The local Downtown Revitalization Initiative committee voted yesterday morning on whether to recommend a list of 20 projects to New York State officials who will eventually decide which ones will receive a slice of the $10 million grant awarded to the city in September 2018.
Although the results of the vote will not be made public until next week, Mayor Michael Villa, who co-chaired the committee, said after the meeting that he believes the list reflects the consensus of the committee.
Click on any image below for a visual and brief description of each project. All photos are from the Amsterdam DRI project packet except as noted. (Scroll down on each image to see description)
The total cost of all projects on the list is $29 million and will require a total of $15.2 million in DRI grant funds. Co-chair Dustin Swanger, president of Fulton Montgomery Community College, stressed that the state will make the final choice as to which projects will be funded. That decision is expected to be announced by the state in the summer of this year.
| Project Name | Total Project Cost | DRI request |
| Pedestrian Connector to MVGO Bridge | $5.3 million | $3.3 million |
| Chuctanunda Creek Trail | $342,300 | $288,728 |
| Public realm enhancements at Chalmers Lofts | $750,000 | $522,000 |
| X-Squad waterski business relocation | $60,000 | $60,000 |
| Partial Route 5 removal | $547,087 | $547,087 |
| Downtown entry gateway | $1 million | $1 million |
| Community dog park & mid-block connector | $324,000 | $324,000 |
| Relocation of skate park | $93,000 | $93,000 |
| Bridge Street utility pole removal | $1.25 million | $939,000 |
| Bridge Street & Main Street Enhancements | $350,000 | $350,000 |
| Wayfinding, signage, art & marketing | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| Design guidelines | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Downtown improvement fund | $1.2 million | $600,000 |
| Chalmers Mills Lofts banquet facility | $3 million | $500,000 |
| Amsterdam Free Library | $4.3 million | $1.8 million |
| Community & Recreation Center | $6 million | $2.5 million |
| Southside parking | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| Former Key Bank building rennovations | $2.5 million | $1 million |
| Sharpshooters rooftop bar | $225,000 | $90,000 |
| Sweet Canal Shop restoration | $688,120 | $275,000 |
Six other projects were identified by the committee as worthy of including in the final strategic investment plan, but were not being considered for funding from the DRI grant: the relocation of the train station to a multi-modal transportation hub, a culinary incubator, “Celebrating our Waterways” lighting and creek trailhead park, converting downtown streets back to a traditional “grid” layout, renovations to 20-22 Main Street, and a marina & ferry service on the south side.
A summary of the strategic investment plan will be presented at the third and final public engagement meeting which will be held on March 20 from 6pm to 8pm at Amsterdam City Hall.
