What can be accomplished with $325,000? Come to the Village of Nichols to see!
The Village was awarded a $250,000 New York Main Street grant in 2012. They partnered with Tioga County, agreeing to have the Economic Development and Planning Office apply for and administer the grant. The awarded grant funds along with the property owner’s investment have brought over $325,000 of improvements to the designated area.
The funds were used to complete interior and exterior renovation within the targeted historic downtown business district. Property owners within this chosen area were eligible to apply for a grant for 75 percent of their costs. Nine property owners applied and completed improvements to their buildings. The work completed included improvements to both commercial and residential units. The end result was seven commercial units renovated including one new unit, and four residential units renovated including one new unit.
Teresa Saraceno, deputy director of Tioga County Economic Development and Planning states, “The New York State Main Street Program is a vital resource that boosts the efforts of our rural downtown communities. The program encourages the improvement and stabilization of properties making them more energy efficient, handicapped accessible and viable for the future.”
If you drive around the Village you will see that the exterior and interior renovation work stabilized these historic properties. You will see improvements including a new awning, electric and fire suppression systems, roofing, insulation, gutters, soffits and downspouts, porch and wood trim, wood siding, clapboard replacement along with painting of walls, new flooring, new handicapped entrance, furnace and air conditioning upgrades, new bathrooms and kitchens.
You will also notice the Streetscape enhancements made by the Village – to the tune of $14,825 in grant funds. These efforts include the planting of trees, and the installation of planters, benches, historic plaques and signs. These enhancements complete the picture in beautifying this wonderful historic downtown.
Village Mayor Lesley Pelotte commented, “Our rural historic downtowns are a treasure to our region and programs such as these make much needed improvements possible.” She went on to say that the partnership between the Village and County was crucial in the plan to improve the downtown area. “The Village of Nichols simply does not have the capacity to manage a program such as this. We are pleased and appreciative of the County’s assistance in bringing this opportunity to our Village”.
The Tioga County Department of Economic Development and Planning has since applied for 2014 funding from the New York Main Street program on behalf of the Village of Waverly. Announcements on the award for that request are expected by the end of the year.
