And the winner is…
…all of the Village of Sharon Springs.
After a wait that went on longer than expected, the state named the Mohawk Valley’s 17 “transformational” projects as part of the first-ever NY Forward grants.
The Villages of Springs and Dolgeville were each awarded $2.25 million; the Village of Cooperstown was awarded $4.5 million.
With the help of consultants, each of the communities developed a list of possible projects, forwarding them to the state for consideration last fall.
And then they waited and waited and waited.
Sharon Springs Mayor Denise Kelly said Tuesday’s news came as a surprise—and she’s thrilled.
“All of these projects, they’re really going to be transformational,” she said.
“They’re going to have a tremendous impact for years to come.”
Projects picked for NY Forward funding were:
Renovate Historic Klinkhart Hall, 191 Main Street, as a community arts center, including interior, exterior, and façade work, $541,000.
Redevelop Chalybeate Spring Park, 199 Main Street, $1,000,000, including relocating the temple, a new pavilion, pathways, improved lighting, and landscaping.
Renovate the Historic Lehman Block, $240,000.
Free Spa District Public Wi-Fi, Main Street, $169,000.
A Small Project Fund for businesses within the NY Forward area to help bridge potential funding gaps for building renovations, business assistance, public art, and soft costs, $300,000.
“I think everything we submitted was a worthy project,” Mayor Kelly said.
“Obviously, not all of them could be funded, but I’m grateful for the Small Project Fund. It also has the potential to be transformative.”
Now the real work starts.
Literally.
Inspired by the NY Forward winners, Mayor Kelly said she planned to submit a Restore New York grant Wednesday seeking finding to demolish the DPW and Changing Room building in Chalybeate Park; if successful, that would make that project even more successful.
“I’m very proud of what we did,” she said. “Everyone on our committee put their hearts and souls into this to make Sharon Springs a better place. It’s going to being to fruition projects that have been talked about for a long time.”