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Rochester Selects Alytus as 12th Sister City
Rochester City Council approved Alytus, Lithuania as the 12th Sister City. Rochester embarked on the Sister Cities program in 1958.
In 2006 a diverse group of community volunteers, led by Rimas Chesonis of Webster, proposed a sister cities connection with Alytus, Lithuania, recommending a program of activities to develop a mutually beneficial relationship for the partner communities. The International Sister Cities of Rochester (ISCOR) Board of Trustees endorsed the recommendation. It designated the group as the "Alytus-Rochester Friendship Committee," charged to explore and develop a program that could serve as the basis for a long-term sister cities relationship. The committee has since developed exchanges of high school students and musicians, participated in and sponsored Rochester community international events and helped develop a counterpart volunteer committee in Alytus, laying the necessary foundation for a successful relationship.
Alytus lies on the banks of the Nemunas River in southern Lithuania, near the border with Poland. It is the historical centre of the Dzukija region. Its population in 2007 was approximately 69,000. Historically a notable center of commerce on the Nemunas River, Alytus was the main route for export goods from Lithuania proper. The region is noted for its beautiful landscapes, rapid rivers, lakes and forests, and the city for its festivals and parks, including the Vidzgiris forest, a 1,100 acre botanical reservation. Its cultural life includes over 500 concerts, performances, exhibitions and other events, and many professional and amateur arts organizations. Alytus College caps the city's network of general, vocational, arts and music schools.
following approval by the Rochester City Council.
The next step is for the Alytus City Council to approve the sister cities relationship. Mayor Duffy and Mayor Ceslovas Daugela of Alytus will then enter a sister cities agreement to formalize the relationship. At that time, the local committee will be renamed the "Alytus-Rochester Sister City Committee." Mayor Duffy hopes to visit Alytus in 2010.
The Lithuanian Heritage Days 2009 event on September 13th (www.lhsr.org) will be raising money, in part, to help fund the Alytus Mayor's trip to Rochester.
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