It's the end of the competition, but not the end of the line for Le Roy and Bergen, Legislator Shelly Stein said today after learning that the two communities will not be finalists in the America's Best Communities competition sponsored by Frontier Communications.
The joint effort by Le Roy and Bergen to enter the competition, which could have resulted in a $3 million prize to spend on economic development, did lead to a $50,000 grant to develop an economic development plan, and that will pay off for the northeastern corner of Genesee County for years to come, Stein said.
"We already won," Stein said. "We had the $50,000 that we were able to take from Frontier and match that up with a long-term revitalization and economic plan for both Le Roy and Bergen. It brought out communities together and we found some significant commonalities that we can work towards. Having that plan in hand is something both communities can work from going forward."
The contest has proven highly competitive, said Claudia Maroney, area general manager for Frontier.
'It was a great plan," Maroney said. "They put a lot of effort into it. There were 50 communities that submitted great plans, and unfortunately, Le Roy did not make it to the finalist round."
The planning and cooperation process led to some great community events, some great meeting of the minds and the realization there were projects the communities could undertake outside of the ABC competition.
The grants applied for and received during the process include $420,000 for land acquisition at the Le Roy Tech Park, the Village of Le Roy is getting $100,000 for downtown sidewalks and $20,000 for a waterfront strategy plan; and the Village of Bergen is getting $20,000 for a revitalization plan and $30,000 to study upgrading the sewer system.
All of these activities gained support and are better guided by the revitalization and economic development plan developed for the contest, Stein said.
And through the process, the communities learned a little bit more about themselves, too.
"Everyone is just a little bit more aware of how our community has a great reputation," Stein said. "We have a great work ethic. We really didn't know that our workforce is so highly skilled and that got pointed out during the process. We walk a little taller. We have a smile on our faces a bit longer and there's a bounce in our step."
