Community Development
City of Cortland Receives Tree Planting Grant
The City of Cortland has been awarded a tree planting grant in the amount of $7,500 through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Urban and Community Forestry Tree Planting Program. The City will use its funds to beautify four downtown parking lots.
The City’s application calls for the planting of some 36 trees in the Orchard Street, Main Street, Port Watson Street (old JC Penney’s), and Youth Bureau lots. The City must provide a dollar for dollar match for the $7,500.
City Mayor Tom Gallagher notes that this DEC tree planting grant is just one more funding success story for Cortland’s Downtown. The City was awarded $650,000 in a comprehensive Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) award from the Governor’s Office for Small Cities for the Downtown area. The City’s CDBG Program involves a number of interrelated activities including a façade improvement program, building improvement program, a microenterprise assistance program, and improvements to the aforementioned parking lots. Cindy Teter, Registered Landscape Architect, was subsequently hired by the City to oversee the design work for the parking lot improvements. Mayor Gallagher appointed a committee to collaborate with Cindy Teter on the project. Committee membership includes City DPW Superintendent Chris Bistocchi; Public Safety Superintendent Mike Preston; Councilperson Shannon Terwilliger; historic/beautification commission members; and members of the downtown business community. Over the past months, the committee has met with Ms. Teter to finalize the parking lot designs.
In addition to the DEC and CDBG funds, the Cortland Housing Assistance Council, working with the City’s consultant, Thoma Development Consultants, received $400,000 through the Main Street New York fund for Downtown building façade improvements in two separate grants; some $4.5M is being expended for the reconstruction of South Main Street; a $63,000 DEC grant was awarded to the City for a brownfields investigation of Noss Park which will pave the way for future development; the announcement by Syracuse housing developer, Housing Visions, Inc., which intends to rehabilitate some 30 units of lower income housing in the south end; and a $14,400 technical assistance grant from the Governor’s Office for Small Cities to develop a strategic plan for the future development of the South Main Street neighborhood.
“I think the citizens of the City of Cortland are going to be pleasantly surprised by the transformation of the Downtown over the next two years, “ noted Mayor Gallagher. “It’s taken a lot of hard work by a lot of people, but it shows what can be accomplished when we all work together.