POTSDAM -- The first public Open House for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22 at the Town of Potsdam Community Room, 18 Elm Street.

A short presentation about the DRI program will be held at 6:15 and again at 7 p.m. The open house is an opportunity for the public to learn about the DRI and share ideas to improve quality of life, generate jobs and leverage private investment in the heart of the community.

The open house will include a variety of activity stations designed to inform the public about the DRI and to gather public input. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak with the consultant team and state partners.

The open house will be the first of three public informational meetings throughout the DRI process. In addition to open houses, the consultant team will be conducting stakeholder group meetings and facilitating informal “pop-up” stations at various locations throughout downtown over the next month.

In addition to the public open house, the second meeting of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative Local Planning Committee (LPC) is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21 at the Village Civic Center Community Room, 2 Park Street, 3rd Floor. There will be an opportunity for public comment at the end of the meeting.

The Local Planning Committee (LPC) is made up of local and regional leaders, stakeholders, and community representatives. LPC members will attend a variety of meetings at which they will be asked to brainstorm ideas, provide direction to consultants, review planning products, and prioritize actions. Mayor Reinhold Tischler and SUNY Potsdam President Kristin Esterberg are the Potsdam LPC co-chairs.

The consultant team selected to assist in developing the DRI strategic investment plan is being led by M.J. Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (MJ) of Clifton Park and includes Environmental Design & Research, Landscape Architecture, Engineering & Environmental Services, D.P.C., CLA SITE Landscape Architecture, Engineering & Planning, PC, Lacey Thaler Reilly Wilson, E.M. Pemrick and Company, and Captain Consultants, LLC.

The DRI is a comprehensive approach intended to boost local economies by transforming communities into vibrant neighborhoods that offer a high quality of life for all residents.

Public engagement is a key component of DRI planning and fundamental to its success by ensuring that all stakeholders have ample opportunity to know and understand the process and its intended outcomes; to comment on the study as it progresses; to express their concerns and contribute ideas; and to participate in building a consensus about the vision for downtown .

Public workshops and engagement activities are being scheduled throughout the effort to encourage public input.

More information about the DRI can be found at www.ny.gov/dri and www.PotsdamDRI.com.