GOWANDA – “What do YOU want?” was the question of the night recently at the Hollywood Theatre.

Gowanda officials, together with consultants Daniel Riker of C&S companies and Joy Keubler of Joy Keubler Landscape Architect, PC, hosted a public outreach event at the theatre, during which they shared information about the grant-funded Brownfield Opportunity Area Pre-nomination study and asked for feedback from Gowandonians.

“You are one of Gowanda’s most important assets,” Keubler told the crowd. “We need to know what you value about your community, and how you think it can be even better.”

Riker defined “brownfield site” for those assembled, saying it is “real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.”

However, abandoned or derelict properties are often referred to as brownfields, too, even when they aren’t contaminated by past environmental irresponsibility.

But either way you define the term, Gowanda has a lot of them, like the sites of its old glue factory and tannery. For the first time, officials and residents have a real chance at cleaning them up through a recently awarded BOA grant funded by the New York State Department of State. The revitalization process is in its first phase, which means C&S Companies and its subconsultants are inventorying brownfield properties to determine their potential future uses.

In other words, they’re counting up scullery maids and determining which can become Cinderellas.

“Right now, we’re looking at the entire village, but we’d like to get that narrowed down,” said Keubler. “For that, we need (the public’s) help.”

Residents are encouraged to interact with the consultants during themed community vision workshop tours, tactical community events, site analysis tours and community conversations. A webpage for the BOA project will be added to the village’s website, as well, so that locals can keep up-to-date with the study’s progress and findings. Riker and Keubler plan to attend “Christmas in Gowanda,” and expressed their hopes to talk more with the public then.

“Bring your ideas for Gowanda!” Keubler added.