SPECIALIZING IN:Grants

Housing

Community De vel op ment

Economic De vel op ment

Research

Business Planning

Loan Packages

Home Inspections

Radon Testing

Bernard ThomaPresident

34 Tompkins StreetCortland, NY 13045607-753-1433607-753-6818 fax

email:tdc@thomadevelopment.com

Serving the

Community

for Over

20 Years

A Newsletter of Thoma Development Consultants June 2003

TDC COMPLETES CAYUGA COUNTY STRATEGIC PLANSAs many of our customers are

already aware, TDC is well-versed in thecommunity planning process. We help ourcustomers develop plans that guide them inimplementing a realistic vision of what theircommunity can be. In all of our planningprojects, our goal is to provide the customerwith a road map to reach their goals.

Two recently completed strategicplans for Cayuga County communitiesexemplify our commitment to planning that isprocess-driven and inclusive, action-oriented, and empowering. The EconomicDevelopment Plan for the WaterfrontVillages of Scenic Route 90, and theStrategic Plan for the Hamlet of Locke wereboth completed early this year by TDC.Funding for the projects was provided byCommunity Development and StrategicPlanning Grants acquired by the CayugaCounty Department of Planning andEconomic Development, and funded throughthe Governor’s Office for Small Cities.

TDC partnered with K. TeterConsulting, experts in engineering andlandscape design, to develop a revitalizationplan for the Hamlet of Locke. The Plan wasdeveloped with substantial public inputachieved through a series of public meetingsand key informant interviews anddiscussions. The Plan includes findings andrecommendations from a visual impactanalysis of the Hamlet, its streetscapes, andbuilding facades; conceptual plans and costestimates for three public facil i tyimprovement projects identified by thecommunity as priorities; a proposed strategyfor economic development and businessrecruitment in the Hamlet area; and, astrategy for implementation of the Plan.

Since completion of the Plan inFebruary, the Town of Locke has begun theprocess of forming a RevitalizationCommittee, as recommended in the Plan.Construction has begun on the first phase ofthe new Fire Station facilities proposed for aportion of the Hamlet’s fairgrounds site, andplanning efforts are underway to create aFarmers’ Market at the fairgrounds to entice

Scenic Route 90 travelers to stop and visitthe Hamlet.

The goal of the E c o n o m i cDevelopment Plan for the WaterfrontVillages of Scenic Route 90 is to identifystrategies to expand the tourism economyand extend visitor stays in and around theVillages of Cayuga, Union Springs, andAurora. TDC completed a BusinessRecruitment Plan that includes an inventoryof the existing businesses in around thevillages; an assessment of possible sites forbusiness development; an identification ofpo ten t ia l bus iness deve lopmentopportunit ies; and a strategy forimplementing community and economicdevelopment goals that will serve tostrengthen the economic base of the areaoverall, and encourage business recruitmentand expansion within the tourism sector.Also as part of the Plan, TDC utilized theexpertise of sub-consultant James Dempseyof the Cortland County Convention andVisitors Bureau to provide an assessment ofexisting events and attractions in the three

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villages, opportunities for new events, andstrategies for marketing and promotion of thearea’s assets and attractions.

Input from the general public, businessand property owners, and local governmentofficials was solicited through a series of publicworkshops, as well as extensive interviews withcommunity leaders and key informants. Themeetings were held in Cayuga, Union Springs,and Aurora, with a final joint meeting held atUnion Springs. Meetings were advertised in theAuburn Citizen, the Scotsman, and through flyersdistributed by the Village Clerks and localbusiness associations. The meetings were wellattended, with a total of more than 75 participants.As a result of this planning process, the CayugaCounty Department of Planning and EconomicDevelopment is currently seeking communityparticipants to become involved in the newly-formed Waterfront Villages’ RevitalizationCommittee and its subcommittees, which focus on

the four primary areas of recommendations --Physical Improvements, Promotion andMarketing, Events, and Business Development.

