Group announces awards, seeks more participants

WATKINS GLEN-The Schuyler County Legislature and the Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development (SCOPED) announce the first project to be completed under the Schuyler County Downtown & Business Improvement ARPA Program. Bleachers Sports Bar and Grill will receive a $25,000 award for adding a new outside seating facility to their footprint.
Nigar Hale, executive director of the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce states, "Bleacher's outdoor patio space project is completed in time for the summer season for patrons to enjoy and is a beautiful addition to the downtown village streetscape. We hope more Schuyler County businesses will take advantage of this opportunity to apply and improve their building façade to strengthen their positive visual impact to visitors."
SCOPED also announces a second round of the Schuyler County Downtown & Business Improvement ARPA Program. This reimbursable grant program provides matching funds up to $25,000 for façade improvements to mixed-use and commercial buildings in villages. The second round of funding expands the eligibility area to properties within one of the four villages.
In developing this program, Schuyler County identified the need for a fund to support small businesses and existing building owners in improving the built environment within the four village centers of Schuyler County. The fund is managed and administered by SCOPED and welcomes applications for façade projects that will result in a highly visible transformation to the exterior of the building.
"The Schuyler County Partnership is pleased to further the downtown redevelopment in our villages by providing administrative support for the Schuyler County Downtown & Business Improvement ARPA program," said Becky Gould, president of Schuyler Hospital and treasurer of SCOPED. "Kudos to the county for its leadership in developing this program that can pay dividends for years to come."
County Administrator Fonda Chronis noted, "This fund will assist with façade enhancements to improve the pedestrian environment and promote continued investment within our downtowns. The funding allocated by the county legislature and administered by SCOPED will leverage private investment in existing buildings to improve main street streetscapes in our villages."
During the first round of the program, eight projects within the villages of Burdett (4 projects), Montour Falls (1 project), and Watkins Glen (3 projects) were awarded a total of $177,700 in funding leveraging $200,000 in private investment. SCOPED will begin accepting applications for the second round of funding on June 22. The program still has $172,300 available to fund new projects.
The link to the application is flxgateway.com. The second round of funding deadline is July 31.