BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI
North Country This Week

MASSENA — Village officials and state partners recently met to discuss survey responses received from the public and to further outline the scope of potential projects that may receive a share of the $10 million grant.

In total, 26 projects were submitted for consideration for funding, with an emphasis placed on Main St. and Water St., as well as the river walk along the Grasse River.

Officials say eight projects were initially removed from consideration for not disclosing specific project costs and locations, requested less than the $100,000 minimum or requested more than the 40% DRI maximum investment.

According to Village Administrator Monique Chatland, the eight projects can still be considered for funding under the CORE of the Downtown proposal the village has submitted for consideration to the Local Planning Committee.

“The Village of Massena, along with its state partners, recently hosted the third Local Planning Committee (LPC) Meeting for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. The LPC includes local and regional leaders, stakeholders, and community representatives. The LPC sought project proposals to be evaluated and included in the Strategic Investment Plan with the submission deadline being March 25. A total of twenty-six projects were submitted through the Call for Projects solicitation, totaling approximately $20 million in DRI funding requests. Of those twenty-six, eight projects did not meet the guidelines for inclusion in the Strategic Investment Plan, as they did not meet the criteria,” officials said.

Projects that were included on the newly formed shortlist include improvements to the Danforth Park, including a splash pad, playground and pavilion, along with updated and energy efficient downtown lighting and landscaping and a riverwalk along the Grasse River. A kayak launch is also being considered behind the fire department as well, officials say.

Also potentially moving forward with the DRI are the Water Street Waterview apartments that the village and developer hope will attract higher-income residents to the downtown area, as well as renovations to the JJ Newberry building.

Though renovations began in earnest on the structure, additional funding is necessary to renovate the space to create retail storefront opportunities, professional office spaces and a rooftop deck, officials say.

The project has already received grant funding to kickstart the process, with GoCo Massena LLC being awarded $163,680 in November 2021 to address the primary structural and environmental issues, previous reports state.

The Schine Theater, long heralded as a keystone of the downtown, will also be considered in the next phase of the DRI application process. Funds are currently being sought to address critical repairs needed to allow the full utilization of the space.

The total cost of projects submitted for consideration came to $20.4 million request from the DRI, with a total projected cost of $36.9 million, officials said.

The next steps will include further community feedback, with workshop groups planned to work through each proposal to assess budgets, scale, feasibility and continuity with the DRI committee’s goals, Chatland said.

Following the next phase, a strategic investment plan will be developed with the final list of projects, which will be recommended by the LPC. The list will then be sent to state officials for final approval.

“Goals and strategies, as well project evaluation criteria, have been established by the LPC who will be reviewing the projects, in detail, in the coming weeks to determine which projects will be recommended for inclusion in the Strategic Investment Plan when submitted to New York State representatives for their approval and funding,” Chatland said.

The current list of projects will soon be narrowed from the $20.4 million requested to roughly $12-16 million, officials say.

Officials still wish to hear further from the community, saying the feedback residents can offer will help narrow the scope of the projects in consideration.

“Additionally, a series of Stakeholder Group meetings were held recently to have a broad discussion about the needs, challenges, and opportunities for Downtown Massena. The first public engagement workshop was held on March 31t and an online survey has been launched during that workshop. The survey is available on the www.massenadri.com website and will close on April 30,” Chatland said.