Looking Forward While Celebrating the Community Spirit

A Dynamic County Enjoying a Renaissance

Nestled in the Southern Tier of New York State, Chenango County brings together strong community ties, scenic landscapes, and forward-thinking planning, to create an ideal place for residents and businesses to call home. With a population of close to 47,000 and a strong industry presence, this dynamic county is positioning itself for a future that balances growth with quality of life.

“We are an aging population that’s looking to make a comeback with our vast amount of manufacturing companies and rural resources,” describes Shane Butler, Director of Planning and Airport Administrator for the county. “We want to become a vibrant place to live, work and play.”

A Plan for the Future

The Chenango County 2050 Vision Plan is a long-range strategy that updates the county’s earlier 2020 blueprint. One exciting project is a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant awarded to the city of Norwich. “Realistically, we’re trying to revitalize the entire county,” explains Butler. “Other areas and villages have also applied but have so far been unsuccessful. That isn’t going to stop us from really trying to keep pushing forward and revitalizing those areas as well.”

As the official tourism promotional agency for the county, Commerce Chenango plays a central role in driving the visitor economy, an area that has seen impressive momentum in recent years. “Right now, that’s probably the biggest line item in our budget, and I’m proud to say that the biggest source of our funding from the county comes from people who visit, and the local bed tax,” says Sal Testani, President and CEO of Commerce Chenango.

With support from both county and state resources, the organization promotes Chenango County as a destination for travelers across New York and beyond. He reports that visitor numbers are up 23% over the past two years, fueled by the county’s natural and cultural offerings, from 70,000 acres of state land, scenic gravel biking roads, and snowmobile trails, to a packed calendar of popular events like the Chenango Blues Festival, Unadilla Motocross, Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival, Greene Apple Fest, and Golden Artists Colors Art Retreat.

“We have some amazing things here that are part of the fabric of our community, and we need to do an even better job of marketing those to not only the people that are visiting here, but people that want to live here,” Testani emphasizes. “Why would you ever want to live anywhere else when you can have access to the number of things we have here and still have one of the lowest costs of living in the United States.”

To support this, the county has hired a consultant team to assess existing attractions and identify gaps, helping shape a more strategic approach to growing the visitor economy. “The vision (plan) is a wonderful thing, and it’s great because it takes an assessment of where we are, and it talks about where we want to be, but we really need a plan of action to get there, and the visitor economy will be one element of that,” says Testani.

Meeting Housing Challenges

On the housing front, Chenango County is in a similar situation to many rural regions, with plenty of housing stock, but much of it currently uninhabitable. “We have thousands of empty dwellings in Chenango County,” Testani details. “Part of the challenge is that many of those have fallen into disrepair and need to be worked on and rehabilitated, but they would cost far more than the value of the property to be able to do that.”

In order to meet the demand, Chenango County will need to introduce diverse options, from low income and senior housing to workforce and executive level homes. “There’s an extreme shortage of housing throughout the county,” he admits. “Pursuing those strategies is complicated, and there’s not one formula that helps you address all of those.”

Efforts are underway to tackle the issue through public-private partnerships, land banks, and the involvement of agencies like Greater Opportunities for Broome and Chenango, which is investing millions in affordable housing projects throughout the region.

“It’s going to take a lot of effort by a multifaceted team: the county, the Chenango County IDA, the Development Chenango Corporation, and our municipalities. We’re going to have to work together to try to solve it,” Testani stresses. “It’s a challenge that we’re going to need to address if we want to meet the needs of our community, which is to try to get people to live here. The key to economic revitalization is to have people living in your downtowns and living in your communities.”

Infrastructure Investment

While water and sewer utilities continue to meet existing needs, Chenango County is proactively planning for future expansion and sustainability. “We are adjusting our permits in the municipality levels to service our flow requirements, but there are no major expansions to service new areas. We are studying the ability to do that and how we might service new geography in adjacent areas to our city and town centers,” depicts Mike Flanagan, Chairman of the Development Chenango Corporation.

He says the focus, for now, is on upgrading and reinvesting in existing infrastructure, including wastewater and water treatment projects, lead pipe replacement, and distribution system improvements. Roads are also a focus, and municipalities are working to secure state CHIPS funding and other sources for resurfacing and repair work.

Butler highlights a new initiative supported by a grant from the New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to update the Chenango County All-Hazard Multi-Jurisdictional Mitigation Plan.

“That (plan) brings together all 30 municipalities in Chenango County to really look at what hazards we have in play, whether it’s severe winter storms, summer storms, tornadic activity, the effects of hurricanes, whatever it may be, to see what we as municipalities can do to make ourselves more resilient,” he conveys.

Workforce Development for a Strong Chenango

Chenango County is working to establish a Workforce Development Center at the SUNY Morrisville campus in Norwich, a project designed in collaboration with local employers. The center will offer non-degree, skill-focused training tailored to immediate workforce needs.

“We piloted a program here,” elaborates Testani. “It was a six-week cohort centered around manufacturing, the introduction to manufacturing basics. It included things like OSHA certification, CAD drawing awareness, business tool measurements. It was developed with the help of Unison, a GE Aerospace Company, their trainers taught the class. We had 20 kids who took it from BOCES, and I’ve been told that three of them are going to be offered jobs coming out of that class.”

Building on that success, the goal is to launch two ongoing cohorts, one focused on manufacturing, and another centered around essential employment skills, covering topics like professional communication, resume writing, punctuality, and business etiquette. Local employers such as Preferred Mutual Insurance Company, NBT Bank, and Rentals To Go have already expressed strong interest in hiring from this talent pipeline.

“Ultimately if we can retain our current employers by providing them with a skilled workforce, it would give us an opportunity to attract new employers, because we’d have that same capability to train their potential employees as well,” Testani suggests. “We’ve met with a cross-functional group of almost every business segment that we have here, with representatives from small businesses to large businesses, healthcare, the school districts, nonprofits, and large major employers, Chobani, Unison, a GE Aerospace Company, and Raymond Corporation.”

These conversations identified the need for “operators” in entry-level roles across industries and underscored the value of being able to deliver flexible, responsive training programs to meet evolving needs.

Priorities with Purpose

As Chenango County looks to the future, the focus is on revitalizing what exists, building what’s needed, and fostering a sense of shared responsibility for the region’s success.

For Flanagan, housing revitalization stands out as a critical short-term goal. “The housing is there,” he relays. “We need a system in place to rehabilitate it, get it back up to market condition, and get people living in those vacant houses, mostly in our downtowns, because that’s a key part to revitalization and the economy.”

Testani echoes the sentiment, expanding, “If you really wanted to boil it down, retaining our existing business is the most important priority we have. And if we can do the things to retain them, then we can attract new ones.” He points out the interconnected nature of infrastructure, housing, and digital connectivity, and the importance of attracting more childcare options to the county, encouraging more young families to relocate.

Behind all the strategic planning, there’s also a belief in community and in making a difference. “Realistically, any project that we work on that hits the most members of our community, that’s a big thing,” remarks Butler. He continued, “Anytime you can really change your community for the better, that’s rewarding.”

With a clear plan, and enthusiastic leadership, Chenango County is positioning itself as an ideal place to visit, work, and call home.

AT A GLANCE

Who: Chenango County, NY

What: A county undergoing growth and revitalization

Where: Southern Tier of New York State

Website: www.chenangocountyny.gov