FONDA - Attendance was sparse at Thursday's meeting for the Montgomery County Comprehensive Plan, but county planners said some good ideas were brought up.

The third public input session took place Thursday night at the Fonda-Fultonville Central School District auditorium.

However, unlike the two previous meetings in Fort Plain and Canajoharie, only three people attended the two-hour discussion. They were Jack Fritz, chairman of the county Planning Board, Patrick Clear, chair of the county's Water Quality Committee and Lois Gruner, secretary of the Montgomery County Heritage and Geological Society.

The county's Senior Planner Doug Greene and Assistant Planner Randy Siver have a fourth and final meeting scheduled July 17 at the Stratton Apartments in Amsterdam.

"We're going to have to go out to where the people are," Greene said. "Instead of having them come to us. We have to find a better way of getting the word out."

With so few in attendance, Greene and Siver made the meeting much more informal and the three attendees spoke on issues related to transportation, culture and arts, government services and recreation among others.

Fritz said the Mohawk River is a tremendous asset for recreation.

"The river's cleaned up to the point where there's really good fishing," he said.

The river, he and Clear said, also can open the area up to economic development. Greene said attendees at the first two meetings asked about how to get people off the boats and into the local businesses.

Clear also voiced concern that Montgomery County has an aging population and suggested that some of the buildings in local villages can be used as incubators for local graduates to open up their fledgling businesses and keep jobs in the area.

"The goal is to educate the kids and keep the kids here," Siver said.

County Comprehensive Plans have been done in 30 of New York state's 56 counties, and the County Planners think the plan can provide important examples of progressive planning methods and stimulate a discussion of municipal and county collaboration.

Greene said he hopes when the plan is completed, it can be a guideline for the county's villages and municipalities as they go forward with their own plans.

"We're trying to make this as realistic as possible, but we're struggling to get a buy-in from the people at the moment," Greene said. "We hope this plan can open dialogue between the towns, villages and county."

Mike Zummo covers Montgomery County news. He can be reached by e-mail at montco@leaderherald.com