NOCCOG: Newsletters: November 2009 Monlthly Announcements [Digital Towpath]

1. NOCCOG Annual Meeting & Dinner - We thank everyone that was able to attend our annual meeting and dinner on October 22nd The current executive board was re-elected for 2010 - Bob Sauer as Chairman, Arnie Talgo as Vice Chair, and Mark Scheidelman as fiscal officer. The 2010 annual budget was adopted and annual dues will remain at $550 for 2010. Honored with a proclamation of appreciation was Dave Zembiec, the commission's director of community development who also served as the liaison between the commission and NOCCOG. Dave, who has been a very integral part of many past and current projects for NOCCOG towns and villages, will be leaving the commission on November 11th for a position with Jefferson County Industrial .

2. Teleconference for Newly Elected Officials- The Local Government Education Committee for Oneida & Herkimer Counties will be hosting a live interactive teleconference from the NYS Comptroller's Office for newly elected officials. This session - Just Elected - What Do You Do Know - will be held on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 from 6:30-8:45 at Kunsela Hall at SUNYIT, Utica. Topics to be covered include powers and duties, town budgets, appointment, home rule law, conflicts of interest, financial reporting, open meetings law, Freedom of Information Law, transitional issues, conducting Town Board meeting and other town issues. As a bonus after the presentation, local town officials currently holding the offices of supervisor, councilman, town clerk, highway supt., and town attorney will be on hand to field questions. A mailing will be going direlty to newly elected officials. We are asking town clerks to email the addresses to Gerry Ritter ASAP.

3. LGRMIF Grant Application Information Session - This session is to review the LGRMIF application guidelines and instructions for 2010 and to learn how to write a strong grant proposal. Examples of successful applications are examined and analyzed. The session will be held on Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 9:00- 1:00 at the Marcy Town Hall, 8801 Paul Becker Road, Marcy. You may register for any of these workshops by calling Denise Russo at the regional office in Utica at 315-793-2780 or by going to the NYS Archives website and registering online the link to all workshops being offered in CNY Region 5 is: http://iarchives.nysed.gov/WorkShops/workshopsServlet?owner=LG&cat=05. You will receive a confirmation letter one week prior to the workshop.

Also if you are interested in applying for a 2010 NYS Archives grant, you need to contact the Region 5, RAO, Kent Stuetz to set up an appointment to discuss the project ASAP. Grants are due 2/1/10. Kent can be reached by contacting the regional office at 793-2780 or by email at kstuetz@mail.nysed.gov. If you want NOCCOG or the Tug Hill Commission‘s assistance in writing the grant, please contact us as well.

4. NOCCOG NYS Archives Grant 2009-10 - NOCCOG submitted an application on behalf of twenty-eight municipalities in Oneida County, on February 1, 2009 requesting $82,053. NOCCOG recently received word the project was funded in the amount of $13,882. It was recommended by NYS Archives that a pilot project be completed first with these funds for 4-5 municipalities and reapply for more funding in the next round. Municipal Management Consultant Gerry Ritter will be meeting with Kent Stuetz from the regional office in early November on the best way to proceed. All the communities who asked to be part of the 2009-2010 project will be notified on how the project will proceed after this meeting

5. Black River Watershed Plan - The Final Public Session for the Black River Watershed Project will be held on Tuesday, November 17, 3:00-7:00 at the Tug Hill Vineyards, Route 12, Lowville. This will be an open house-style event instead of a formal presentation. Draft recommendations and strategies will be showcased on story-board posters and there will be wine tasting and light snacks available.

This is your final chance to review the culmination of several months' worth of work characterizing the watershed and developing recommendations and strategies to protect and enhance water quality in the Black River Watershed.

6. New Round of Funding Available for Park & Trail Groups- Parks & Trails New York is offering a new round of Capacity Building Grants for park and trail groups in New York State. The grants, of up to $3,000, will strengthen not-for-profit organizations that are working to build and protect parks and trails in communities across the state. The goal of the program is to enable not-for-profits to better fulfill their missions; improve their reach, effectiveness, and impact; leverage more resources; and increase community support for and involvement in park and trail planning, development, and stewardship. Funds can be used to assist with activities associated with organizational start-up and development, training, communications, and volunteer recruitment and management. The deadline for submitting applications is November 20, 2009. For more information, go to the Parks & Trails New York website at www.ptny.org or call 518-434-1853

7. Genesis Group Clean and Green Presentation - The Genesis Group of the Mohawk Valley is inviting community leaders from every town, city and village in Oneida and Herkimer County to join them on Wednesday November 18th - 5:00pm at Hotel Utica, 102 Lafayette St., in downtown Utica, for a Regional Clean & Green Meeting hosted by Rome Clean & Green, Oneida/Herkimer Solid Waste Authority and Genesis. It is very important that a representative from every city, town and village in Oneida and Herkimer counties attend. The meeting will not last more than an hour. Please contact Ray Durso, Jr. to register and for more information at rdurso@thegenesisgroup.org

8. NYSERDA Program - The grant deadline has been extended until November 24 for the second round of grant projects. In the first round, the town of Vienna was awarded $198,454 for a project to install solar panels on the highway garage. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced two new grant programs to advance energy efficiency and conservation earlier this year.

Email addresses:

Gjriiter01@aol.com or gerryritternoccog@frontiernet.net

hmoonen@twcny.rr.com & smartin47@roadrunner.com