MASSENA -- Small business owners and prospective owners hoping to locate in the village of Massena now have forms, guidelines and resources at their fingertips thanks to efforts from Village Trustee Shelyn Peets.

Peets announced at a recent village board meeting that the new start-up guide was ready and available on the village website.

According to Peets, it was a team effort that included work with Code Enforcement Officer Aaron Hardy and Code Enforcement Secretary Jame Caruso.

“Aaron and I teamed up and we’re meeting with James, and we came up with new guidelines on how to start a business in the village,” Peets told trustees.

Peets said both she and Trustee Ken McGowan would be available to assist any business owners who have questions or concerns. Both are on the Economic and Community Development Committee.

The move to formalize and organize the requirements and other guidelines comes as Peets has been assisting local businesses move downtown and expand.

In one such case, Peet said she was contacted by a property owner that was seeking a renter but said they were having issues locating a viable business. The property owner even offered a free month of rent to incentivize someone to locate in the space.

Peets said she was "inundated with interest" after word got out, saying there was retail interest that included a tanning salon, candy store, pet store, karate studio and even possibly St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce.

For more information visit  https://massena.us/DocumentCenter/View/1781/VOM-Business-Development-Process-and-Requirements