The meeting was attended by a variety of people representing an alphabet soup of state agencies, as well as representatives from the various engineering, economic, design, landscape and urban planning consulting firms the village is working with during this process.

The 14-member LPC discussed their hopes for what the money can do in Tupper Lake.

The village of Tupper Lake was awarded the DRI this past December.

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The boundary line of where projects can be selected for Tupper Lake Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant funding. (Provided photo)

Call for applications

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Project applications can now be submitted to the LPC, which will work with the state to determine which projects will get a portion of the pot of money. The committee will make suggestions on what projects to fund, but in the end, it’s the state’s decision.

The form to submit project applications can be found at tupperlakedri.com under the “call for projects” button.

Hard copy submissions can be delivered to village Clerk Mary Casagrain in the village office on Park Street.

The deadline to submit applications is March 11 at 5 p.m.

Projects must be within the DRI boundary. A map of this boundary is included with this story online.

There are four types of projects the money can be spent on — public improvements, new construction or rehabilitation, loans and grants, or branding and marketing.

State leaders for the DRI said anyone interested in pitching a project can submit applications now, and anyone whose projects were included in the village’s initial DRI application to the state should re-submit them.

The minimum DRI ask for a project is $100,000. The maximum ask is for 40% of the project cost. This can be upped to 50% if the project meets green DRI decarbonization goals.

Residential projects must provide a minimum of eight units.

DRI funds are not eligible to be used on purchasing property, but the price of a property can count toward the total project cost.

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Ethics and future meetings

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Committee members were briefed on how to avoid conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest would occur if a committee member, or someone they are close to, would benefit from a decision that does not serve the public. If a potential conflict of interest is discovered, members are required to recuse themselves from votes. They could still provide facts about the project, but could not vote.

Future meetings will be scheduled virtually on the first Tuesday of every month at 1 p.m. These meetings are expected to last two hours. The next meeting is scheduled on March 1.

There will be separate sessions scheduled at other times specifically for public comment.

The website tupperlakedri.com has been set up as a hub for all the information related to the DRI. Recorded board meetings will be shared there.

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Timeline

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The state detailed a five-month timeline of events for the committee to follow — from conceptual stages to finalizing what the money will be spent on.

¯ In March, the committee should have its goals for the DRI.

¯ In April, the committee should develop a preliminary project list and finalize its downtown profile.

¯ In May, the committee should finalize its strategies.

¯ In June, the committee should have its draft of its investment plan.

¯ In July, it should finalize its investment plan.

Empire State Development North Country Regional Director Steve Hunt said people can expect groundbreaking on projects within one or two years.

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What does success look like?

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Committee members were asked what a successful rollout of the DRI would look like.

Susan Delehanty and Seth McGowan both said they’d like to engage the community often to make sure no one misses chance to talk.

MJ Engineering Director of Planning Jaclyn Hakes said she plans to set up an information table at the upcoming Brew-Ski event at the James C. Frenette Recreational Cross-Country Ski Trails.

Residents in the chat suggested engaging the public through Facebook and at the Goff-Nelson Memorial Library.

Wild Center Executive Director and LPC member Stephanie Ratcilffe said success means the community likes and understands the strategy.

Northern Forest Center Adirondack Program Manager and LPC member Leslie Karasin said transparency is good and with the DRI’s complex distribution process the committee should communicate clearly.

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Public questions

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Around 50 members of the public attended this first meeting, and some had questions about the process or suggestions on how to best roll it out.

Department of State Community Development Specialist Kylie Peck assured the public that there will be state oversight of this process.

Tupper Lake resident Hope Frenette said she hopes the village and state can set up ways to transfer businesses to the next generation and keep or bring children to town.

Several commenters said workforce housing is a needed focus for the money.

Some wondered if the DRI boundary can be expanded to include more businesses. Hunt said the boundary is set — which means money cannot be used on the rail trail or the Tupper Lake Business Group’s plans for recreational trails.

Village Mayor Paul Maroun said he would have liked to include the entire village and even the town in the DRI application, but it would have been too big and Tupper Lake likely wouldn’t have gotten the grant.

He said for projects outside the boundary the rising tide of the DRI will lift all boats, and leads to more money coming in for other ventures.

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