This Plan, as well as the Hamlet Plan, alsogave TDC an opportunity to showcase our newly-acquired Geographic Information System’smapping capabilities. A copy of the EconomicDevelopment Plan for the Waterfront Villages ofScenic Route 90, including maps and graphics,can be viewed on-line at www.cayuganet.org.

Community Development and StrategicPlanning Grants are available annually throughthe Governor’s Office for Small Cities, withapplications generally due in late summer or earlyfall. If your community is interested in exploringstrategic planning for your downtown, businessdistrict, or community at large, we’d love thechance to talk to you about submitting anapplication for funding!

TDC WELCOMES NEW CUSTOMERS

TDC would like to welcome four newcustomers and one “old” customer that has signedon for our Grant Writing Service. The newcustomers include Chenango County, the Town ofTruxton, the Bainbridge Development Corporationin partnership with the Village and Town ofBainbridge, the Village of Sherburne, and theVillage of Marathon.

Chenango County hired TDC to write andsubmit a 2003 Community Development BlockGrant for Fiscal Year 2003 this past April. TheCounty hopes to secure funds to replace failingseptic systems on properties occupied by low tomoderate income homeowners living throughoutChenango County. Similarly, the Town of Truxtonin Cortland County hired us to submit a 2003CDBG application for town-wide housingrehabilitation.

The Bainbridge Development Corporation,working in concert with the Village and Town ofBainbridge, located in Chenango County, hiredTDC under our Grant Writing Service. We werealso hired by the Village of Sherburne, ChenangoCounty, for this same service. While we arepresently administering the Village of Marathon’s

Fiscal Year 2001 CDBG, which we wrote, theVillage has now secured our services for GrantWriting.

TDC is pleased to be working with thesenew customers. We hope to bring you morearticles regarding their successful communitydevelopment projects in the near future.

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CUSTOMER HIGHLIGHT: TOWN OF HARFORD

Supervisor Ray Marsh

The Town of Harford has been a customerof TDC’s since the mid-1990’s. The Township islocated in the extreme southwest corner ofCortland County, along the county border withTioga and Tompkins Counties. It is the County'ssmallest township with respect to land area,encompassing some 23.4 square miles. Harford's2000 Census population is 920 persons.

The early settlement of the Town was rifewith farms and the early settlers also establishedmills on the various creeks, particularly those millsrelated to the lumber industry. Two separatehamlets, Harford and Harford Mills, approximatelythree miles apart, were the strongest settlements.With the arrival of the Southern Central Railroadin 1869, local farmers and mill operators had avehicle for transporting goods quickly. For aTown of its small size, Harford established trainstations in both Harford and Harford Mills. Stores,hotels, churches, and schools supported thehomes in the area. Additional farming relatedindustry included milk/creamery plants andcheese factories.

After World War II, as the automobileprovided residents the opportunity to leave familyfarms and work in local industry, there was adecline both in farming and in local, farm-relatedbusiness and industry, rendering the Town as abedroom community. Today the railroad has noTown stations and services only one "industry"which is Western Energy, a storage facility forpropane and butane gas which employs fewerthan 10 persons. Present day Harford's terrainconsists of beautiful wooded hills and fertilevalleys with several creeks. A significantpercentage of the Town (33.7%) is State-ownedland. Although agricultural has declined, the Townis still very much a farm community, as thepercentage of land area in the Town devoted toagriculture is 35%.

TDC first began working with the Townwhen Harford decided to submit a CDBGapplication for town-wide housing rehabilitation.After several tries, the Town was successful insecuring these funds during Fiscal Year 2000.TDC is completing the administration of this grant.Approximately 20 homes will be rehabilitatedunder this program.

In 2002, the Town was also successful atcapturing CDBG funds for water systemimprovements in the Hamlet of Harford Mills. Inthe early 1970’s, as part of the process to storegas underground, the company that formerlyowned the Western Energy site used to pumpbrine into an on-site, unlined holding pond. Thisbrine eventually migrated off-site andcontaminated the wells of some 17 homes inHarford Mills. A settlement with the companyresulted in the formation of the Harford MillsWater District, a small, municipal water supply.Over the last 30 years, the water system hasdeteriorated, resulting in unacceptable levels ofiron in the District’s drinking water, lack of waterpressure, and poor chlorination. Responding tothe complaints of residents, and knowing these 17homeowners would be solely responsible for thefinancing of a new system, with TDC’s assistance,Harford captured funds to completely replace thewater storage and distribution system in HarfordMills. The construction phase of this project willbegin this Summer.

