News
Chamber News & Meetings & Minutes
The Chamber meets every second Tuesday at 11am at the E-Center which is located at 5 1/2 Main Street. Our next meeting is Tuesday, April 8th, at 11:00am.
We welcome members to come discuss their ideas for strengthening our business community as well as share information on upcoming events and more.
February 2025 Board Meeting Greater Delhi Area Chamber of Commerce
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 - 10:00am
Meeting called to order at 10:00am
Lisa Wisely, President, presiding
Board members present: Valerie Nichols, Dave Rama, Matt Marchese, Matt Krzyston, Doug Perrett, Jerry Pellegrino, Abbey Wilson, Jim Smart
Mixers/Events
Next mixer is on February 18th at Picc’s Pub from 5-7pm. Star award recipients are Jim and Cindy Smart, Community Volunteer Star
St. Patrick’s Day Parade is Saturday, March 22nd at noon. The Chamber is a sponsor at $500
Farmers’ Market – there is an opportunity to add EBT as an acceptable form of payment at the market. More details are needed before the board votes on this but the cost of the equipment to process the payment is approximately $2,000. The board sees no issues with paying for the hardware but again needs more information on the logistics prior to approval. Meg, our liaison for the market, will also need to be included in the discussions.
Marketing
Membership push: emails went out on 1/15/25 with the next correspondence being a direct mailer with a focus on membership renewals
Pellegrino Grant – Lisa will circulate current criteria/application to all board members for review. Once the board agrees on the terms, the grant application/opportunity will be advertised.
Doug suggested a change to the panel that reviews the applications. His goal is to diversify the review panel. He will recruit and present a list of potential judges to the rest of the board. The board unanimously approved this motion.
It was noted that Jim Smart should be noted as a valuable resource for those businesses looking to apply but unsure of the approach
New Business
Trailer sale – The Chamber’s trailer that had been utilized in the past for parades is being sold. Matt M. will be spearheading this effort.
The Beautification Committee is currently restructuring members. Andrea has provided the Chamber with a list of projects and associated costs for 2025. The board unanimously approved to support half of the costs in the amount of $4,100
Discussion was held on a possible grant opportunity in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension and Delaware Opportunities. This grant opportunity could provide funding to promote local food and products and enhance advertising efforts for the Farmers’ Market.
Advocacy
Matt K discussed several items happening at the Town and County level
Making local government more user friendly by allowing some applications and licenses to be available online
Tax sharing discussions continue to take place
Design criteria for the Village of Delhi – Matt would like to readdress this topic (previously presented to the Village in 2023). Matt and Jim will draft a design document to present to the Chamber Board before it moves on to the Village Board for review
The Village of Delhi has new parking signs for Hoyt Park.
Board Member Updates
Welcome newest board member Jim Smart!
The Board voted to make the following changes to bank account signatories:
Delaware National Bank of Delhi
Add: Lisa Wisely, Gerald Pellegrino
Remove: Hope Knapp, Laura Stewart, Gennaro Pellegrino, Tanya Fedo
Community Bank
Add: Gerald Pellegrino
Remove: Celine DeCarlo
Member Updates
Abbey discussed several events taking place at SUNY Delhi or in partnership with SUNY Delhi.
Regional Economic Council meeting on February 13th at 3:00pm held at Bluestone
Inauguration for SUNY Delhi President on April 3rd
Nini of Tay Tea discussed an event at her new location 84 Main Street
Red Party from 4-7 on Saturday, February 15th
Meeting adjourned at 11am. Next month’s board meeting will be on Tuesday, March 11th at 10am and membership meeting at 11am
The Chamber meets every second Tuesday at 11am at the E-Center which is located at 5 1/2 Main Street. Our next meeting is Tuesday, March 11th, at 11:00am.
We welcome members to come discuss their ideas for strengthening our business community as well as share information on upcoming events and more.
