LOWVILLE — Lewis County is moving forward with two studies designed to determine the feasibility of a statewide maple syrup packaging and distribution center.

"We're in the first phase of the project," said Michele E. Ledoux, executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Lewis County, who suggested the project in January.

County legislators agreed earlier this month to contract with Cornell University's Office of Sponsored Programs, Ithaca, to conduct a product supply study for a value-added maple production facility for up to $47,339, and with Development Services, Auburn, to conduct a feasibility study on such a facility for up to $39,450. Contracts were signed within the past week.

The $86,789 for the studies is to come from the county's economic development projects fund.

The intent of the proposed center is to help tap more easily into large metropolitan markets, particularly grocery store suppliers, and increase maple production statewide, Mrs. Ledoux said.

"This is not going to affect the local retail markets," she said. "This is for large-scale, wholesale markets outside the area."

The Cornell study will consist of two surveys, one for current maple producers and another for other landowners with untapped potential for syrup production.

Producers will be asked about their interest and ability to increase maple production and their willingness to supply a maple processing facility. Other landowners would be asked about their willingness to produce maple syrup or lease their land for tapping and their properties' potential production capacity.

The Development Services study is to determine if a centralized bottling facility would be economically feasible, to provide several alternative approaches to development with estimated construction and operating costs and to recommend a top alternative. Potential locations within the county for such a facility also would be studied.

The two studies may be completed as soon as the end of the year, Mrs. Ledoux said.

A preliminary study conducted by Michael L. Farrell, director of the Uihlein Sugar Maple Research and Extension Field Station in Lake Placid, indicates that state producers are utilizing only about half of their potential taps.

Studies also indicate that fewer than 1 percent of tappable sugar maple trees in the state are now used.

New York is the third-leading maple-producing state in the country. Lewis County is the state's top maple producer, with more than 140 producers making nearly 30,000 gallons of syrup annually. Eleven counties in Northern New York produce about 42 percent of the state's syrup.

While the project is only in the study phase, state funding already has been earmarked for the proposed center, assuming it's deemed feasible.

Lewis County, through the efforts of state Sen. Joseph A. Griffo, R-Rome, has been awarded $100,000 through the state Dormitory Authority toward the project. However, that funding may be used only for implementation costs such as engineering, construction and equipment, Mrs. Ledoux said.