The Town of Harford is now anxious tosubmit a 2004 CDBG for more town-wide housingrehabilitation. TDC is currently surveyingresidents as part of the application process.

TDC is happy to be working withSupervisor Ray Marsh, Clerk Betsy Larkin, a verysupportive Town Board, and Water DistrictOperator, Bill Highfield. We hope to submit asuccessful CDBG in the near future and work withthe Town on other needed projects.

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TDC UPDATES PRESENTATION CAPABILITIES & WEBSITE

This Spring, TDC hasembarked on an effort toimprove our technologicalpresentation capabilities andour Internet presence.

We have recently purchased a LCDprojector that, along with our laptopcomputer, will allow us to provide high qualityvisual presentations for current and potentialcustomers. This presentation capability willassist us in clearly providing information toour customers, particularly for planningstudies and grant programs. We are justcompleting the development of a PowerPointpresentation that explains our company andthe services we provide. This presentationwill be invaluable in demonstrating the widerange of services we offer.

We have also spent considerable timethis Spring on a long overdue update of our

website, www.thomadevelopment.com. Wehope to have this site updated by the end ofJuly. The new website, designed byGraphics Plus Printing of Cortland, New York,not only features a cleaner, brighter look, it isalso easier to navigate and presents thecontent in a more reader-friendly format. It isour goal to make our website useful to ourexisting customers, as well as potential newones. It will be updated regularly with articlesof interest to our customers, upcoming grantdeadlines, and other community developmentissues that may impact our customers. In thefuture, we hope to provide more projectspecific information to our customers via thesite. Once the website changes are made,we hope our readers and customers will takea few minutes to browse through our new siteand let us know if there is any otherinformation we can provide to you online.

SOMETIMES JUST SAY NOSince i ts incept ion, Thoma

Development Consultants has prepared grantapplications for its customers. This service isthe basis for almost all of the work we do as acompany. We get paid by our customers towrite grants. If grants are awarded to acustomer, TDC sometimes receives asubstantial fee for writing a successful grantapplication. In addition to the fees that weearn from grant writing, we also earn feesfrom managing grants that we havepreviously written. Thus, one may assumethat TDC must always encourage theircustomers to submit as many grantapplications as possible. That would be anincorrect assumption. At times, the bestadvice to a customer is not to submit a grantapplication. Every grant application is notsuitable for every customer or every project.Grant applications cost our customers timeand money. If a potential project is not thatimportant to a community and its residents,then the cost is too high. If the project doesnot fit the funding criteria, or if the funds willnot solve the problem, the effort is wasted.Sometimes a project is not far enough alongin the planning stages to consider anapplication.

Over the years, we have witnessedwasted efforts by municipalities seeking grantfunds. It serves no purpose to submit anapplication with little or no chance of funding.Our recommendation to our customers is toselect a small number of priority projects onwhich to focus grant applications. Utilizingthis philosophy, the scarce local resourceswill not be wasted in futile attempts for grantdollars. At times it is difficult for municipalitiesto forego an application for non-local fundswhen their neighboring communities arereceiving awards. However, as noted above,grant submissions without hopes of fundingare not beneficial. Sometimes an additional

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year of planning makes for a stronger and morecompetitive application.

Since we at TDC work closely with andhave years of experience with a number offunding sources, we can offer an opinion as towhether an application is likely to be funded.Even though it may seem against the nature ofour work, there are times when we may

recommend to our customers not to submit anapplication because, after all, our realresponsibility to our customers is not just to writegrants, but to give them advice they can trust.

If you would like an honest opinionregarding the potential for a specific grantapplication, please do not hesitate to contact us.

