Smart Growth Grants to Assist Eight Adirondack Communities
Smart Growth Grants to Assist Eight Adirondack Communities
Governor Awards $443,000 to Adirondack Community-Revitalization & Preservation Efforts
For more information:
John Sheehan
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For immediate release: Thursday, April 16, 2015
ALBANY, N.Y. – The Adirondack Council today praised Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decision to award $443,000 to eight Adirondack Park community revitalization and historic preservation efforts through the state’s Smart Growth program.
The funds will go to towns’ and villages’ general revitalization efforts and will help refurbish historic properties and develop recreational trail connections to sustain and enhance tourism, the Governor’s office announced.
“Smart growth in the Adirondack Park means revitalizing the Park’s villages and hamlets to make them more attractive places to live and do business, while maintaining strong protection for the wilderness beyond those communities and improving the connections between the two,” said Adirondack Council Executive Director William C. Janeway. “These grants will help communities complete their own downtown-improvement plans, as well as historic preservation projects that show how they are unique and how their stories are interwoven into the fabric of American history.
“We look forward to working with the communities, the Department of Environmental Conservation, Adirondack Park Agency and other stakeholders on these projects, including those involving Forest Preserve lands,” Janeway said. “We congratulate each of the communities that won these awards for the careful planning and hard work that led to their success.”
Projects receiving funding included:
Town & Village of Tupper Lake, Franklin County: Improving Tupper Lake's 21st Century Curb Appeal; $50,000 to advance previous smart growth planning by improving the community’s appearance. Facade improvements will be made at the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism Tupper Lake Information Center, while tourism businesses and attractions will get improved web sites.
Adirondack Historical Association with Town of Indian Lake, Hamilton County: The Adirondack Museum's New Exhibition -- The Adirondack Experience; $75,000 to the Adirondack Museum for what the Governor’s office called “the most significant transformation in its history,” the creation of a new 18,000-square-foot exhibition known as The Adirondack Experience. The project is set for completion in 2017 and is expected to generate new jobs and strengthen the North Country’s tourism industry.
Town of Willsboro with North Elba and Lewis: Multi-Town Trail Development in Willsboro, North Elba & Lewis, Essex County; $74,948 to implement multi-use recreational trail projects in the towns of Willsboro, Lewis and North Elba, all situated in Essex County. The trail projects in Lewis and North Elba will be constructed to International Mountain Biking Association standards, according to the Governor’s announcement.
Town of Duane, Franklin County: Duane 1884 Church Historic Preservation; $74,029 to rehabilitate and stabilize historic Duane Church, built in 1884, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the Governor’s office, “a recent engineering inspection found that the foundation of the church’s bell tower is failing. To complete the repairs, the building and the bell tower have to be raised so the foundation walls can be replaced and the existing stone wall can be shored up. The smart growth grant will help preserve this important landmark that helps identify Duane Center as the hub of the community – an area the town is working to develop for small businesses. Improvements to the church will also promote increased use of the adjacent town-owned recreational trails. The church sits at the west entrance to the trail system which is used for hiking and cross-country skiing and wildlife viewing via a remote overlook.”
Village of Port Henry, Essex County: Implementing a Port Henry Blue Print; $24,000 to hire a consulting firm to finalize and implement the Zoning Commission’s recommendations for ordinances to define the Village of Port Henry's priorities. The aim of this project will help preserve the historic nature and character of the village. There will also be a focus on mixed-use development, rehabilitation, waterfront improvement and walkable areas.
Town of Bolton, Warren County: Cross Street Parking Facility; $68,000 to support construction of a public parking facility that will unify the town’s public services including the Municipal Center, Health Center, Recreation Commission, Local Police Station, Farmers Market, Senior Center and the Office for the Aging meal site. The parking facility in the town center will accommodate 58 vehicles and be constructed using green infrastructure principles and best management practices for storm water, the Governor’s office said. Bolton is on the western shore of Lake George.
Town of Johnsburg, Warren County: North Creek Ski Bowl Park Trails, Kiosks, and Signs; $37,121 to place kiosks at trailheads, develop trailhead signage, install strategically placed trail map boards and build an additional one kilometer of trails to connect with an existing trail network at this town-owned ski/snowboarding park connected to the state-owned Gore Mountain Ski Center. Benches and picnic tables will be installed on the trails and at the picnic area, and brochures and interactive mapping will be developed.
Town of Moriah with Town of Willsboro and Town of Essex, Essex County: Champlain Valley Historic Heritage Partnership Implementation; $39,902 to restore three historic structures. They include the Adsit Cabin, the oldest known log cabin in the United States; the Iron Center, an 1891 Carriage House building that illustrates the town’s role in supplying high-grade Iron Ore in the early years; and the Boquet School House, an octagonal schoolhouse that has retained its original design and material since construction in 1826. All three historic structures are located along the Champlain Valley, NYS Path through History and Lakes to Locks Passage Scenic Byway. They help tell the story of the Champlain Valley region of the Adirondack Park. The project involves purchasing cedar shingles, restoring a slate roof and replacing logs to restore existing structural integrity.
Founded in 1975, the Adirondack Council is privately funded, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to ensure the ecological integrity and wild character of New York’s six-million-acre Adirondack Park. The Council envisions an Adirondack Park comprised of core wilderness areas, surrounded by working forests and farms, and vibrant rural communities.
The Council carries out its mission and vision through research, education, advocacy and legal action. Adirondack Council members live in all 50 United States.
