and the relationships between counties, the state and other units of local government.

What Happens When the “Baby Boomers” Retire? Challenges facing your county workforce
The County workforce is growing older. With a significant percentage of county employees reaching retirement age over the next decade, how will you fill those key positions needed to maintain the high level of county services your constituents have come to expect? During this session, participants will learn how they can begin succession planning now, to meet the county labor force needs of the future, as members of the baby boom generation reach retirement age.

Get Your Numbers Right! Correcting the US Census Bureau’s County Population Estimates
The population estimates issued by the US Bureau of the Census are used to allocate federal and state resources to counties and all units of local government. This spring the Census bureau will be releasing its estimates of county population for the year ending July 1, 2007. But what happens if the numbers are wrong? During this session participants will learn how to review the Census Bureau population estimates and to prepare a challenge if the numbers are wrong. Experts from Cornell University, the New York State Data Center, and counties that successfully challenged their population estimates, will share the steps they took to ensure their counties received their fair share of resources driven by these population estimates.

Public Sector Labor/Management Relationships
During this session, participants will learn about the unique labor/management relationships existing in county government as established under New York State law. Seminar participants will learn about the requirements of New York State's Taylor Law, the operations and responsibilities of the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), and requirements under Civil Service and other relevant state statutes.

How Do You Develop a Regional Economic Development Plan?
During this session, Cornell University faculty and staff will facilitate an interactive discussion with workshop participants on the elements required to develop a successful regional development approach. The panelists will discuss who should be the key actors involved and provide suggested approaches on how county leaders can overcome barriers to building regional development alliances. The presenters will discuss the role of data and research in assisting communities to make informed choices, describe potential resources available and illustrate some best practices from around the state and nation to assist county leaders in developing their approaches to formulating a regional strategy.

New York State’s Blueprint for Economic Growth
Empire State Development has been conducting listening sessions across the state over the past year to develop a New York State Blueprint for Economic Growth, with particular emphasis on Upstate New York. During this session, Empire State Development will describe the details of its comprehensive economic development plan. The chairs of the Empire State Development Corporation will detail the Executive budget proposals to begin the implementation of the plan and describe how county officials can be active participants in the State’s program to leverage new private investment, create jobs and restore the Empire State to its national economic prominence.

This plenary session presentation will feature an overview of the State Plan, which will be followed by Regional breakout sessions, where county officials can learn how this Comprehensive Economic Development Plan will impact their individual regions of New York State

Economic Growth for Counties: Practical Tools Geared to County Leaders
This session will highlight the next steps for NYSAC’s Workforce Intelligence Project, including some practical tools for county leaders to use in their ongoing efforts to promote economic growth in their communities. As part of the project, Cornell University will be developing an economic analysis framework for every region in New York State. This framework will provide a snapshot of the economic performance of each region including a region’s competitive economic position, identify declining and expanding industry sectors, and provide an analysis of talent pipelines. Plus, each region will receive instruction on how to update the framework.

Immigration and the Changing Face of New York State’s Population: Implications for County Government – A Policy Forum
New York’s population is radically changing throughout the state, becoming much more diverse upstate as well as downstate. This presents a number of challenges to counties including how to provide services to people of different cultures and who speak different languages. This Policy Forum will provide county leaders with an opportunity to hear how the demographics are changing, focusing in particular on immigration. Audience members will then have a dialogue with a panel of experts on how the changing face of the population will impact county government services.


New American Farm Conference: Advancing the Frontier of Sustainable Agriculture
March 25-27, 2008
Kansas City, MO

For more informations, please visit: http://www.sare.org/2008Conference/index.htm

Announcing SARE’s 20th Anniversary - New American Farm Conference!   Register today!

• Learn the ins and outs of marketing and production
• Tour local farms to see sustainable agriculture at work
• Talk with state-of-the-art researchers and innovators
• Meet others, build partnerships
• Explore SARE grant opportunities for your cutting-edge ideas
• Help chart a course for 20 more years of SARE success!

Resources /Articles

Governor Eliot Spitzer and First Lady Silda Wall Spitzer Launch Effort to Ensure Affordable High-Speed Internet For Every New Yorker

State Forms Broadband Council to Support Key Component of “I Live NY” Initiative

Governor Eliot Spitzer and First Lady Silda Wall Spitzer today announced the formation of the New York State Council for Universal Broadband, which is charged with developing strategies to ensure every New Yorker has access to affordable, high-speed Internet service. Additionally, a Request for Proposals will be released on Friday, December 7th, to begin the process of distributing funds that were allocated in this year’s budget for competitive grants to research, design and implement accessible Internet for unserved and underserved areas of rural and urban New York. Governor Spitzer made the announcement at the New York Farm Bureau’s Annual Meeting, held this year at the Niagara Falls Convention Center.

Increased access to broadband service combined with digital literacy programs can dramatically improve social, cultural and educational opportunities that ultimately lead to increased job creation and economic development. This Universal Broadband initiative is a key component of the First Lady’s I Live New York initiative aimed at attracting and retaining New York’s next generation...

Click here for the full article.

The full text of Governor Spitzer’s remarks will be made available at: http://www.ny.gov/governor/keydocs/keydocs-speeches.html


Choosing an Energy Service Company New York State Electric & Gas Service Area

Guidance on responding to the NYSEG choices card, produced by Mark Pierce and Joe Laquatra, Dept. of Design and Environmental Analysis.  Click here for the full report.

Funding / Grants / Other Opportunities

Northeast Region Sun Grant Competetive Grants

Notice of availability of competitive grant funds from the Department of Transportation in the amount of $1.053M for FY 2008. The NESGI will seek proposals from qualified institutions and individuals that address the three strategic goals elucidated in the 2004 NESGI Roadmap, e.g., Biofuels, BioPower and BioProducts (see the NE Sun Grant website for a copy). In 2008, the Northeast Sun Grant Initiative will seek proposals with an emphasis on biofuels that show the potential for displacement of imported petroleum. For a copy of the complete 2008 RFA, please see the link to the NESGI website below.

http://www.nesungrant.cornell.edu/

In addition, applicants should be aware of the following:

• Grants must demonstrate a 20% match (non-federal funds)
• Individuals, businesses, non-profits and other educational institutions may participate through partnership with an 1862, 1890 or 1994 land grant institution.
• Integrated or Lead proposals that are multi-institutional, multi-investigator, or multi-disciplinary may seek funding up to $450,000 (1-3 years in duration), while Seed proposals that address NESGI priorities will fund single investigators or small teams for up to $100,000 (1-3 years in duration). Resubmitted proposals from the 2007 NESGI competitive grants program that were not funded should include an explanation, not to exceed one page, describing how the reviewers' comments have been addressed.

Also, please note that Letters of Intent are required by December 15, 2007, with full proposals due February 15, 2080. Questions can be directed to tfretz@umd.edu or to Dr. Corinne Rutzke at cjf4@cornell.edu.


Community Development Society: Outreach Scholarship Call for Proposals

9th National Outreach Scholarship Conference, Community Development Society, http://comm-dev.org/

Innovation and Leadership for Engagement
The Scholarship of Outreach and Engagement: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?

What exactly is the scholarship of outreach and engagement and why does it matter? You tell us. You can submit a proposal for an oral or poster presentation for the conference next year.

The outreach conference provides an opportunity for critical reflection on the public mission and work of an academic institution­along with the scholarship that underpins this work­and to strengthen institutional support for engagement and public scholarship. You can support this mission by sharing your knowledge and curiosity with colleagues next October.

Proposals will be due February 25, 2008. For more information on submissions, visit http://www.outreachscholarship.org.