In 1997, several opportunities existed in Old Forge and were often the topic of discussion.

The Adirondack Scenic Railroad was reopening their run from Utica to Thendara, Distance Learning facilities from Herkimer County Community College were opening in the school and we still had only one gas station, with many people saying where a new one shouldn’t be placed, but no one coming up with a plan with options for where it could be placed. With a population that swelled to 35,000 in the summer and a reputation as the “Snowmobiling Capital of the Northeast”, this wasn’t good.

Herkimer County Community College (HCCC) had recieved a grant from the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties to develop and conduct a community visioning program called “Communities 2000” (C-2000). C-2000 provided an organized opportunity to bring diverse groups together for community dialogue to plan for the future. Using the HCCC outreach office in Old Forge as an impartial sponsor, we took the idea to local boards and groups, and after learning that a community visioning process wasn’t redundant, we decided to give it a shot.

C-2000 held its first meeting in early December 1997. Four breakout groups brainstormed and reported back to the Plenary session on their groups hopes, dreams and concerns for the future of our area. Consistent throughout all four presentations was the need to 1) work as a region; 2) develop a plan and 3) protect all that made living in or visiting the Central Adirondacks worth it – a sense of place and a deep love of place.

In early 1998, a Core Team was formed, Staff Coordinator designated and a mission statement adopted:

C-2000… a group of citizen volunteers who work together with local, county and state governing bodies, civic groups, residents and businesses to plan for the future.
Communities 2000 is committed to assess needs, define goals and take the necessary action to support the design and implementation of comprehensive master plans that will guide our area (from Forestport to Raquette Lake) into the 21st century while protecting and preserving the beauty and benefits of our natural resources.

Why did C-2000 work? In hind sight, we believe there were several reasons:

Volunteer ethic
Impartial Convener
Respected Facilitators
Training
Publicity
Guidelines
Space & staff

Our area has a strong volunteer ethic and sense of community. We had an impartial convener – HCCC. We located respected facilitators – good listeners with no axes to grind. Herkimer County Community College provided training for the first brainstorming night. We had good publicity from local paper Guidelines for brainstorming to “protect” participants and encourage free expression. We had a space and a staff, giving volunteers a place to bring ideas and a place to leave their work. We even developed a “Wall of Dreams”, which allowed individuals to post their ideas.

In the early days, our trainers and advisors directed us to other groups doing similar work. Instead of trying to recreate the wheel, we learned from FOCUS Syracuse, who learned from visioning efforts in Chattanooga, TN. The button used by FOCUS Syracuse isn’t a blood type; it’s the “Be Positive” attitude so needed in efforts such as these.

Stay tuned for "the rest of the story"!