USDA AWARDS LETCHWORTH GATEWAY VILLAGES INITIATIVE FUNDING FOR 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Nicole Manapol, 585-237-8079, director@letchworthgatewayvillages.org

PERRY, NY, September 06, 2017—Today, Village of Perry Mayor Rick Hauser announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved a $77,900 grant application to support the second year of the Letchworth Gateway Villages (LGV) initiative. 

LGV was established to facilitate collaboration between three neighbor villages (Perry, Mt. Morris and Geneseo) to benefit area businesses, residents and visitors. LGV launched in 2017, and with the onboarding of program director Nicole Manapol, the work of improving connection points between the three villages began. 

As a result, new efforts to facilitate access to area technical assistance resources, increase regional visibility and explore new tourism-related market opportunities are underway in concert with other groups in both Livingston and Wyoming counties.

This USDA Rural Business Development program award of 2018 funds is an increase of $18,000 from year one. Generally, applications are for one-time awards over a period of 12 months. 

LGV Director, Nicole Manapol credits the application’s success, in large part, to the spirit of the initiative, which is focused on fueling economic growth through regional cooperation. “Having worked on the funding side, donors want to see collaboration—they want to see that investments go farther and have real, sustained impact—collaboration is critical to achieving those goals.”

In year two, LGV expects to start work on a regional branding process with the aim of enhancing visitor experiences, and attracting visitors from strategic market segments.

This fall, LGV plans to release an RFP to solicit proposals for the branding and strategy work in 2018. To learn more about Letchworth Gateway Village’s current projects and opportunities to get involved please visit: www.letchworthgatewayvillages.org.

About Letchworth Gateway Villages

Letchworth Gateway Villages is a collaborative initiative led by the villages of Perry, Mount Morris and Geneseo to catalyze regional economic growth and new tourism-related market opportunities for the communities that serve as gateways to Letchworth State Park. 

For more information about Letchworth Gateway Villages, visit: www.letchworthgatewayvillages.org.

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