Candor is walking...and talking business
By Wendy Post
On October 29, 2001, Candor residents met at the Candor Town Hall for a Community Pride meeting that was organized by the Tioga County Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP) program. As a result of REAP's efforts, many ideas surfaced at the community meeting that were deemed important by a broad base of Candor residents. This "visioning" session gave concerned citizens an opportunity to voice improvements they would like to see. Among the suggestions were improved village sidewalks with lighting, reduced speed limit along Rt. 96 B, and hiking trails.
In 2003, the Candor area was selected to participate in the BMTS Walkable Community Initiative, which is a pilot program funded by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant that provides Walkable Community training for municipalities within only nine urban areas nationwide. Two experts in community planning for walking and biking, Charles Gandy and Peter Moe, were on hand to advise of the options available to help make the community more walking friendly. Members of the Candor community attended the 4-hour "Walkable Community" workshop on May 16, 2003 at the Candor Fire Hall. The intent of the meeting was to help develop realistic strategies to make the Candor area a safer and more pleasant place to walk and bicycle.
Out of the meeting came several suggestions and potential projects. These prospective projects were summarized in a report and presented to the Village Board, the Town Board, and the Town Planning Board of Candor for comments. It was decided that a subcommittee of the Town Planning Board would be formed to pursue writing a plan, which addressed the important aspects of the report. The plan outlines what is important to Candor residents with regards to improving pedestrian and bicycling traffic. The intent of the plan is to give direction for future efforts. This direction will help direct our village and town planning, as well as serve as a tool for planning roadwork in the future with NYS Department of Transportation. According to Barb Fay, Committee Chairperson, "the committee will be moving forward again in the spring."
Another project for improvement in Candor is the development of a business incubator. The Candor Business Center (CBC) is a self-sustaining "business incubator" designed to empower and guide successful local business start-up, incubation, and maturation. CBC is all about "job creation". CBC believes that by providing the environment, tools and mentorship, entrepreneurs can move ideas and concepts into real business endeavors.
The CBC was incorporated in November of 2003 and received its IRS 501(c)(3) status in June 2004. It's first major undertaking was the 2005 Candor Community Directory, which was distributed in December 2004. The CBC is currently located at 83 Main Street in Candor. To reach someone at the CBC you can call 659-7991 or e-mail Ron Fay at
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