Lucas Fiedler is the new president of Cobleskill Partnership Inc., the downtown non-profit improvement group.
Mr. Fiedler succeeds Brian Kaiser, who announced last month he was stepping down after serving as president for years.
The manager of Membership Development with the First New York Federal Credit Union, Mr. Fiedler is a CPI board member. Other board members elected him president at the group’s monthly meeting Friday.
CPI is responsible for annual downtown events, such as the free Arts in the Park concerts in the summer, the holiday parade in December, the recent Cobleskill Day and several others.
The organization has also led several projects, including the building of the community plaza at the corner of Main and Division streets and two façade improvements that had CPI help store owners and homeowners with costs.
CPI also sponsors street decorations, such as flower baskets in the spring and summer.
Mr. Fiedler said he wants to continue CPI’s efforts to improve Cobleskill as a good place to live, work and visit.
“I think our membership is looking to us for something,” he said of the board. “We want to bring in new involvement, and we want to grow.”
Although CPI has a low public profile, Cobleskill would probably be a much lesser place without the organization––fewer events and no projects, Mr. Fiedler said.
The group accepts memberships from businesses and residents who want to see Cobleskill improve. A membership drive will start later this year.
At Friday’s meeting, board members elected Bruce Tryon as vice president and kept Mary Sagendorf as secretary and Lyn Lawyer as treasurer.
“I’m grateful the board has faith in me, but we all work togther,” Mr. Fiedler said.
Mr. Fiedler and his wife, Lis, live in Esperance and have two children, Leila and Forest.