by Deb Alter
Hoosick Rising was busy this summer. The website (hoosickrising.org) has been updated with many community links. Bouncelinx, with the help of the Hoosick Local Development Corporation, is moving forward with their project on the Knapp property off Bovie Hill Road, which will bring high-speed internet to the Hoosick community. Little Sprouts, the baby goods store on Church Street is doing well and the “new” Bagel and Brew on Elm Street has been very successful. A new healthy living business, Moms on a Mission to End the Trend is doing nicely in its home at The Armory. [private]
Bill Wyman is working on the Babson’s/Farrara’s building, getting it ready for a small restaurant of some kind. The local Chamber of Commerce has been working with the County Chamber, who would like to see a re-emergence of a County Chamber presence in Hoosick Falls. Any interested community business member should contact the Hoosick Falls or Rensselaer County Chambers. They will be publishing a newsletter with updates in the near future.
There were lots of Hoosick Rising handouts, including bumper stickers and business cards.
The new grant season is coming up and the Town and Village are doing the prep work necessary to be able to jump on grant opportunities as they become available, and they need help from community members to do some of the ground work. They would like to use some grant money to help spruce up the facades of some of the downtown businesses.
Code Enforcement officers and the police have been working together on the abandoned property situation. It’s not been easy, but they are starting to get some responses from the banks who own these properties.
The Village and the Town are starting the property tax revaluation process, to make the Hoosick Town and Village property taxes more fair overall. How to implement it and the time frame (somewhere between two and four years – the revaluation itself takes a whole year) are just two of the many facets of the project that need to be worked out.
The State, thanks in part to Senator Kathy Marchione, has budgeted $50 million to help communities deal with zombie properties. The Town and Village have made proposals to Senator Marchione and Assemblyman Stephen McLaughlin to use Hoosick Falls as a pilot. “Getting the money is one thing, but it must be operationalized,” said Hoosick Falls Mayor David Borge. If awarded funds from this State program, they would be used to fix buildings and provide services that make them more inviting for developers and businesses.
Elizabeth Young, a representative from Sequence Development, told the gathering that “The Corner” is coming along. Windows are in, the roof is on, and the building will hopefully be ready for occupancy by November or December. She asked that people spread the word that the large retail space, which includes a mezzanine, is available for lease. Young emphasized that they “are committed to finding a solid business that would be beneficial to the Hoosick Community; someone who will come in and own and run the business.” There is also the possibility of punching through to the Monahan Building next door for an even larger space, with the possibility of a kitchen space for a restaurant. As an extra added incentive, Sequence is offering six months free rent to help the incoming business get off the ground. After that, the rent will be $8 per square foot, or $1,533 for the entire 2000 square-foot space. Upstairs, there will be two apartments for rent at $850 per month and one really large (1200 square feet) one on the top floor for $1200 per month. Sequence has been working with Hoosac School on renting the apartments in the Monahan Building, and they are all occupied. The exterior of the new building will be brick on the first floor only, and architectural panels on the top two floors that will be a sandstone color to visually tie in with the Monahan Building.
In the old St. Mary’s building, two of the apartments are almost ready. Jasen VonGuinness the owner/developer has been championing Hoosick Falls, encouraging other developers to invest in the Village.
One Mechanic Street (the old WCW) Building has had some work done to make it more viable and inviting for developers. “The 80,000 square foot space is an asset to the Village,” the Mayor said. “It is structurally sound, has four loading docks, and there are a lot of different ways to use the space,” he continued.
The Hoosick Local Development is back in full force. They have been busy reviewing applications and giving loans (one to a brick-and-mortar storefront, the others are from-home businesses), as well as consulting with people, helping them to develop business plans and giving business advice and counseling. The HLDC is a private corporation and has no government component. They have limited funds; the maximum amount they can lend is $7,500. They are working on a project with the Hoosick Falls Central School District: they are sponsoring a contest in which groups of students will create businesses, and which will culminate in a “Shark Tank”-like contest at the end. For more information about the LDC, visit hoosickldc.org.
The Hoosic River Greenway has officially acquired the Skorupski Landing site. Trails, a kiosk with interpretive signage, and a gathering space will be developed there. The property near Sewer Plant Road is also now officially part of the Greenway. Directional signs have been ordered for the Greenway. According to DiDonato, the stipulation for acquiring and developing the Skorupski property was that it would not cost taxpayers any money, and the Greenway is holding to that. He also said the long term (emphasis on “long”) vision for the Greenway is for it to go from Tibbits Forest to the Bennington Battlefield.
Brian Bushner, the Community Information Officer at HFCS shared a brief update of what’s happening in the schools. Of 85 ranked school districts in the Capital Region, HFCS is ranked 21; eight years ago HFCS was ranked 63. That’s a huge improvement, but the District continues to work to improve even more. He highlighted many of the District’s new and continuing initiatives. High ratings, innovative programs, and the excellent quality of education at Hoosick Falls Central Schools is a major contributor to a community’s economic development. “A strong school is a great driver of economic development. People are moving here because we have a great school. The more our school grows, and the stronger it becomes, the better it is for the community as a whole,” he said.
Eric Wood, a Hoosick resident, presented a Google initiative intended to help businesses and municipalities get found easily online. “Let’s Put Hoosick on the Map” t-shirts and information about how to get your business on Google were available to take home. He is determined to get all of Hoosick’s businesses on the map, and needs help doing it. You can contact Wood at insidethreesixty@gmail.com or 518-302-1690.
The next Hoosick Rising meeting is on November 17, at 6 pm in the Town Courtroom at the HAYC3 Armory.[/private]