It didn't happen the first year, he says, but there will be other opportunities to apply for federal funds. The county REAP board meets monthly, and Fagan and other strategic partners are invited. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tioga County is working together with Mike Morse, the county's director of economic development and planning, to rewrite the grant proposals that were not funded last year. Rod Howe, an assistant director of Cornell Cooperative Extension, and CaRDI staff are working closely with Fagan to develop successful initiatives in the county. Everyone involved wants to see what works in aiding small, less well-off communities to become entrepreneurial and pull together.
Partnership is the name of the game.