The recent completion of Harborside Village Apartments and the groundbreaking of an ADA-accessible playground in Clute Park mark significant progress in Watkins Glen’s ongoing Downtown Revitalization Initiative.
During a visit Tuesday, New York Secretary of State Walter Mosley said the village of Watkins Glen has completed seven of its DRI projects, and another 16 projects have been completed with more than $1.9 million from the DRI fund for multiple locations/small projects of the village.
“The Village of Watkins Glen began its DRI with a clear vision and goal to capitalize on historic assets to create a thriving year-round economy and public spaces for all to enjoy,” Mosley said. “It is exciting to see all the progress made to date with the completion of the Harborside Village Apartments and the groundbreaking for the village’s latest DRI project – the Clute Park Playground.”
Once construction of the Clute Park Playground is completed, Watkins Glen will have implemented the full $10 million DRI allocation, Mosley said.
“Watkins Glen has exceeded expectations on each of our DRI projects,” said Village Mayor Laurie DeNardo. “Thank you, Governor Hochul, and the government agencies who have supported all our projects. The new ADA playground will be our final DRI project in the village and while it is bittersweet, its achievements will provide years of enjoyment that we can all be proud of.”
Here you can read more about the two latest projects:
The Harborside Village Apartments
The Harborside Village Apartments project transformed a previously vacant medical office into five market-rate apartments. The nearby former Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) building was also renovated for use as a fitness center with four upper-floor residential units as part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative; these renovations will be completed in 2022.
These projects received a combined $250,000 through the DRI.
Clute Park Playground
The Clute Park Playground will include 12,000 square feet of play space with features to help rainwater infiltrate, state officials said. The playground will feature handicapped-accessible ramps, new individual ADA-compliant swings and an ADA-compliant group swing, a wheelchair-accessible carousel and special flooring for walkways.
In addition to the playground, year-round recreational improvements were completed at Clute Park in 2021. These improvements include the construction of a new ice rink/splash pad, event center, bathhouse, lighting, landscaping, signage and other related site improvements.
The Clute Park project was supported with nearly $3 million from the DRI, approximately $2.5 million from EPF Local Waterfront Revitalization Program funds and $415,000 from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation funds, for a total amount of approximately $5.9 million.
This funding includes $250,000 in DRI funds and $375,000 in EPF LWRP funds for the playground.
DRI program ‘transformational’ for Watkins Glen, Schuyler County
The village of Watkins Glen was named the Southern Tier DRI winner for the second round of funding and has spent a number of years implementing the projects awarded support.
Other projects awarded DRI funding include the development of a new mixed-income residential and childcare center, the redevelopment of Captain Bill’s Port of Seneca Lake, installation of new lighting on Franklin Street and the entrance gate and signage by the entire village, and upgrading Lafayette Park.
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The Village of Watkins Glen also received nearly $2 million through the DRI to establish a fund to rehabilitate facades, renovate commercial units and create new residential units on upper floors.
“The DRI program has been transformative for both the village and the county,” said Carl Bowers, Chairman of the Schuyler County Legislature. “We appreciate Governor Hochul’s continued support for this program as it has stimulated building redevelopment, attracted new businesses and delivered 17 new or renovated apartments for new residents.”
This article originally appeared in the Elmira Star-Gazette: Watkins Glen completes Harborside Apartments, begins at Clute Park
