Core to the development of the Future Profile is the results of the Master Plan 2020 Village Profile Survey as detailed in Appendix - Master Plan 2020 Village Profile Survey Results. Over 200 responses were registered and their voting/input was collected and aggregated. The graph below presents the ranking of each of the Characteristic Groups. It should be noted that all of the Characteristic Groups received scoring in excess of 50%, which denotes a majority of respondents were in favor of these Characteristic Groups for defining the future vision of the Village of Herkimer.
For the sake of brevity, the details of the survey input are provided in full in the Appendix S, allowing this section to provide summarizations of these results that will provide foundation of the Future Profile of the Village of Herkimer via this Master Plan 2020.
For the sake of brevity, the details of the survey input are provided in full in the Appendix S, allowing this section to provide summarizations of these results that will provide foundation of the Future Profile of the Village of Herkimer via this Master Plan 2020.
It is clear from the survey results above that the respondents of the survey were very much aligned with, and in favor of the Village of Herkimer transforming into the Retail Center Hub of Herkimer County. This is based on the expected economic impact that developing the Village to be the center of the County’s commercial offerings would provide the Village both in the increase of services made available to those that reside and/or work in the Village, but also the expected increase in visitors, travelers, and tourists to the Village. The positive economic impact would include more businesses occupying the Village, creating more jobs, and supporting a higher tax base for Village operations.
The Characteristic Group of Infrastructure Fitness came in second place in the survey, which focuses on road and sidewalk maintenance and improved zoning and zoning enforcement. It is viewed by a majority of the respondents that the Village has evolved to its current state of economic demise due to the lack of a well-defined Master Plan and the lack of enforcement of the existing zoning laws. Therefore it is imperative that this Master Plan provide a clear profile of the Village in the year 2020 and beyond, but that the execution of this plan include an unwavering adherence by all residents and businesses to the zoning laws put in place to ensure that vision is achieved.
Clustered in the middle ranks are Characteristic Groups that focus on topics of community enrichment, such as Family Focused Community.
Also sharing the mid-range of survey responses are several Characteristic Groups that are expected to enhance the economic demographic of the Village of Herkimer. This is exampled by the Characteristic Group regarding Appealing to the Evolving High-Tech Workforce, which is focused on enhancing the Village of Herkimer to appeal to this high-tech workforce.
Historically this was not a demographic that would be applicable to the Village of Herkimer. However this has recently shifted as a result of the Nano Utica program located less than 20 miles away in Marcy, NY. This investment by New York State is forecasted to bring over 1,200 high-tech jobs to the region as reported by Teri Weaver (of Syracuse Media Group), with the full article in Appendix B1 – Nano Utica Employment Impact (see http://www.newyorkupstate.com/utica/2016/08/ny_board_oks_spending_636_mill.html).
This is one of dozens of articles/reports that have forecasted the positive economic impact that the Nano Utica facility will have on the region. Another article forecasts that the average salary of those employed at, what they refer to as the Quad-C facility is $91,000 per year Appendix B2 – Computer Chip Commercialization Center (Quad-C) (see https://sunypoly.edu/nanoutica/quadc?cms=webace), which is significantly above the existing average salary of Herkimer residents of roughly $35,000.
Integrated with the opportunity for Herkimer to be appealing to the growing high-tech workforce, is the other Characteristic Group centered on Supporting a Rich Cultural Mix. Herkimer’s current profile is over 90% White and roughly 2% each for Hispanic, Black, Asian and has not nurtured culturally a diverse services profile such as dining, shopping, and entertainment. However, according to the Diversity in High Tech report (see https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/reports/hightech/), the high-tech industry profiles the workforce as being roughly 70% white, 15% Asian, and both Black and Hispanic accounting for roughly 7% each.
To support appealing to the evolving high-tech workforce, it is reasonable to assume that Herkimer must also evolve to be more supportive of cultural diversity. That will not only enhance the appeal of Herkimer, but will also provide a richer cultural experience of the residents of Herkimer, which will enhance their awareness of the cultural diversity that exists beyond the borders of Herkimer.
The Characteristic Group of Infrastructure Fitness came in second place in the survey, which focuses on road and sidewalk maintenance and improved zoning and zoning enforcement. It is viewed by a majority of the respondents that the Village has evolved to its current state of economic demise due to the lack of a well-defined Master Plan and the lack of enforcement of the existing zoning laws. Therefore it is imperative that this Master Plan provide a clear profile of the Village in the year 2020 and beyond, but that the execution of this plan include an unwavering adherence by all residents and businesses to the zoning laws put in place to ensure that vision is achieved.
Clustered in the middle ranks are Characteristic Groups that focus on topics of community enrichment, such as Family Focused Community.
Also sharing the mid-range of survey responses are several Characteristic Groups that are expected to enhance the economic demographic of the Village of Herkimer. This is exampled by the Characteristic Group regarding Appealing to the Evolving High-Tech Workforce, which is focused on enhancing the Village of Herkimer to appeal to this high-tech workforce.
Historically this was not a demographic that would be applicable to the Village of Herkimer. However this has recently shifted as a result of the Nano Utica program located less than 20 miles away in Marcy, NY. This investment by New York State is forecasted to bring over 1,200 high-tech jobs to the region as reported by Teri Weaver (of Syracuse Media Group), with the full article in Appendix B1 – Nano Utica Employment Impact (see http://www.newyorkupstate.com/utica/2016/08/ny_board_oks_spending_636_mill.html).
This is one of dozens of articles/reports that have forecasted the positive economic impact that the Nano Utica facility will have on the region. Another article forecasts that the average salary of those employed at, what they refer to as the Quad-C facility is $91,000 per year Appendix B2 – Computer Chip Commercialization Center (Quad-C) (see https://sunypoly.edu/nanoutica/quadc?cms=webace), which is significantly above the existing average salary of Herkimer residents of roughly $35,000.
Integrated with the opportunity for Herkimer to be appealing to the growing high-tech workforce, is the other Characteristic Group centered on Supporting a Rich Cultural Mix. Herkimer’s current profile is over 90% White and roughly 2% each for Hispanic, Black, Asian and has not nurtured culturally a diverse services profile such as dining, shopping, and entertainment. However, according to the Diversity in High Tech report (see https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/reports/hightech/), the high-tech industry profiles the workforce as being roughly 70% white, 15% Asian, and both Black and Hispanic accounting for roughly 7% each.
To support appealing to the evolving high-tech workforce, it is reasonable to assume that Herkimer must also evolve to be more supportive of cultural diversity. That will not only enhance the appeal of Herkimer, but will also provide a richer cultural experience of the residents of Herkimer, which will enhance their awareness of the cultural diversity that exists beyond the borders of Herkimer.