Grants totaling some $5.5 million will assist projects in Warren and Washington Counties, the money coming in economic and community development funding awarded through Round VI of the state’s Regional Economic Development Council initiative.
More than $700 million in grants statewide was announced Dec. 8.
Among the local highlights is a grant of $600,000 for renovations to the historic Park Theater, 10 Park St. in Glens Falls. Efforts are underway there to establish new performance space and a restaurant. The early 20th century building that was originally a theater, but had been used in later decades as a printing plant.
Some $325,000 was awarded to expansion of the Adirondack Pub Brewery and construction of an adjacent parcel to establish the Craft Beverage Campus, a winery and a beverage incubator that will serve as a regional food and beverage education center through partnerships with SUNY Adirondack, Schenectady County Community College and Paul Smiths College to coordinate and integrate craft beverage academic programs, further career opportunities and expand year-round tourism in the Village of Lake George.
The Regional Councils were established in 2011 to replace the state’s old top-down approach to economic development, with one that is community-based and performance-driven. State officials said the initiative empowers community, business, and academic leaders, as well as members of the public in each region of the state, to develop strategic plans specifically tailored to their region’s unique strengths and resources in order to create jobs, improve quality of life and grow the economy.
“Through the Regional Economic Development Councils, we have replaced the ‘one-size fits all’ approach to economic growth with a ‘ground-up’ strategy that focuses on cooperation and investing in regional assets to generate opportunity,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “By bringing together ideas from local government and community leaders with state resources, we are giving these councils the tools to create jobs and drive economic activity in their communities for generations to come.”
The initiative “brings together a diverse and talented group of leaders from the business, academic, and not-for-profit sectors to collaborate on transformative projects that are redeveloping our downtowns, retaining and expanding businesses, and rebuilding our infrastructure for the 21st Century,” said Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, chairwoman of the Regional Economic Development Councils.
The REDC process has transformed government’s approach to economic development in New York state, creating a statewide framework for bottom-up, regional economic growth and streamlining the state funding application process, she said. Since 2011, the first year of the initiative, over $4.6 billion has been awarded to more than 5,200 projects that are projected to create and retain more than 210,000 jobs statewide.
Other grants to projects in Warren County include:
• City of Glens Falls, Downtown Green Infrastructure, $250,000. The city will retrofit and reduce runoff from roofs, municipal parking lots and a pedestrian mall in the area of Exchange Street using bioretention and dry well stormwater reduction measures. The project will reduce combined sewer overflows to the Hudson River thereby reducing pathogenic organisms in the river.
• Finch Paper Residuals Project, $1 million. Finch will convert its paper residuals waste stream into two products, agricultural products and energy generation, which will create new revenue streams and eliminate the deposit of paper residuals into area landfills. The investment in cutting-edge fiber processing technology will generate clean, renewable energy as well as the manufacturing of fertilizer and bedding solutions.
• Hudson Headwaters Health Network Women’s Wellness Center, $250,000. Hudson Headwaters will renovate 90 South St., Glens Falls, and offer expanded women’s health care.
• Town of Bolton, Veterans Memorial Park Master Plan Update, $18,750. The town will update its master plan for the park, addressing the summer youth recreation buildings, green open space, playground, dedicated ball courts, parking, stormwater management and pedestrian linkages from the transient docks and to downtown.
• Town of Hague Public Dock Expansion, $38,000. The town will design and construct Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant public docks at the Hague Town Park as an addition to the existing town dock, which provides the only public dock access to a business district in Lake George’s North Basin.
• Town of Lake George Joint Climate Action Plan and Certification, $25,000. The town and village will develop and adopt a joint Climate Action Plan, complete with greenhouse gas emissions inventories and goals, a vulnerability assessment, review of community plans, and strategies for both municipalities. As a result, the town hopes to become the first Certified Climate Smart Community in the Adirondack region.
• Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District Erosion and Sediment Control Project, $57,000. The district will continue the roadside erosion and sediment control and reservoir and sediment pond clean-out programs. The project will control erosion/sedimentation thereby reducing excess sediment impacting water quality throughout the county.
• Warren County First Wilderness Plan Implementation, $520,000. Warren County and project partners will implement goals established in the First Wilderness Heritage Corridor Plan in Warren and Saratoga counties. Projects include trail and parking construction, a covered passenger shelter at Corinth Station, a feasibility study for North Creek Ski Bowl trail connections, streetscape improvements around the North Creek Train Station, development of tourism materials, and improvements to the Pottersville water supply system to address flooding.