January 2025 Board Meeting Greater Delhi Area Chamber of Commerce Tuesday, January 14, 2025 - 10:00am
Meeting called to order at 10:00am
Lisa Wisely, President, presiding
Board members present: Valerie Nichols, Dave Rama, Matt Marchese, Matt Krzyston, Amanda Faulk-Ghidinelli, Doug Perrett, Jerry Pellegrino
• Mixers/Events
— Next mixer will be held at Tay Tea on Tuesday, February 18th from 5pm – 7pm. Let’s help celebrate Tay Tea’s new location at 84 Main Street, Delhi
— St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be on Saturday, March 22nd. The Chamber will once again sponsor the event with a $500 donation
▪ A discussion was held regarding the Chamber’s trailer that has been used for previous parades. A motion was presented and unanimously passed to sell the trailer as it did not represent GDACC in a positive way.
• Marketing
— One of the Farmer’s Market signs has gone missing. Lisa has additional signs so it will be replaced at the Robert O Mable location.
— Correspondence is being sent out for membership renewal. Valerie will reach out to the Delaware County Chamber for a list of dual memberships.
— Fire & EMS Campaign – Lisa presented an idea to draft a campaign to encourage local support of emergency services both monetarily and for volunteers/members.
• Budget Considerations 2025
— The kiosk located on Main Street is in need of some repair and upgrades. Matt M is going to take the lead on this project. Valerie has offered to assist.
• Advocacy Updates
— Matt K provided an update on sales tax sharing. The County Board continues to receive letters of support for tax sharing. Matt also mentioned that the Town of Delhi is seeking money as the host township (Delhi is the County seat).
• Membership Updates
— Tay Tea has moved to 84 Main Street in Delhi
— Jonah Shaw provided an update on his building in Treadwell. He is currently waiting on permitting from both the Town and the Office of Cannabis Management
— Doug has partnered with the senior class of Delaware Academy in a fundraising effort - classic DA apparel sale.
• Board Member Updates
— Julian Peploe has resigned from the board
— Matt M presented a motion to invite Jim Short to join the board. The motion was seconded by Matt K with the stipulation of Jim becoming a member.
Meeting adjourned at 11am. Next month’s board meeting will be on Tuesday, February 11th at 10am and membership meeting at 11am.
As residents and business owners who make up the board of the Greater Delhi Area Chamber of Commerce, we wanted to take this opportunity to express our appreciation for all the first responders in our area and let the community and visitors know the various ways you can support and contribute to the fire and EMS departments that do everything possible to ensure the safety of you, your home, and your business.
Who Are Our First Responders?
They are all volunteers. They are our neighbors, our co-workers, and our friends. These are individuals who are always on standby, ready to drop whatever they are doing to race to a call.
A recent study by the Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) concluded that volunteers save the taxpayers of Delaware County around $68 million in property taxes as opposed to having paid firefighters.
How Are They Funded?
While fire and emergency services in Delaware County are volunteer-based, there is a definite need for funding to ensure they have everything required to respond to the needs of our area. That funding comes from a combination of local taxes, government grants, and fundraising efforts.
What You Can Do to Help
Volunteerism
Volunteering: Many fire departments, especially in areas like Delaware County, rely almost exclusively on volunteers. Individuals can volunteer their time to assist in various roles, such as firefighting, emergency medical services, administration, or fundraising.
Corporate Volunteering: Businesses can encourage their employees to volunteer for fire and EMS services by providing flexible hours, organizing team volunteer events, or offering paid time off for volunteering.
Donate
Monetary Donations: Individuals and businesses can contribute financial support to local fire and EMS departments. These donations help fund equipment purchases, training, facility maintenance, and operating expenses.
In-kind Donations: Local businesses may donate goods or services that help fire and EMS departments, such as office supplies, food and beverages for volunteers, or even equipment.
Fundraising
Corporate Sponsorships: Local businesses can become sponsors for fire and EMS-related events or specific projects, such as the purchase of new fire trucks or medical equipment.
Community Fundraisers: Our local fire and EMS services often hold or collaborate on fundraising events, such as dinners, raffles, auctions, car washes, and benefit events. Individuals and businesses can volunteer to help organize, sponsor, and support these events.
Equipment Donations
Direct Equipment Purchases: Individuals or businesses can make large contributions toward purchasing specific tools or apparatus, such as defibrillators, firefighting hoses, or personal protective equipment.
Used Equipment: Businesses that are upgrading their equipment might donate their older items to fire and EMS services, such as computers, medical supplies, or even vehicles.
