The Village of Cobleskill is going after big money.
Really big money.
Village board members in June agreed to apply for a $2.5 million New York Forward grant, and last week Mayor Becky Terk said Cobleskill will also seek a $10 million Downtown Revitalization grant from the state.
There’s work to do––a lot of it––to prepare the two applications, but Mayor Terk already has some groundwork laid.
She’s sought advice from SUNY Cobleskill President Marion Terenzio, who’s co-chair of the Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council and also from Allison Madmoune of the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District.
The thrust is to make downtown “a vibrant center” for business, job creation and families, Mayor Terk said.
Mayor Terk is forming a steering committee that will include Lamont Engineers’ Brendon Becker; the committee will meet in July––in public––to discuss possible projects.
Mayor Terk has a few projects in mind, including converting the empty space, which she calls ‘The Pit,’ into a pocket park or courtyard.
Owned now by Dan Meaney, The Pit was the site of the former Brothers Three restaurant that burned nearly 40 years ago. Since then, there’s been a false front across the empty space.
Mayor Terk suggested that a mural about the history of Cobleskill could be on one of the walls bordering the courtyard.
“It would be an enhancement to encourage a walkable downtown,” one goal of the state grants, Mayor Terk said.
Another project would be building a sidewalk on Grandview Drive leading to Cobleskill Regional Hospital.
Village officials for years have discussed putting in the sidewalk, but a ditch on one side and the narrow street itself make the project difficult and expensive.
The conditions are dangerous for the many people who walk on Grandview, Mayor Terk said.
Again, this would fit in with the walkable theme and also improve access to health care, she added.
And a third project would be branding Cobleskill as a college town with artwork and signs.
“It would make the college more of a staple of our community,” Mayor Terk said. “The college would be promoting Cobleskill.”
She emphasized that all these proposals are only her ideas and not definite. The steering committee in July may come up with more or build on her proposals.
“More heads are better than one,” Mayor Terk said. “I’m not going to pretend I know all about this.”