NEW! HOUSING REHABILATION FOR SENIORS

The State’s take over of the Small CitiesCommunity Development Block Grant Program(CDBG) in 2000 opened up new opportunities forThoma Development’s customers. Two of ourcustomers, the City of Cortland and the Town ofVerona, have taken advantage of one of thesenew opportunities. When the Small CitiesProgram was administered by the U.S.Department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD), grant applications for housingrehabilitation programs limited to senior citizenswere not competitive. In 2000, however, ThomaDevelopment met with representatives of the NewYork State Governor’s Office for Small Cities(GOSC) to discuss the possibility of State fundingfor such a program, and in 2002 the two CDBGapplications for Senior Housing RehabilitationPrograms, developed and submitted by TDC,were awarded.

The new Senior Housing RehabilitationPrograms provide funds to projects where at leastone person in the household is 65 years of age orover and is both an owner and occupant of theproperty. Both single family and multi-familyproperties can be rehabilitated under theProgram. While all participants must be low-to-moderate in income, the Programs target thoseseniors with the lowest incomes and greatesthousing need by using an established selectionprocess. Under this process, the most points areawarded for lowest income and worst housingconditions and then projects are ranked againstone another. The Senior Programs weredeveloped to address the somewhat unique

issues of the elderly, lower income population.Rehabilitation activities that promote safety for theelderly population and affordability for thoseseniors living on fixed or limited incomes arestressed in the Program.

A document titled, “A Profile of OlderAmericans: 2000”, published by theAdministration on Aging states that lifeexpectancy at birth is now 78 and is on the rise.Further, if an individual reaches the age of 65,they can expect to live an additional 16 years, ifthey are male, and up to 19.2 years, if they arefemale. As seniors age, the likelihood of theirliving alone increases and studies by agenciessuch as the Cortland County Area Agency onAging show that a growing number of seniorswant to maintain their independence and stay intheir own homes. Fixed or limited incomes andthe ever-rising cost of home repairs often impedethe elderly population’s desire to maintain theirhomes and independence. This results insubstandard, dangerous living conditions.

In general, elderly homeowners are aproud population. Thoma Development haspartnered with the Cortland County Area Agencyon Aging for the City of Cortland program and theOneida County Office for the Aging andContinuing Care for the Town of Verona program,to assist our company in reaching thosehouseholds with the greatest need. Theseagencies’ input and assistance has beeninstrumental to the success of these twoPrograms.

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TRAILS…A NEW PATH FORYOUR COMMUNITY?

In recent years, multi-use trail development hasbeen an important issue formany of our customers, as ithas been for communities

across the State and nation. Most often,these trails are developed as walkways andbicycle paths that connect different parts of acommunity or follow manmade or naturalfeatures, such as a waterfront, or anabandoned rail line.

For much of the 20th Century,community planners focused almostexclusively on the needs of the automobilerather than the needs of people . In the1980’s and 1990’s, this viewpoint started toslowly shift, as people began to realize thatalternate forms of transportation, such aswalking and biking, were also important to acommunity’s quality of life. Terms like“intermodal transportation” and “pedestrianfriendly” entered the American lexicon.Greenways and trail development are nowcommon in most community planning anddevelopment efforts.

Oftentimes, planned trails arecontroversial, with a prevailing “Not in MyBackyard” attitude. The reasons cited areoften not based on fact, such as a loss ofproperty value or increased criminal activity.The ever-growing experience of communitieshas shown that these concerns areunfounded. In fact, the development ofcommunity trails has many benefits and, oncebuilt, are often embraced by those whoopposed them.

