Last Ti LPC meeting held, final 13 DRI projects submitted

TICONDEROGA | It was a frosty morning on Thursday, Nov. 2, as Ticonderoga's Local Planning Committee (LPC) for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant met for their final meeting at North Country Community College. As snow crunched beneath feet as LPC members and interested community members made their way inside the building, it seemed like a lifetime ago since the LPC first met on May 19 to decide on the eventual projects fated to contend for a cut of the $10 million grant intended to transform Montcalm Street and the downtown corridor. After six months, eight LPC meetings, three Public Workshops, nearly 20 hours spent within room #117 of North Country Community College and countless hours dedicated behind-the-scenes, 43 projects totaling 35 million dollars were weeded through before finally arriving at 13 projects totaling $14,423,000 for the final Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) to be submitted to New York State. Ultimately, the state will decide which of those 13 projects will be the most worthy use of the $10 million dollars. "We knew this would be a daunting task, but this has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the town," said LPC Member and Ticonderoga Town Supervisor Mark Wright. "It provides the opportunity to fund projects that never could have been funded through any other means. $10 million seems like a lot of money- I used to believe so- but so many of those once-in-a-lifetime projects cost half a million, ¾ of a million, two million, three million, but that's what it takes for some of these projects to be transformative and life-changing for the town." Wright noted it had been important for the LPC as they navigated the process to not to be scared by the dollar amount but to be focusing on how transformative those projects were. "This money evaporated quickly, and the goal, at least as I saw it, was not to simply find as many projects as we could, but to fund the most transformative projects for the town that would make a significant increase to the town's economic stability and viability for the future," he reflected. "I think we have done that… the final slate of projects is still an amazing transformation for this town. At this time last year, it was just a wish, a year before that it didn't exist as a wish. I would recommend as a community we focus on the positive going forward." The meeting began with a recap of each project that had been voted to proceed at the prior LPC meeting on Oct. 12. The third and final Public Workshop was held the evening prior on Wednesday, Nov. 1 (the night of the first snow of the season), roughly 50 members of the Ticonderoga community turned out at North Country Community College to have their final weigh in on the remaining 13 projects still contending to receive their requested chunks of the $10 million grant. Data had been collected and evaluated overnight, the intention to reveal to the LPC where the community felt the best use of the $10 million would be spent. Residents were asked to evaluate each project on whether they "liked" or "loved" it. Of interest was the fact that though over 50 people attended, it was rare to see 50 votes per project, which raised a question why there was lower engagement on certain projects. Representatives from the state believed the disparity in voting numbers indicated the level of interest on each project. 6 Montcalm Street- Improvements to and expansion of Circle Court Motel- $1,136,000 DRI request 53 votes, 20 percent "liked," 80 percent "loved" Public comments indicated strong support for additional hotel rooms and lodging at affordable prices. Demolition of Agway Building- $490,000 DRI request 23 votes, 65 percent "liked," 35 percent "loved" "Despite its age and the desire of the community to maintain that building, it's past that point," said Wright. "It's become a public safety hazard, it's going to come down either by the hand of man or the hand of God. It is a bit of a blight on the community despite its architectural beauty and history… We don't go forward with this project with smiles on our faces, we would rather see this building survive. We don't do it (take the building down) without some sort of remorse." 103 Montcalm Street- The Adirondack Performing Arts Center- $2,115,000 DRI request 48 votes, 6 percent "liked," 94 percent "loved" Comments from voters indicated that this project should be a priority for the town given its support of the youth and the arts within the Ticonderoga community. 108 Montcalm Street- The Newberry's/Hacker Building- $1, 265,000 DRI funding request 30 votes, 46 percent "liked," 54 percent "loved" Sandy Morehouse, Board Chairman of the Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance (the project sponsor) offered some clarity during the public comment portion. LPC member, Stuart Baker, expressed his continued concern over the intended end-using tenant (James Cawley and his Star Trek empire was the initial intended tenant from the original project proposal), though in the revised proposal TRA stated the project would not be dependent on an end-user. "I can assure you we have no commitment and no intention with respect to a tenant or tenants in that building," Morehouse stated. "This is a two-phase project. We are asking DRI to fund Phase I, it is a phase to save the building and to improve the facade and to eradicate the mold and contamination… If that roof is not repaired or replaced, that building is going to collapse. Then you will have a big black ugly hole in the prime section of Ticonderoga right in the middle of downtown on Montcalm Street. This is a critical project and I repeat, we have no obligation or intent with respect to whom that tenant is. We don't even get to the tenanting in the phase we are asking DRI to fund." 109 Montcalm Street- The Natural Foods Co-op Improvements- $376,000 DRI funding request 32 votes, 25 percent "liked," 75 percent "loved" Public comments indicated that support for the Co-op was essential to promote healthy living within the Ticonderoga community. 