Public Invited to Participate in Development of Arts and Culture Strategic Master Plan for Broome and Tioga Counties

(BROOME COUNTY, NY) - Broome and Tioga Counties are pleased to launch the development of a joint Arts and Culture Strategic Master Plan (the Plan). This Plan is a collaborative effort to create a unified vision for arts, culture, and creative expression across the counties and will build a strategic roadmap to celebrate the region's cultural diversity, foster economic vitality, and enrich the community.

The Plan will also serve as an update to the 2009 Susquehanna Heritage Area Management Plan and seeks to empower stakeholders from arts, cultural, and historic preservation organizations, businesses, local and regional institutions, and municipal entities to maximize the economic and community impact of the arts and cultural sectors in Broome and Tioga Counties.

The public engagement process for the Plan kicks off with a virtual public meeting scheduled for Wednesday, March 25, 2026, from 12:00 - 1:00 pm via Zoom. The meeting will include a presentation that introduces the Plan, overviews the preliminary arts and culture asset inventory, and gathers input from the public. Register on the project website for the zoom link: artsculturebroometioga.com/get-involved.

The Project Team will also host two in-person listening sessions in April to share information and create opportunities for the public to provide critical feedback on arts and culture assets to inform the Plan's development. The listening sessions are open to the public and will include interactive activities and group discussions to better understand challenges and opportunities impacting arts, culture, and heritage assets in the region. Two different listening sessions will be offered, one in Broome County and the other in Tioga County. Each listening session will present the same material, so choose the one that is most convenient for you:

• 5:30 - 7:30 pm, Wednesday, April 29 at Roberson Museum (30 Front St, Binghamton, NY 13905)
• 5:30 - 7:30 pm, Thursday, April 30 at Neighborhood Depot (146 Central Ave, Owego, NY 13827)

Registration for the listening session is encouraged but not required. To register please visit: www.artsculturebroometioga.com/get-involved.

If you require any assistive technologies, language translation, American Sign Language interpretation, and/or adaptive strategies to attend and engage at these meetings, please contact Emma Falkenstein with Highland Planning at 585-504-1672 or [email protected] at least three (3) business days in advance of the meeting.

Take the Arts, Culture, and Heritage Surveyon the project website to share additional thoughts. The survey will be open through June 2026.

Visit the project website, artsculturebroometioga.comto learn more about the Plan and opportunities to get involved!

This Plan is funded by the Empire State Development Strategic Planning and Feasibility Studies Grant Program, with support from Broome County, The Agency, Tioga County, and Experience Tioga.