Multi-use trails provide relatively lowcost solutions (compared to the cost ofbuilding and maintaining roads for cars!) togrowing recreation needs. They provideopportunities for healthy activities; access towaterfront and natural areas; alternativetransportation options, lessening air pollutionand traffic congestion; and generally enhancea community’s quality of life, to name a few.One of the most overlooked benefits, andoften one of the most appealing to communityleaders, are the economic benefits. Trails

can link major employers, cultural attractions,waterfronts and downtown business districts.Quality recreation facilities, including trails,can assist in the recruitment of newemployers who increasingly look at quality oflife issues in selecting sites. If connected to alarge trail network, communities can benefitfrom bicycle and pedestrian trails, and newbusinesses can be developed to capitalize onthis market. Contrary to popular belief, it hasbeen shown that property values may actuallyincrease when located near a multi-use trail.Many potential homebuyers now state thataccess to a trail is important in theirpurchasing decision, and realtors activelymarket properties’ proximity to trails.

The desire for new recreationopportunities and alternative forms oftransportation will likely grow in the future, aswill the demand for multi-use trails.Recognizing this trend, and the economic andsocial benefits of trails, federal and stategovernments now provide fundingopportunities to assist in their development.TDC has been fortunate in assisting ourcustomers in obtaining well over $1 million ingrant funds to develop multi-use trails. Thesecommunities include Cortland County and itsTioughnioga River Trail, the Village ofWaterloo section of the Erie Canal CorridorTrail, and the Village of Weedsport’s CayugaCounty Connector Trail. The Village of FairHaven is working on improving its portion ofthe Seaway Trail and some communities,such as the Villages of Union Springs andPort Byron and the Town of Locke, arebeginning the conceptual phase of their traildevelopment.

If you have a specific trail project inmind, or simply believe that development oftrails would benefit your community, wewould be more than happy to discuss it withyou.

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REHABILITATIONSPOTLIGHT

Michelle Mullen, of 5 Mill Street in theVillage of Marathon, recently participated inthe Village of Marathon’s Fiscal Year 2001Community Development Block Grant forhousing rehabilitation, which was designedfor a targeted neighborhood in thecommunity.

Michelle is a single mom and is busycaring for her children, working full time, andtrying to make needed repairs to her home.With assistance from the Village’s CDBG

Program, interior and exterior carpentryrepairs were completed, as well as a newroof, siding, painting, electric and a newsidewalk. Now Michelle has more time todevote to her family and her home is moresound and secure.

Erv Mackrell of Better HomesConstruction, John Ryan Electric, and TimVotra Masonry Contracting completed theimprovements. Michelle is very pleased withthe work on her home as well as overallimprovements made in her neighborhood.Pictured below are the before and afterphotographs.

BEFORE AFTER

NEW LEADERS

There have been some changes in leadership for four of our municipal customers. TheVillages of Waverly, Homer, Marathon, and the Town of Cuyler all experienced “changes at thetop” recently.

We would like to welcome Anne Martin as the new Mayor of the Village of Waverly inTioga County. In Cortland County, we would like to welcome Richard Hemmings as the newMayor of the Village of Homer, as well as Mayor John Pitman in the Village of Marathon. Also inCortland County, Steven Denkenberger took over the supervisor position for the Town ofCuyler.

We wish the municipalities’ predecessors, Terry Farish (Waverly), Dick Beebe (Homer),Craig Braman (Marathon), and Chuck Arnold (Cuyler) all the best in the future. We look forwardto working with the new leaders and wish them much success in their new positions.

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A SHADY PROJECT

Pictured above is Louis Sachetti,owner of D & L Landscaping of Cortland. Thecompany is planting trees on behalf of theCity of Cortland, which received a 2002Community and Urban Forestry Grantthrough the New York State Department ofEnvironmental Conservation. Over the years,many of our customers have received treeplanting grants through the DEC. The grantspecifies that trees must be planted on

municipally owned land. The City hasplanted trees in municipal rights-of-way ofspecified neighborhoods where trees weresparse or lacking, in City parks, and at itsYouth Bureau. The Village of Waterlooplanted its trees on its canal port, Oak Island,and along the surrounding Cayuga-SenecaCanal. The Village of Homer has plantedtrees on a community-wide basis andspecifically along its Route 281 corridor. TheVillage of Sidney received a DEC tree awardand will use its funds to plant in and aroundthe Sherwood Heights development, ahousing development project area in whichTDC has been deeply involved.

