ALBANY – Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday more than $1.35 million in Smart Growth grants has been awarded to 18 communities and organizations in the North Country and six in the Mid-Hudson Valley.

Funding has been awarded to municipalities and nonprofit organizations that responded to a Request for Applications announced earlier this year. Grants for projects in the Catskill and Adirondack parks was made possible by the expansion of the Environmental Protection Fund.

“The Catskill and Adirondack parks are two of New York’s premier year-round destinations, offering unmatched outdoor recreation and stunning natural beauty for residents and visitors alike to enjoy,” Cuomo said. “Through this latest round of Smart Growth grants, these communities will have the resources they need to build on six years of tourism and economic growth by completing new smart, sustainable projects to attract even more visitors for decades to come.”

Smart Growth grants aim to help identify locally-led priorities for community development, leverage surrounding natural areas for public enjoyment, and collaborate on initiatives throughout the Catskill and Adirondack Parks. The following grants have been awarded to the Adirondack Park:

-BluSeed Studios, Inc. — $39,010.: A New View of BluSeed Studios: Building and Site Improvements Along a Village Travel Corridor in Saranac Lake

-Village of Saranac Lake — $75,000: Saranac Lake Southern Gateway Multi-Use Trail

-Town of Tupper Lake — $75,000: Tupper Lake Rail & Rail-Trail Readiness Planning and Improvements

-St. Lawrence County — $75,000: Demolition and Abatement of former Jones & Laughlin (J&L) Steel

-Town of Moriah — $75,000: Transforming the Hamlet of Port Henry Waterfront

-Town of Crown Point — $75,000: War Canoe Spirits Distillery Water Service Upgrades

-Warren County — $67,936: Promoting the First Wilderness Heritage Corridor Projects focusing on cultural amenities:

-Fort Ticonderoga Association — $25,000: Structural Improvement; Stone Deck Repair at Fort Ticonderoga

-Adirondack Folk School, Inc. — $18,700: Video Promotions to “Discover the Adirondack Folk School in Lake Luzerne, NY!”

-Sagamore Institute of the Adirondacks — $67,620: Great Camp Sagamore Visitor Interpretation and Education Project

-Hamilton County — $60,000: Adirondack Cycling Strategy, Phase One, Growing the Bicycle Tourism Economy in The Great South Woods

-Lake George Land Conservancy — $40,000: Pilot Knob Trail Reconstruction

-Town of Caroga — $6,000: Wheelerville Trails System Conceptual Plan

-Town of Willsboro — $75,000: Development for Florence Hathaway Recreation Park

-Town of Johnsburg — $73,981: Ski Bowl Park Improvements – Little Gore Summit Trail and Beach Improvements

-Town of Indian Lake — $73,500: Essex Chain Lakes and Cedar River Flow Hamlet Gateway Facilities

-Village of Northville — $42,000: Village of Northville Zoning Update

-Otter Lake Fire Company Inc. — $19,210: Otter Lake Fire Co. Feasibility Study for Senior Citizen Apartments in Forestport