A trickle of interest turned into a torrent for grants in Cobleskill last week.
Cobleskill Partnership Inc. received 13 applications for the downtown organization’s Lee-Hodge grants. Just 10 days before the March 1 deadline, only two applications had come in.
“Like me, many people wait till the last minute,” said Chris Guldner, the CPI board member who’s spearheading the grant program.
“We were hoping for maybe a half-dozen, and we got 13. We got some traction in the last week”
The Sterling Insurance Company Foundation gave CPI $100,000, and interest earned from the investment allows $2,500 for grants in March and a similar amount in September.
Past CPI grants targeted building facades. The Lee-Hodge grants have a broader purpose; they’re for anyone in the village looking to make Cobleskill a better place.
The applications reflect that wide range, Mr. Guldner said.
“Store fronts, business and residential improvements, beautification, interior work, events, equipment and supplies for operational purposes,” he said.
“There’s a good variety.”
CPI’s grant committee–-Mr. Guldner, Lucas Fiedler, D’Andre Miller and Lyn Lawyer––will sort the applications, determine eligibility and get follow-up information.
The full CPI board will score the applications and make decisions on the applications today, Thursday.
The applications request far more than the $2,500 available. Committee members will likely go back to applicants to see whether they’d be satisfied with less than they requested.
CPI prefers to give grants to several applicants instead of giving the total amount to one.
“We’d like to spread the wealth a bit,” he said.
Mr. Guldner was surprised and also pleased by the response and expects to build on the success for the September round of grants.
“Once we got a few rollin’, others will jump on,” he said.
“Thanks to Sterling for making this happen.”
The Lee-Hodge grants are named for Henry Lee and Blair Hodge, business partners, friends and community leaders who had adjacent businesses on Main Street.