NORWICH – The Norwich area will benefit from $50,000 in economic development money to make the case in the first round of the America’s Best Communities contest (ABC), a $10 million nationwide initiative to stimulate economic revitalization in small towns and cities.

The Norwich community is one of only 50 quarterfinalists across the U.S. in the competition. And with only four communities selected in New York (the other three being the towns of LeRoy and Webster, and Livingston County – each of which are in the Greater Rochester area), Norwich is the only city east of the Finger Lakes to be awarded in New York State.

The contest, launched in September of 2014, is for cities and towns with populations of 9,500 to 80,000. On Tuesday, the competition’s coperate sponsors (Frontier Communications, DISH Network, CoBank and The Weather Channel) publicly announced that Norwich has advanced into the quarterfinals of this innovative competition.

With the clock now ticking, Norwich and Commerce Chenango, along with their corporate strategic partner Chobani, have until November to complete their revitalization plans and compete for up to $3 million to bring their ideas to life.

Commerce Chenango President and CEO Steve Craig said, “This is yet another exciting opportunity to execute a plan for economic development within Chenango County.”