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Congressman Paul Tonko today held the first meeting of his “Mighty Waters Task Force” to begin work on a set of goals and a timetable for creating a regional strategy for waterfront enhancement. The panel is made up of 25 people with a variety of backgrounds, including local businesses, community groups, colleges and universities, students, and representatives from government. Today’s meeting was held at the Waterford Canal Harbor Welcome Center.

“The Hudson and Mohawk Valleys represent a gold mine of opportunity when it comes to our heritage and natural resources which can serve as a catalyst for economic development, job creation, and improve our quality of life,” said Congressman Tonko. “I have put together this diverse group to work on a strategy that will help our region take advantage of these opportunities and leverage federal resources in a fashion that will allow us to move forward with the kind of smart development and preservation that will build stronger communities.” 

Back in July, Congressman Tonko held a day long “Mighty Waters” conference at the Schenectady County Community College to jump start a regional discussion about waterfront development and move forward with an action plan to promote and protect our waterways. Over 150 stakeholders from around the region attended the meeting and shared ideas on how to improve public access to waterways, preserve green space, and create clustered developments that will lead to growth for small businesses.

The mission of the Mighty Waters Task Force is to help create a climate of investment, recovery, preservation, and public awareness for the waterways and communities of the upper Hudson and Mohawk Rivers and Erie Canal by mobilizing federal resources that encourage policy reform, economic development, public enjoyment, and effective environmental management.

At today’s meeting, the task force agreed to develop a statement of goals and objectives and agreed to report back with a plan of initial action by January 31st of 2011.

Here is a complete list of task force members, who will be donating their time to the project:

• John Cronin, Beacon Institute
• Gene Bunnell, Dept. of Geography and Planning, UAlbany
• Dustin Swanger, Fulton-Montgomery Community College
• Stephen Ainlay, Union College
• Mark Breslin, Turner Construction
• P. Thomas Carroll, Hudson-Mohawk Industrial Gateway
• Rachel Bliven, Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor Commission
• Ladan Alomar, Centro Civico of Amsterdam, Inc.
• Dan Shearer, Saratoga Associates
• Rocco Ferraro, Capital District Regional Planning Commission
• Kisha Santiago, Student, UAlbany Masters in Regional Planning Program
• Louis Polsinello, Polsinello Fuels
• Pat Popolizio, The Waters Edge Lighthouse Restaurant and Inn
• Thomas Owens, Albany Port District Commission
• Rich Macha, Adirondack Paddle & Pole
• Roger Phinney, Eastern New York Marine Trades Association
• Beth Sciumeca, Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
• Carmella Mantello, NYS Canal Corporation
• Carol Ash, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation
• Paul Bray, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
• Eugene Brickman, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• George Stafford, NYS Department of State
• Mark Castiglione, NYS Hudson River Greenway
• Cody Bellair, Tech Valley High School
• Toni Tiemann, Amsterdam High School

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