ST.

LAWRENCE COUNTY REOPENING TASK FORCE

5/29/2020 NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

COUNTY BOARD CHAIR APPOINTS REOPENING TASK FORCE

A county-wide task force is bringing together business organizations, economic development
officials, government leaders and public health experts to help guide County and regional efforts to
reopen the county’s economy as quickly and safely as possible.

“Our goal and desire is to ensure that when St Lawrence County is finally and fully reopened we
are confident that we have done everything we could to ensure the health and safety of our
residents and visitors. That has been our number one concern,” said St. Lawrence County
Legislature Chair Joseph Lightfoot, who appointed the working group. The group is working in
cooperation with the County to coordinate restart activities with the Regional Control Room
appointed by the Governor.

“We are working to reopen in a way that lowers the risks posed by this pandemic while allowing our
businesses and our citizens to get back to work,” said St. Lawrence County Industrial Development
Agency CEO Patrick Kelly, who has been appointed Chair of the group.

The task force membership includes:

 Patrick Kelly, CEO, St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency

 Brooke Rouse, Executive Director, St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce
 Dale Rice, Director, SUNY Canton Small Business Development Center
 Patrick Ames, Executive Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County
 Dr. Andrew Williams, MD, Chair, St. Lawrence County Board of Public Health
 Ruth Doyle, St. Lawrence County Administrator
 Dr. Dana Olzenak McGuire, PhD, St. Lawrence County Public Health Director
 Legislator James Reagen (R-Ogdensburg), Public Affairs Aide to Senator Patty Ritchie
 Legislator Nance Arquiett, (D-Stockholm), Business Owner, Public Information Officer
 Legislator Rick Perkins, (D-Parishville), Businessperson

“The task force is helping to coordinate the local public health and economic development response
and providing direction when it becomes available to help get accurate information to businesses,
their employees and their customers,” Kelly said.

As an example, Kelly points out that the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce website
(https://www.visitstlc.com/covid-19/) has information for business owners seeking local suppliers of
business safety supplies and equipment.
The governor has issued new, extensive guidance to retail and other businesses that are allowed to
open under Phase 2, which started for the North Country at 1pm today. The new guidelines can be
found at https://forward.ny.gov/.

The following business categories have been approved for reopening as part of Phase 2 of the State
plan:

 Offices
 Real Estate
 In-Store Retail
 Vehicle Sales, Leases & Rentals
 Retail Rentals, Repairs and Cleaning
 Commercial Building Maintenance
 Hair Salons & Barber Shops

Businesses can utilize the State’s lookup tool to determine whether or not they are eligible for
reopening as part of the State plan at https://www.businessexpress.ny.gov/app/nyforward.

Information regarding the County’s Public Health Department and updated COVID-19 tracking and
resources is available at https://www.stlawco.org/Departments/PublicHealth/.

Businesses needing local help should contact:

Small Business Development Center 315-386-7312, www.nyssbdc.org

St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce 315-386-4000, https://www.visitstlc.com/covid-19/
St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency 315-379-9806, www.slcida.com
St. Lawrence Cooperative Extension 315-379-9192, http://stlawrence.cce.cornell.edu/

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