The long waited and long planned for Mohawk Towpath Byway Summit was held Thursday, March 20, 2014, at the Century House in Latham.

The Annual Report for 2013 was available and distributed at sign in.  The State of the Byway message drew much of the content from the Annual report.  John Scherer summarized the heritage areas and the historic neighborhoods noting the character of each of the communities.  Peter Bardunias and Deb Rausch discussed the significance and impacts on our local economy.  Luncheon buffet by the Century House was elegant with hot and cold entrées offered.

Congressman Paul Tonko included encouraging and inspirational comments in his keynote address and introduced the concept of community esteem.  Our communities’ rising esteem makes it easy to provide a memorable visitor experience.

The afternoon sessions encouraged our municipal partners to endorse the Scenic Conservation Action Plan.  A motion was made and seconded to bring the Village of Scotia and Town of Glenville into the Byway Corridor.  The afternoon was wrapped up with a facilitated session with participants offering suggestions on what can the Byway do for your community and what is happening in your local community that can help the Byway as  we work toward our goal of a regional and world class tourist destination.

Thank you to all of you who participated in the Summit and contributed to its success.