These are just a few of the ways that individuals and businesses can support our local fire and EMS services. We as a Chamber of Commerce will look for ways to support and advocate for those who serve us anywhere we can.
Where can I learn more?
Delaware County Emergency Services is an office in Delaware County that coordinates a variety of tasks regarding emergency management in the county. They coordinate emergency responders, EMS and fire training, 911 oversight, and manage elements of the Delaware County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. You can visit their website to learn about upcoming training sessions and read about the best ways to prepare for an emergency.
Below are Fire & EMS Departments that serve the Greater Delhi Area:
Bloomville Fire Department & EMS
Bovina Fire Department & EMS
Delhi Fire Department & EMS, also has a station in Hamden, NY
East Meredith Fire & EMS Department
Meridale Fire & EMS Department
Treadwell Fire & EMS
Delaware County Firefighters Association
We wanted to take a minute to let our members know how to go about promoting an event that you are hosting. As board members and those active in the Chamber, we currently get phone calls, text messages, messages through Facebook, messages through Instagram, people stopping us on the street. We are not able to keep track of the volume of requests and information you are sharing so we’d love to tell you how we can best help you.
Please note, we share events that your business hosts. We do not share every businesses regular hours or when they are regularly open. This would be too much for us to keep track of. If you have special hours for a specific weekend or are making a major change to your regular hours, we can absolutely promote that.
Option #1— Submit your event to our EVENTS calendar.
Our calendar can be updated by you directly. We are alerted when an event is submitted. This allows us to approve your event and then promote it through our social media and/or wherever appropriate.
Click here to find our EVENTS listing page. At the top of the page you will find information about how to submit an event to our calendar.
We suggest you also do the same for the County tourism site which can be found here.
Option #2— Tag us in your Instagram Post
If you are an Instagram user, the easiest way for us to share information about your event is for you to create an Instagram POST that we can easily share. Include us by using @visitdelhiNY or tag us #visitdelhiny. We search both often, we will find your post and we will share it if appropriate. For tips on how to create a successful event post on your social media, read our article here. We prefer to promote static posts in your Instagram or Facebook feed that does not contain music. Providing a static posts (not animated or video without sound) allows us for a greater capability to share.
Option #3— Send an email
Provide all the details that we will need including an image or graphic to hello@visitdelhiny.org. Sending us just the name and the date of the event is not enough. Full details are required in order for us to promote properly.
Following these methods over text or messages on other platforms will allow us to do a better job promoting. As always, the more time you give us to promote the event, the better.
In the next two weeks, Chamber Members with expired memberships will receive an invoice with the option to renew. We have been organizing our membership database, which has taken time, so some memberships expired months ago. Regardless of when your membership has expired, once you renew, your membership will begin again at that time.
While managing memberships on the backend, we continued to treat expired accounts as active members. After invoices are sent, each expired membership must be renewed to access the benefits of Chamber membership. Read about membership benefits here.
Keep an eye on your inbox for your membership invoice, and consider renewing your membership with us. If you have any questions about your membership, do not hesitate to email us at hello@visitdelhiny.org.
December 2024 Board Meeting Greater Delhi Area Chamber of Commerce
Tuesday, December 10, 2024 - 10:00am
Meeting called to order at 10:00am
Lisa Wisely, President, presiding
Board members present: Valerie Nichols, Dave Rama, Matt Marchese, Matt Krzyston, Amanda Faulk-Ghidinelli, Doug Perrett, Christina Viafore
Mixers/Events
Next mixer proposed to be held at the American Legion in February 2025.
Holiday Parade Recap – great turn out for both spectators and participants. Suggestions made:
Holiday Parade committee to meet in August
Adding a speaker midway down the street to increase the audio of the MC and music for those spectators past This & That
Tree lighting event to be more structured with the addition of a countdown with Santa and Mrs. Claus
Judges for this year’s floats were Polly Dellacrosse, Mayor Gearhart, and Delhi Town Supervisor Maya Boukai. The theme for this year’s parade was Holiday on the Farm. The winners are Delhi Telephone Company, SUNY Delhi Vet Science, and Delaware Academy’s marching band.
