Potter County Today

A study has been launched to explore possible development sites in Potter, Cameron and Clearfield counties. Officials are creating an inventory of properties that were once used for industry or business but are now sitting empty or underused. Members of the project team will discuss details during a meeting of the Potter County Board of Commissioners, to be held at 11 am on Thursday, Sept. 18, at the F.W. Gunzburger County Office Building. The public is welcome.

Findings from the study will help to identify priority sites and recommendations for a Brownfields Coalition Assessment Project being administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Cameron County has been spearheading the regional project with partners coming aboard from all three of the designated counties. Consulting firms Montrose Environmental and Atlas Community Studios are heading the market study.

Austin Borough has been designated as a priority, due in part to the abandoned paper mill on borough-owned property north of town and sites on Main Street. Those details will be discussed, and public input solicited, during the Revitalize Potter County community engagement meeting on Oct. 8, tentatively scheduled for 6 pm at Austin Area School.

Each of the three counties has a dedicated engagement page on the project website, with four input opportunities:

• Interactive Mapping: Users can drop “markers” on the map to share ideas for developing underused or empty places.
• Survey: Respondents can share their perspectives on local challenges, needs, and priorities.
• Priority Voting: Citizens will help the planners to understand what reuse ideas matter most.
• Idea Wall: Users can share ideas about what businesses or attractions they want to see and vote on others.

To access the Potter County engagement page, click here:

https://involve.atlascostudios.com/market-study/potter