BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

POTSDAM — The Potsdam Food Co-op learned late last week the state will chip in $1.659 million in Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding towards an expansion of its current Elm Street store.

“We are thrilled to have been awarded this grant and are excited for the future of our member-owned co-op,” Lauren Prentice, Food Co-Op board president, told North Country This Week.

“Our new building will allow us to offer more products and services and further enable our mission to meet the community’s need for specialty and whole foods at the lowest possible cost, while supporting local farmers and producers. Our member base is engaged and excited to help usher in the next 50-yrs of the co-op,” Prentice said.

The Co-Op had access to the funding previously through the village’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative strategic plan approved by the state in 2019. Under that plan, the Co-op had designs to purchase the former Aubuchon building at 63 Market St. The Co-op wanted to relocate its store there after an extensive renovation costing as much as $2.96 million. After negotiations however, the plan to buy the building fell through in the fall of 2022.

Co-op board members and village planning officials were hopeful the organization could pivot and formulate an expansion plan of the existing Elm Street store that the state would approve and thereby re-obligate its original $1.659 million DRI award.

“Word came in late last week that New York State has agreed to grant $1.659 million to the Potsdam Food Co-op for rebuilding at our current Elm Street location!! This is significant news and should give everyone involved with the Co-op a sense of hope, security, and validation that our work and worry over the past months will be rewarded,” said the Potsdam Food Co-op board in a recent message to its members.

“The “Round-Up for Renovation” fund which so many of you have been donating to is still set aside for use toward this huge project and we can’t thank you enough for your generosity and faith in the Co-op,” the board said.

“The village has worked pretty closely with them to develop a plan that would be acceptable to the state,” said Potsdam Village Planner Fred Hanss. Hanss said the village planning office looks forward to working with the Co-op on the expansion moving forward.

“They did a very good job rebounding,” Hanss said.

Potsdam’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative award was announced by then Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul in October 2019.

A local committee developed a strategic investment plan for the cash, which included a list of projects that would be viable for the DRI funding, which is taxpayer dollars re-funneled through various state agencies to vetted projects.

The plan was submitted to New York State and eight local projects were selected from those included in the plan, including the Co-op’s original plan to buy the Aubuchon building.

The village’s strategic investment plan can be viewed on the state website at https://on.ny.gov/3GuPER7 .

The notification that the state would allow the DRI funding to be reallocated to the Co-op’s Elm Street expansion is good news for the organization which has been working through financial difficulties over the last few months. The board notified its membership in January that the Co-op would implement changes to counter mounting financial difficulties, including calling on members to put money on account with the Co-op to help with cash flow to cover regular credit and debit card processing costs.

Soon after the January announcement, former Co-op general manager Andy Peet stepped down, and interim manager Jesse LaRose was appointed to take over operations of the Elm Street store.

The board reported to its membership last week that the changes appear to be working.

“A massive shout-out to all the wonderful Co-op Members who continue to shop at the Co-op and have deposited money on their accounts! Those funds have amounted to over $25K and are allowing us to slowly increase the amount and variety of inventory in the store. We would all like progress to happen more quickly but slow progress is better than none,” the board said.

“Last but certainly not least, we want to thank Jessie LaRose for taking on the Interim General Manager role at a pivotal time for the Co-op,” said the board in its message to its members. “It was less than a month ago when Jessie stepped into the position, and she has put a tremendous amount of work into a smooth transition of leadership so that your Co-op continues to provide positive momentum moving forward. She also has a great team of staff, board members, and committee members to assist her.”