Some 13 projects in Saratoga County received a total of nearly $5.5 million from New York state as part of this year’s Regional Economic Development Council grant program.
More than $761 million in economic and community development funding was awarded through Round IX of the REDC initiative statewide.
Since its inception in 2011, over $6.9 billion has been awarded to more than 8,300 projects that are projected to create and retain more than 240,000 jobs statewide through the REDC process, state officials said.
Key among them is $2 million awarded to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, to rehabilitate the Roosevelt II Bathhouse in the Saratoga Spa State Park.
The work will provide year-round spaces that include a teaching kitchen, wellness studio, black box theater, art gallery, rehearsal and learning space. It will also be a year-round facility for regional artists.
The largest was a $5 million grant to Ballston Lake to construct a municipal sewer system to serve over 700 properties currently without sewers. The wastewater will be directed to the existing collection system operated by the Saratoga County Sewer District 1.
“SPAC’s vision for the future includes an expansion of programming that will include the visual arts, the culinary arts, theater, and health and wellness in cooperation with COESA, in addition to our vibrant performing arts season,” said Elizabeth Sobol, SPAC President and CEO. “This new year-round space will restore a historic Park building that has been abandoned for decades, creating a community hub that will celebrate art in all its forms, while also providing vital learning and rehearsal spaces.”
“We are currently completing the restoration of the grand entry hall and renovations to a portion of the building for COESA to offer health and wellness services this spring. We are thrilled that our long standing partnership with SPAC is growing to include new forms of arts programming in the remainder of the building,” said Erik Kulleseid, commissioner of New York State’s Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
The restored building will feature a black box theater, an art gallery, a rehearsal and learning space, and a teaching kitchen that will be operated by SPAC in collaboration with the Saratoga Spa State Park. COESA is slated to utilize 2,70 square feet of the building to provide retreat experiences and classes with offerings that include personal well-being, leadership, meditation, professional wellness training, and work-life balance.
“Throughout the Regional Economic Development Council process over the past nine years, we have seen unprecedented regional investment focusing on a ground-up, strategic model that has spurred tremendous growth in every corner of this great state,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “By bringing together local leaders and stakeholders who are invested in their communities we have replaced the ‘one size fits all’ approach to economic development with one that is unique to each community, creating opportunities for success all across the Empire State.”
The REDC process creates a statewide framework for bottom-up, regional economic growth and streamlining the state funding application process, officials said. Established in 2011 as a centerpiece of a strategy to jump-start the economy and create jobs, the Regional Councils replaced the state’s old top-down approach with one that is community-based and performance-driven.
In 2019, all 10 REDCs competed for up to $150 million in capital funds and $75 million in Excelsior Tax Credits for projects identified by the Regional Councils as priorities in their regions.
The Regional Council priorities this year included working with local businesses and communities to identify childcare needs and develop potential solutions; developing an economic and environmental justice strategy for the region; supporting community investment in place-making and downtown revitalization; and supporting the state’s $175 million Workforce Development Initiative. Each council was asked to address these items in ways that complement each regional vision.
Other projects in Saratoga County include:
• King Brothers Dairy LLC in Schuylerville, $250,000 for a yogurt manufacturing and cold storage facility. The company will expand its processing capacity to add a production line that will produce premium yogurt.
The expansion will include additional processing space, a cold storage unit, and a renovation of part of the barns which house dairy cattle to accommodate the processing expansion. And $225,000 for the dairy to expand its processing capacity to add a production line that will produce premium yogurt. The expansion will include additional processing space, a cold storage unit, and a renovation of part of the barns which house dairy cattle to accommodate the processing expansion.
• Saratoga Senior Citizens Center of Saratoga Springs Inc., $25,000 for a feasibility study to explore the needs of seniors, adult day programs, intergenerational programming including day care as well as commercial/convertible space needed in Saratoga Springs.
• Town of Clifton Park will get $278,271 to construct a 10-foot wide, half-mile, multi-use trail for bicycle and pedestrian travel on the south side of Hubbs Road to the hamlet of Jonesville.
• A $150,000 grant to Clifton Park for its Clute’s Dry Dock Pedestrian Bridge project. It will expand public access for residents and tourists to the newly restored Erie Canal Community Connector Trail and connect the north and south sides of the canal, while preserving remnants of the original stone bridge abutments.
The Erie Canal Community Connector Trail is a regional trail that connects the towns of Clifton Park to Halfmoon under the Northway, within the Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve. The bridge will provide access for both pedestrians and emergency trail vehicles crossing the Erie Canal Prism to the historic 1825 Erie Canal Towpath.
• A grant of $241,000 to the town of Halfmoon to build a multi-use Erie Canal towpath Link to fill the final gap in the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway, enhancing the Erie Canalway Heritage Corridor.
• A grant of $37,500 to the town of Malta for its Strategic Infrastructure Plan that will develop strategies for the extension of existing water and sewer infrastructure to support economic investment.
• Town of Stillwater Saratoga Lake Water, a $45,000 grant for to prepare a water quality study to identify sources of excess nutrients and sediment entering Saratoga Lake and identify site-specific improvements to address sources. The project will build upon the Saratoga Lake/Route 9P Waterfront Revitalization Plan by using GIS mapping, site visits, and stormwater modeling to identify and prioritize the highest-impact stormwater mitigation and prevention practices.
• Town of Stillwater, a $30,000 grant to complete a green infrastructure engineering feasibility study for the Saratoga Lake Watershed. The goal of the project is to reduce and treat stormwater runoff and improve water quality in the lake.
• Village of Corinth, a $729,000 grant to reline the existing sewer lines and manholes on West Maple, Maple, Gurney, and Winslow streets within the village.
• A $48,750 grant to the Village of Schuylerville to develop a master plan for Fort Hardy Park along the Hudson River. The plan will advance revitalization goals in the Old Saratoga Waterfront Plan by identifying proposed improvements for the park that promote waterfront access and connections to the Champlain Canalway and Empire State Trails.
• The Village of South Glens Falls gets $919,560 to replace deteriorated water main, valves, and hydrants and re-line or replace the existing sewer mains on two residential streets.