Event Committee’s need more people to assist so it does not fall on one person
Marketing
Continue to share local events with the chamber
Yearend email – Correspondence will be drafted to highlight 2024, create excitement for 2025, and generate new membership.
Additional marketing piece for mixers will be created and posted on the boards at The Hollow and Dubbens to invite people to attend and join the Chamber.
Policies & Procedures
Non-disclosure agreements were distributed and signed by all board members present.
Advocacy Updates
Matt K provided an update on sales tax sharing. The County Board will be discussing this topic in January for 2026 fiscal year.
Discussion was held on the price of gas in Delhi compared to surrounding townships.
Membership Updates
December 20th Main Street Holiday Event. Main Street businesses will be organizing an event for December 20th to drive foot traffic to local shops during the holiday season. More details to come…
Increase awareness that the Chamber is always looking for new board members via newsletters, mixers and website
Board Member Elections/Nominations
Executive positions were discussed. The following were presented and voted on without objection:
President – Lisa Wisely
Vice President – Jerry Pellegrino
Treasurer – Lisa Wisely
Secretary – Valerie Nichols
Meeting adjourned at 11am. Next month’s board meeting will be on Tuesday, January 14th at 10am and membership meeting at 11am.
The Chamber meets every second Tuesday at 11am at the E-Center which is located at 5 1/2 Main Street. Our next meeting is Tuesday, January 14th, at 11:00am.
We welcome members to come discuss their ideas for strengthening our business community as well as share information on upcoming events and more.
We wanted to take a minute to let our members know how to go about promoting an event that you are hosting. As board members and those active in the Chamber, we currently get phone calls, text messages, messages through Facebook, messages through Instagram, people stopping us on the street. We are not able to keep track of the volume of requests and information you are sharing so we’d love to tell you how we can best help you.
Please note, we share events that your business hosts. We do not share every businesses regular hours or when they are regularly open. This would be too much for us to keep track of. If you have special hours for a specific weekend or are making a major change to your regular hours, we can absolutely promote that.
Option #1— Submit your event to our EVENTS calendar.
Our calendar can be updated by you directly. We are alerted when an event is submitted. This allows us to approve your event and then promote it through our social media and/or wherever appropriate.
Click here to find our EVENTS listing page. At the top of the page you will find information about how to submit an event to our calendar.
We suggest you also do the same for the County tourism site which can be found here.
Option #2— Tag us in your Instagram Post
If you are an Instagram user, the easiest way for us to share information about your event is for you to create an Instagram POST that we can easily share. Include us by using @visitdelhiNY or tag us #visitdelhiny. We search both often, we will find your post and we will share it if appropriate. For tips on how to create a successful event post on your social media, read our article here. We prefer to promote static posts in your Instagram or Facebook feed that does not contain music. Providing a static posts (not animated or video without sound) allows us for a greater capability to share.
Option #3— Send an email
Provide all the details that we will need including an image or graphic to hello@visitdelhiny.org. Sending us just the name and the date of the event is not enough. Full details are required in order for us to promote properly.
Following these methods over text or messages on other platforms will allow us to do a better job promoting. As always, the more time you give us to promote the event, the better.
The Chamber meets every second Tuesday at 11am at the E-Center which is located at 5 1/2 Main Street. Our next meeting is Tuesday, December 10th, at 11:00am.
We welcome members to come discuss their ideas for strengthening our business community as well as share information on upcoming events and more.
The Chamber meets every second Tuesday at 11am at the E-Center which is located at 5 1/2 Main Street. Our next meeting is Tuesday, November 12th, at 11:00am.
We welcome members to come discuss their ideas for strengthening our business community as well as share information on upcoming events and more.
The Chamber meets every second Tuesday at 11am at the E-Center which is located at 5 1/2 Main Street. Our next meeting is Tuesday, October 8th, at 11:00am.
We welcome members to come discuss their ideas for strengthening our business community as well as share information on upcoming events and more.
The Chamber meets every second Tuesday at 11am at the E-Center which is located at 5 1/2 Main Street. Our next meeting is Tuesday, September 10th, at 11:00am.
We welcome members to come discuss their ideas for strengthening our business community as well as share information on upcoming events and more.
