An effort to reimagine what the area around Kinzua Beach and the Allegheny Reservoir can be recently hit a significant milestone.

The effort has been called the Kinzua Regional Marketing Initiative and planners say CHM Government Services has been selected as a consultant to develop a market sturdy and strategic plan for the area this summer.

“The objective of this effort is to understand the type and scale of activities that KRMI could pursue to enhance the properties that are a focus of the study and the communities surrounding the Allegheny National Forest,” said Jim Decker, WCCBI president/CEO and co-chair for KRMI.

The group is a task force created by the Warren County Development Association in conjunction with the United States Forest Service, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and interested Warren County businesses and nonprofits “to research and generate opportunities to redevelop Kinzua Beach, Kinzua Point Information Center, and the Trails at Jakes Rocks to be a more attractive and marketable destination in Warren County,” according to a statement.

A state Department of Community and Economic Development grant awarded a $75,000 Marketing to Attract Tourists grant to undertake the market study and the plan.

“We are very excited about CHM.” Commissioner Jeff Eggleston, the other co-chair, said.

He cited the firm’s “extensive experience” working with federal agencies “and the challenges of finding the suitable types of public/private partnerships to make this type of project happen.

“They bring the perfect skills and experiences to formulate and guide our planning,” he said.

A kickoff meeting is set for next week with CHM to conduct market demand analysis and field work between now and the end of June with the goal of a completed project by the end of this summer.

The plan will then be used “to build public-private partnerships and bring additional investment to the Kinzua region to redevelop it positively and responsibly,” the group says.

“We are looking for opportunities that support and enhance our existing regional businesses and communities while expanding the positive economic contribution outdoor recreation-based development activities can make to our regional economy,” Decker added.