113 Montcalm Street- Punky Noodles/Champ Cafe Improvements- $250,000 DRI funding request 33 votes, 55 percent "liked," 45 percent "loved" Comments indicated that this was a family-friendly and youth-oriented project and needed within the community, though there was some question as to how transformative the project would ultimately be. 116 Montcalm Street- The Perelman (Cobbler's Bench conversion to a boutique hotel with rooftop bar)- $2.3 million DRI funding request 32 votes, 19 percent "liked," 81 percent "loved" Comments were that it would bring new options to downtown for locals as well as creating job opportunities. Some comments indicated it may be challenging to attract visitors to Ticonderoga during the winter months (this is a prime example of how the LPC needed to take into consideration the entire puzzle and how also all projects would coalesce and synergize to transform downtown. For instance, one of the goals of the Adirondack Performing Center is to attract year-round tourism and business to Ticonderoga. Projects can work together for the betterment of downtown). Montcalm Streetscape Improvements- $4,056,000 million DRI funding request 29 votes, 69 percent "liked," 31 percent "loved" Comments indicated broad support as a critical component of downtown revitalization, there was some concern about the cost as well as long-term maintenance. Adirondack Drive Improvements- $566,000 DRI funding request 26 votes, 85 percent "liked," 15 percent "loving" Comments indicated the project has the potential to be a link between downtown and the LaChute River, but some notes questioned if the funds could be better spent on other recreational projects or if there might be better funding solutions. LaChute Riverfront Recreation Enhancement and Improvements- $754,000 DRI funding request 26 votes, 54 percent "liked," 46 percent "loved" Comments indicated there is a lot of potential in this area and that it is a beautiful asset for the community and things like upgrading to lighting would help to make people feel safe while using it. Some notes questioned the added value of certain program elements, in particular the appeal of bike rental facilities. Small Projects Fund- $600,000 DRI funding request 28 votes, 21 percent "liked," 79 percent "loved" Comments indicated the public felt this would be critical for many small businesses that have already invested in Downtown Ticonderoga. Ti Marketing/Branding/Signage- $330,000 DRI funding request 29 votes, 41 percent "liked," 59 percent "loved" Comments indicated that residents felt this was an important aspect of the DRI and that professional services were important in this effort to attract people's attention. Public Art Fund (Installation of public art such as murals, sculptures, and interactive art pieces throughout downtown to enhance the aesthetic and attract visitors)- $240,000 DRI funding request 28 votes, 50 percent "liked, 50 percent "loved" Comments indicated this is a great way for the community to draw tourists as well as young people to the area, and commissioning art will bring in short-term business as well. There were some concerns indicated around maintenance of potential installations. At 10:10 a.m., ballots were passed around to each member of the LPc members. Unlike the previous meetings where each project was voted upon to proceed or not proceed, the final vote LPC members would make was a simple "yes" or "no" that the 13 projects were the final projects that would be included in the Strategic Investment Plan. The 13 projects were voted to move forward as the final slate. LPC member Nicole Justice Green (Executive Director of PRIDE of Ticonderoga) raised a question many have been asking in regards to the projects awarded contracts. "Let's say one of the projects doesn't materialize... what then happens?" According to the reps, if one of the chosen projects happens to not occur and there are funds leftover, the state will review the remaining projects on the list and assess their feasibility and their value, and there will be discussion between the town and the local conditions on the ground and have a discussion on how the remaining funds would be allocated. As a general guidelines, selected projects have two years from award to shovels on the ground, the state desiring to see progress and the projects selected have ample opportunity to get underway. A number of individuals from various state agencies will be reviewing the SIP (Department of State, Empire State Development, Homes and Community Renewal, Deputy Secretary of State, Secretary of State) and making their final decisions on which of the 13 projects the Ticonderoga LPC and residents felt would be their best bets at bringing Ticonderoga, the land between two waters, back to life. An announcement on the projects that will be receiving contracts is expected in Spring of 2024. "I think we are going to really see some significant change here for the betterment, number one for the residents here, but number two, to expose Ticonderoga a little more to some economic activity for the benefit of the residents," noted LPC member Jim McKenna, Chief Executive Officer of the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST).

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Last Ti LPC meeting held, final 13 DRI projects submitted

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