Cal to host Mon River summit
A Mon River Town Summit, “Unlocking the Opportunities: The Economic Benefits of River-Related Recreation … Beyond Tourism,” will be held Sept. 14 in the Convocation Center, south wing, at California University of Pennsylvania.
Breakfast will begin at 8 a.m., followed by presentations from 8:30 to 11:30.
The Mon River Town Program launched in 2010 to connect communities to the growing outdoor recreational market through a bordering river or waterway. Like land-based trails, recreational water trails are attracting growing numbers of users – paddlers, motorized boaters, anglers and wildlife viewers.
Waterways not only offer increased quality of life to residents, they also can mean an economic boost from visitors and investors. The River Town Program offers technical assistance in grant writing, riverfront planning, river-related events and activities, infrastructure and amenity improvements, business attraction and marketing.
The agenda for Sept. 14 is as follows:
• 8 to 8:30 a.m. – Breakfast and networking.
• 8:30 to 8:45 a.m. – “The Mon River Town Program – The Successes and Its Future,” presented by Cathy McCollom of McCollom Development Strategies LLC and Donna Holdorf, executive director of the National Road Heritage Corridor.
• 8:45 to 9:30 a.m. – “Waterfront Development Tax Credit – What it Means for Mon River Towns” by Jay Sukernak, vice president and CFO of Riverlife.
• 9:45 to 10:30 a.m. – “Greenspace, Recreation and Resilient Economies – A New Perspective” by Lisa Brown, director of Environmental Initiatives and Projects for Economic Development South.
• 10:45 to 11:10 a.m. – “River Towns: A Statewide Perspective” by Lindsay Baxter, program manager of energy and climate, Pennsylvania Environmental Council.
• 11:10 to 11:30 a.m. – “The Improving Mon River – Locks and Dams and Sustainable Energy Opportunities” by John Confer, professor at Cal U.
Registration fee is $15, payable to National Road Heritage Corridor. Registration forms are available by faxing 724-437-6550 or emailing donnah@nationalroadpa.org. Deadline to register is Sept. 12. Send forms and payment to: National Road Heritage Corridor,
65 W. Main St., Suite 103, Uniontown, PA 15401.
For more information, call Cathy McCollom at 814-521-3520.