These tree programs provide shade,character, and a visually unifying effect onselected areas. It is anticipated that there willbe another funding round this year for treeplanting grants, in late August or earlySeptember. Now is the time for TDCcustomers to start formulating possible treeplanting projects.

MCGRAW FINISHES RECORDS ROOMWith TDC’s assistance, the Village

of McGraw received funds through the StateEducation Department, under the StateArchives Program for records management,to complete a renovation of village officespace for a records room. Previously, theVillage stored its records on a loft in thehighway garage. This made retrievaldifficult for the Village Clerk. Recordsexposure to the elements and security werealso issues. Now the new room is on thefirst floor with access from the main office.Funds were also used to equip the newfacility with shelving, storage boxes, lighting,temperature controls, and securitymeasures. Pictured is Village Clerk, SusanMcNeill, working on McGraw records in thenew room.

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OH, BABIES!

TDC would like to congratulate Program Manager, Tim Alger, and his wife, Maureen, onthe arrival of their second son, David Robert. David was born March 14, 2003, weighing 8 lbs. 7oz. David joins his big brother, Joshua, who will turn 3 years old in October.

TDC would also like to congratulate Rehabilitation Assistant, Matt Gross, and his wife,Mary Ann, on the arrival of their first child. Aleta Faith was welcomed into the world on April 15,2003. She weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz.

Tim and Matt are very proud of their new additions, and we wish them both many yearsof happiness. The proud dads are pictured with their new arrivals.

Tim & David Matt & Aleta

MISSION STATEMENTIt is the Mission of Thoma Development Consultants to provide

services to our customers and their clients that meet or exceed expectations.The cornerstone for our relationship with our customers and fellowemployees is respect and trust. As an organization and as individualemployees, we shall continually seek to improve our abilities to benefit ourcustomers. This mission is the shared responsibility of all employees.

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'TIS BETTER TO GIVE

We at Thoma DevelopmentConsultants have been blessed in so manyways – with family and friends, andcustomers who often become our friendsalong the way. Over the years, we havelooked for ways for our company to give backto our community and to share our goodfortune.

This year Thoma Development hasdecided to focus its resources on one not-for-profit agency in an effort to make a largerimpact. The Food Pantry, operated byCatholic Charities of Cortland County, servesthe most number of meals to needyhouseholds in Cortland County, with theexception of the Meals on Wheels Program.In 2002, the Food Pantry served 66,528meals to over 7,300 people, half of whomwere children. The Food Pantry alsoprovides meals to school-aged children in thesummer, through the Summer Children’sLunch Bunch Program operated in areaparks. The Lunch Bunch Program in its ninthyear, serves an additional 8,500+ meals, andfills the hunger gap for children whoparticipate in the school lunch programs afterschool closes. The meal provided under theLunch Bunch Program is often a child’s onlymeal of the day.

With unemployment up, food costsescalating, charitable giving on the decline,

and not-for-profits’ budgets being stretchedthinner than ever, the need to restock theFood Pantry is great. Thoma Developmenthas designated the week of July 14-18 as“Food for Thought Week”. During thisweek, TDC staff will contribute canned andpackaged goods for distribution to the FoodPantry. We invite all our customers,especially those in Cortland County, to joinus. Challenge your staff! We will pick upyour contributions and deliver them to theFood Pantry any time during this week. Itemsyou may want to consider, that are in demandfor the Summer Program, include cereal;spaghetti and spaghetti sauce; peanut butterand jelly; boxed macaroni and cheese;canned fruit, vegetables, and tuna; andcanned meals such as ravioli, stew, and chili.Any contribution is welcome. Look for the“buy one-get one free” deals in the grocerystore as a way to help the Food Pantry.

As part of the company’s givingprogram, TDC will also share its time byvolunteering for the Summer Lunch BunchProgram and at the Food Pantry, and willassist in preparing grant proposals. We allknow the importance of good food for goodhealth. Please join us in this first endeavorand help make it a success. Call us at 607-753-1433 to join in.