Where’s Waldo in Delhi, NY, was a massive success for the village of Delhi. The scavenger hunt-style event hosted by The Lost Bookshop in partnership with Candlewick Press and the American Booksellers Association garnered over 250 participants. A cardboard cut out of the children’s book character, Waldo, was hidden in 25 local shops around Delhi. Participants went from shop to shop looking for Waldo and in exchange, received a stamp in their Where’s Waldo passport book. Those who spotted at least 20 Waldo’s were entered in a raffle to win prizes this past Wednesday, July 31st. Over 30 participants won prizes that were donated by local businesses. There was even a real life Waldo in the crowd!
This event was a huge success for the business community as each of the 250+ participants went into local shops, many for the first time, exposing them to the wonderful items and beautiful stores that make Delhi a great place to shop.
Congratulations to all of the participants and a huge thank you to The Lost Bookshop for their organizing efforts and to the 25 other businesses that hid Waldo and welcomed participants for the month of July!
The Chamber meets every second Tuesday at 11am at the E-Center which is located at 5 1/2 Main Street. Our next meeting is Tuesday, August 13th, at 11:00am.
We welcome members to come discuss their ideas for strengthening our business community as well as share information on upcoming events and more.
Greater Delhi Area Chamber of Commerce Board Meeting Minutes
In attendance: Lisa Wisely, Matt Krzyston, Abby Wilson, Dave Rama Sr. Jerry Pellegrino, James Arrufat.
Community Bank Balance 7/9/2024 $16,906.64
Delaware National Checking 5/31/2024 $33,113
· Holiday Weekend
o Overwhelming response from farmers market vendors and business owners was that it was a great holiday weekend. Farmers' Markets were sold out, restaurants closed early and/or turned people away cause they were so busy.
o Reports from Farmers' Market vendors was that this was the best day in revenue they have had to date, ever.
o The holiday falling on a Thursday was excellent for business. Lots of visitors and people with house guests.
o There was a feeling that there was a lot of new faces, people buying high ticket items and Jerry suggested we work on ways to get those people here throughout the year, not just over the 4 th of July.
o The board members discussed putting more money to marketing to promote Delhi as a destination to downstaters. Also to put money toward reaching people in Oneonta and drive markets identifying Delhi as worth the drive for food.
o Lisa will put together a marketing plan for 4th Quarter 2024 and 2025 where GDACC will spend money to promote events, dining, shopping, and more.
· Fair in the Square
o Great attendance. Wished we had more information than their Facebook page so people knew what was going on.
o GDACC promotes the Fair on the Square through social, email newsletters and all communication.
· Businesses Open Late 7/5 and 7/26
o The businesses hosted their stay open late event on 7/5 and everyone heard it was a success the businesses.
o They will do it again on 7/26 for the last Fair on the Square.
o Matt suggested we spend money to promote that any other "stay open late events"
o We will set up an ad for the 7/26/2024 event and also promote future open late events as they are organized.
· Next Mixer
o Next mixer is at Strickland Hollow Farm on Tuesday, September 10 th 5-7pm (or until the party ends)
o It will be just like the previous one hosted there. Jerry will invite chefs, it will be a fun party.
o Lisa will ask Julian to make the graphics and we will get the event into the calendars and promotion.
· Merchandise
o We all agreed that we were relieved that we did not make merchandise since we are now changing the logo but we would like to start the process.
o Lisa will ask Julian for a file with the new merchandise and Lisa would like to make a bag for the farmers' market in addition to T-shirts. These will be for sale with all proceeds going to support our initiatives and marketing for the businesses.
· New Board Members
o We decided to take nominations for new board members from now through our September 2024 meeting. This is a chance for people to say they would like to be involved. We will accept those nominations and we will determine who will join the board in our September 2024 meeting. We are excited to welcome anyone who is interested in participating in and collaborating with existing board and member businesses. A new board member will be expected to stay on for at least one year but we would prefer a longer commitment with the goal of any board member eventually being able to take on one of the four officer roles of the organization (President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary).
o Board members are expected to be at a board meeting every second Tuesday of the month for one hour and join the member meeting that follows.
o Board meeting head up and/or are a part of individual committees including mixer committee, fundraising committee, member growth, marketing and events to name a few.
