Adapting & Thriving
Adapting & Thriving
Visitors to Ellicottville can be assured our town is clean and calm.
We all have read headline after headline of ‘new normal’, ‘embrace the shift’, ‘pivot into a new way of living’ … it is cumbersome and only adds to the stress of everything. People by nature do not like change; it is messy and when you feel it is forced upon you, going with the flow becomes that much more difficult. Now let’s throw in contradicting media views and polarized social media platforms, and you have a sure recipe for chaos and confusion.
But not in Ellicottville.
Ellicottville seamlessly overnight adjusted their sails and continued forward. As a tourist community, you need to be malleable while still protecting your workforce, community, business owners and visitors. Really, not much has changed, due in large part to the rural setting and recreational lifestyle already championed by many in this area. There is no shortage of lush, picturesque nature to explore and discover in Cattaraugus County.
This transition was shuffled in by a strong Chamber of Commerce working closely with the State and its businesses to provide real time information. This allowed for well-informed decisions to be made. Because of this, everything seems relatively ‘normal’ here. Yes, there are masks, partitions and an extra awareness of physical spacing, but otherwise everyone is calm and enjoying that “je ne sais quoi” people flock to Ellicottville for.
“I was in town from the Silver Creek area with my mother to shop and have lunch at Katy’s Cafe; the atmosphere surprised me the most,” said William Newman, a visitor who had not been to Ellicottville for years. “We felt comfortable and most importantly so did everyone around us.” This took Newman by surprise due to the fact that other places he’d visited still seemed on edge.
Digging further into why it was so different here, I caught up with Brian McFadden, Executive Director of the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce. As an Ellicottville resident myself, I had not realized that there was such a stark contrast between Ellicottville and other areas.
McFadden told me about how the first few months the Chamber website homepage was solely about COVID-19 with links to all necessary information. “More recently, we closely monitor Federal, State and Local websites looking for guidance, executive orders and other pertinent guidelines as they are published. A lot of guidance is hidden in the question and answer sections of websites like the state liquor authority (SLA) and unless you are continually monitoring these sites, they can be missed.”
The needs of the businesses vary depending on the industry and McFadden has members in a database that is separated by industry type. “Sometimes a State Executive Order, SLA, CDC, or County directive pertains to licensed establishments only, so that is who would receive the notice. The same holds true with retail and lodging members.” By doing extensive database work, the Chamber was able to disseminate information to those who needed it as quickly as really one could hope for.
Chamber Project Development Manager, Barb Pump, was an integral part of branding how we expect not only businesses to act but visitors as well. In an idea she saw another community use, the EVL Pledge was developed.
“Our Members Pledge to You: We will follow, enforce, and adhere to the health and safety guidelines as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New York Department of Health and industry-specific governing bodies including:
Cleaning and sanitizing all surfaces throughout the day.
Implementing health checks on employees daily.
Mandating that employees who have any signs of illness stay home.
Implement and enforce social distancing and follow recommended capacity guidelines.
Immediately report employee or customer infections to enable contact tracing.
Require that employees wear protective gear, such as face masks.
Train employees on COVID-19 safety procedures and clearly communicate expectations regarding customers wearing face masks.
Complete the NY forward reopening plan and attest to same with the State of New York”
Really when you boil it all down, “This was pretty straightforward,” said McFadden. “Follow the guidance, let the community and visitors know we are all serious about it and keep pushing everyone to be on top of the issues.” The Chamber purchased TV ads letting visitors know that our businesses were being strict about the Federal and State issued mandates and we expected visitors to be as well.
The Chamber and local business owners chose to band together and weather the economic impact of this pandemic. There is an old French Proverb, “Mieux vaut plier que rompre” with a literal meaning of “better to bend than break”; at its core it means Adapt & Survive, but I would argue Ellicottville is Adapting and Thriving.