LITTLE FALLS — Officials in Little Falls have been busy since the state selected the city last December to receive $10 million in funding during the fifth round of the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI).

For the only city in Herkimer County, the funding presents an opportunity to develop projects to help connect isolated parts of the city and create a single downtown waterfront district that joins the Main Street area to the Canal Place area along the Erie Canal.

“Little Falls receiving the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant is perfect timing as we build on recent progress in the city,” Mayor Mark Blask contends. “From considerable private investment — Feldmeier Equipment’s recent $8 million expansion to the construction of Rock City Centre – to the money received from New York Power Authority Reimagine the Canal program, we had considerable momentum before the DRI award. Add in this $10 million and it truly becomes transformative. The projects put forward will improve the quality of life for existing residents and make Little Falls an attractive place for those looking to relocate.”

The city had 25 proposed projects requesting a total of $31.2 million in DRI funding. Planned projects include upgrading existing buildings such as the public library by adding an elevator and renovating a canal-side powerhouse to create space for science, technology, education, arts, math (STEAM)-oriented business tenants to making streetscape improvements along Main Street, building a pedestrian overpass to connect downtown to the Canal Place area, installing citywide Wi-Fi, and building public restrooms for the downtown and waterfront districts.

On July 12, Little Falls announced the following projects will move forward with DRI funding:

• Downtown enhancement grant fund – $600,000
• Dairyman building conversion to 75-unit apartment building – $3 million
• Youth and Family Center improvements – $870,000
• Improvements to facilities around the city to house childcare services – $390,000
• City Hall renovations – $500,000
• Public-library elevator – $500,000
• Elks Lodge improvements – $230,000
• Powerhouse renovations – $640,000
• Main Street streetscape – $1.6 million
• Seeley Street promenade installation – $1.8 million
• Sterzinar Park improvements – $2 million
• Dog park – $100,000
• Public restrooms – $650,000
• Wayfinding signage and maps – $250,000

Complete information about all proposed projects is available online at reconnectlittlefalls.com.

With the DRI funding, the city created a strategic investment plan to identify the list of potential projects. The focus was on increasing housing opportunities, expanding pedestrian and bike connectivity, and increasing pedestrian and bike safety. 

During the process, the city reached out to residents for input, Blask says. 

“We have had three separate public forums, an online survey, and multiple opportunities for the people who live in Little Falls to tell us what was important to them,” he says. “We also were sure to include the young people who live here. We went to Little Falls High School on two separate occasions and also participated in an idea-gathering exercise at Little Falls Middle School.”

The city also received input from community groups and provided opportunities for feedback during local planning committee meetings.

“From day one, we put a premium on public input and, as they always do, the people who live in this city did not disappoint,” Blask says.

The city hopes to move forward quickly with the selected projects.

“The state is looking for ‘shovel-ready’ projects which generally means those that are ready for construction,” he says. “The completion date would depend on the size of the project. Ideally, all projects would be completed in 18 to 24 months.”

First launched in 2016, the Downtown Revitalization Initiative aims to accelerate and expand the revitalization of downtowns across the state so they serve as centers of activity and catalysts for further investment. To date, the state has awarded $600 million in DRI funding, with each selected community receiving at least $10 million.

The New York State Department of State heads up the initiative, which also provides support from private-sector experts and staff from the Department of State, Empire State Development, and Homes and Community Renewal.