Much-needed sidewalk repairs focus of block grant application

NORTH EAST — The Town Board met on Thursday, Sept. 13, to discuss various issues,  top among them grant proposal ideas for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application. Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), block  grants are awarded annually by the county based on a priority list.

Priorities range from infrastructure, to affordable housing, to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance. Oftentimes, joint applications from neighboring communities fare better than single applicants.

That is what the North East Town Board is banking on, according to town Supervisor George Kaye.

“It makes a great deal more sense for the village and the town to jointly go in on these projects,” he said. “It adds a great deal more weight to our voice.”

The two municipalities first considered revisiting a project idea from a few years back: sidewalks along the Boulevard District on Route 44 East, heading out of the village toward the Connecticut border.

“Originally it was proposed when it was to connect the supermarket, which was going to be built out there, with the town to make it a walkable area,” said Kaye, who explained that the planned supermarket to sit adjacent to Thompson Plaza never came to fruition.

Since that project never happened, the Town and Village Boards would now have to decide how far they would like the sidewalks to extend.

“We have to determine how far it would go out,” said the supervisor. “The problem is, should we have a supermarket or something of that nature out there the county would look at the project much more favorably. I’m afraid they feel there might not be enough traffic out there for putting in a sidewalk.

“In future years it’s something we may consider because more business may come into that area,” added Kaye. 

In the meantime, not anxious to throw away an opportunity to obtain precious grant dollars, the town and village have instead decided to pursue a project to work on the sidewalks along the south side of Main Street.

“It is in critical shape,” said Kaye. “There are broken slabs that are depressed, and there is just a strong possibility for falls, and we decided that since that is an area that does receive a lot of foot traffic it should be our consideration this year.”

Main Street merchant Dick Hermans, who owns Oblong Books & Music, said the proposal is vital to the village center’s survival.

“I was just having a conversation about how bad the sidewalks are from Terni’s on down to the ice cream store,” he said. “The village did adequate repairs probably two years ago but those are starting to break up. There are some hazardous spots, and when cold weather arrives, broken blocks shift and cause real problems. So it’s a necessary thing. 

“I know we were hoping to get underground power lines, and all that, but this is kind of just a safety and aesthetic issue,” Hermans added. “These sidewalks need to be fixed. Not to discourage people — people should come down and see it themselves and see the stores — but it’s just gotten to the point where something has got to happen.”

For the 2018 block grant year, the town and village submitted a co-application to make ADA updates to the  Town and Village Halls. They were awarded $186,000 for the joint project, and both municipalities are still trying to work out with the county how the money will be divided. The county is in favor of considering the work as two separate projects.

Next year’s block grant applications are due back to the county by the end of October. Awards will be announced in 2019, said Kaye.