· Advocacy
o The Bramley Mountain Fire Tower is still in limbo awaiting a meeting with the state variance committee and then a follow up with the County code enforcement officer.
o The Greater Delhi Area Chamber of Commerce is in full support of the fire tower and think it of benefit to Delhi in many ways.
o James mentioned that they are seeking volunteers to serve as trail stewards when the fire tower is finally open.
· Member Meeting Notes
o Nini from Tay Tea came to the meeting to discuss some safety and security issues that took place at Tay Tea. She asked if there is any way the Chamber can get involved in making the area of her business safer and shared her story with the group to make sure business owners are aware of issues.
o Doug Perette and Jonah Shaw recommended having someone from FORDO come to talk to the members about how we can understand what is going on and mitigate any future issues or tensions with unhoused and recovery populations that use the resources available in Delhi. Abby Wilson is going to spearhead a group discussion with various organizations that are in charge of and/or working with those running these facilities and programs.
o Rachel Watson came to the meeting to discuss a new event that she and Janet Tweed are working on at Hoyt Park and the parking lot that will allow kids free space, free of cars every Sunday from 2-6pm. The first free play is Sunday, July 14 th. Rachel wanted to make businesses aware of this event which the Chamber is promoting.
o Doug from Delco discussed a marketing strategy to reach new students and their parents to introduce and build bonds with the businesses on Main Street as new students arrive on campus. If anyone is interested in working with Doug to reach students and their families, please contact him.
o Next Meeting Tuesday, August 8th, 2024.
The Chamber meets every second Tuesday at 11am at the E-Center which is located at 5 1/2 Main Street. Our next meeting is Tuesday, July 9th, at 11:00am.
We welcome members to come discuss their ideas for strengthening our business community as well as share information on upcoming events and more.
Thank you to all who attended the Summer Mixer Happy Hour! We had a lovely turn out and a fantastic time. A huge thank you to Bizzy Bees Learning Academy and Delhi Work Station for hosting the mixer and another huge thank you to Strickland Hollow who provided delicious drinks and sandwiches!
We used the mixer as an opportunity to award this quarter’s Star Award. Amanda Faulk-Ghidinelli received a Community Business Star for her exceptional business, Bizzy Bees Learning Academy. Bizzy Bees offers a warm, nurturing, and educational environment with influences of modern learning such as Montessori and Waldorf teaching styles in the newly renovated building on Kingston Street. They are proud to offer a space where children feel safe and empowered but most importantly feel included. Families in the greater Delhi area have been positively impacted by Bizzy Bees Learning Academy, and the great reviews of Bizzy Bees keep on coming. The Chamber was happy to recognize Amanda Faulk-Ghidinelli’s hard work with this quarter's Star Award. If you don’t already know about the amazing resource of Bizzy Bees Learning Academy, learn more here.
Thank you to everyone who attended! We look forward to seeing you all at the next mixer.
A goal of the Greater Delhi Area Chamber of Commerce is to make Delhi, NY, a great place to live, work, and play. Helping the area businesses flourish is fundamental to achieving that goal. Each year, the Greater Delhi Area Chamber of Commerce Pellegrino Grant is awarded to two area businesses for the purpose of directly enhancing the charm and appeal of the greater Delhi area through exterior and interior business improvements.
We are proud to share that the two businesses awarded Pellegrino Grants this year are Maple Shade Farm and Hollow. Maple Shade Farm submitted a proposal for signage in line with their new branding and marketing efforts. The custom sign will highlight the entrance to the farm and will be made by local talent John Virga. The solid craftsmanship of Virga’s signs will complement the farm and scenic road where the farm is located. The signage will be the cap of recent improvements to the farm business including an updated marketing launch and capital improvements like recent paint and roof projects. Hollow will paint the exterior walls of their cafe on the corner of Main and Division Streets, as an effort to add visual interest and beautify one of the more visible corners in the village. Additionally, the cafe will also add signage and outdoor seating.
We are happy to support the beautification efforts of these two local businesses and look forward to seeing the improvements in the upcoming year! If you’d like to submit a proposal for a Pellegrino Grant in the future, applications go live each January. Join our mailing list to receive updates and reminders about the grant direct to your inbox.
