Chris Rodriguez presents his group’s ideas about what Dunkirk should do with $10 million in Downtown Revitalization Initiative funds, Tuesday during a public brainstorming session at Dunkirk High School. Photo by M.J. Stafford

The people running Dunkirk’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative effort held a public meeting Tuesday to gather ideas from the community.

The first of three such meetings, the event was held in the Dunkirk High School cafeteria — and had a schoolwork-style feel. That’s because participants were asked to fill out personal worksheets, and large maps in a group session, with their ideas about what the city should do with the $10 million awarded in the state program.

Stephanie Panay, of the consultant firm WSP that is working on the project, explained that a local planning committee has been formed. The co-chairs are Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas and Michael Metzger, former vice president of administration and finance at SUNY Fredonia, now retired.

The committee is supposed to “confirm the community’s vision, brainstorm ideas and provide feedback, review documents, guide community engagement (and) review and recommend projects for funding,” according to a slide Panay showed.

She said Tuesday’s meeting represented a “first step of the process.” The local planning committee has to develop a strategic investment plan for submission to the state, she explained. Planners must identify local issues and opportunities and come up with a vision statement. The draft investment plan is expected sometime in September.

Panay said an open call for proposed projects was issued Tuesday. The DRI’s focus is on physical, shovel-ready projects, she said. The open call closes July 17.

Beyond the three public workshops — the next one is 6 p.m. June 27 at the Clarion Hotel — and the open call, there are other opportunities for the public to tell the committee what they want out of the $10 million.

A public survey on the DRI website, dunkirkdri.com, is open until July 8. There are also opportunities for engagement on the city’s official social media pages.

Dunkirk Planning Director Vince DeJoy summarized the successful DRI application process and noted the effort has a motto of “DRAW,” which stands for “Downtown Revitalization-Activation-Waterfront.”