Cobleskill Pursues Million Dollar Grant

COBLESKILL - On Monday evening, the Cobleskill Town Board talked with Brendon Becker of Lamont Engineers about a new County Infrastructure grant offered by the state.

Available to every county in upstate New York, the $1,000,000 grant seeks to improve or reinstate roadways and water mains for communities with a good plan to do so.

Each county can earn up to $500,000 from the total pool, but if their plan is pro-housing and promises the construction of at least ten new units, they could be eligible for the full million dollars.

Lamont Engineers has recently caught wind of a property owner on Shad Point that wants to develop new housing, and thought it would be the perfect fit for Cobleskill’s own submission.

Mr. Becker explained that the owner is looking to build 36 small lots, 19 larger housing units, and four apartment complexes that each house anywhere from five to ten dwellings, for a total of around 32 acres.

If Cobleskill is awarded the full prize pool, Mr. Becker said that would go a long way toward all of the lots’ infrastructure upgrades, including water, electricity, and telecom. 

With the Board in awe of the scope of the grant and the planning that Lamont Engineers has done, they quickly approved of moving forward with Cobleskill’s grant submission to Shane Nichols at County Planning.

In other news, the Board also revisited their dog kennel leasing contract with each of the surrounding municipalities. 

This is a renewal of a plan put in place last year, where Cobleskill offered its facilities for $300 in the face of the growing county-wide dog crisis.

Although the Board received news that Richmondville had backed out of the deal, the Board agreed to still lease with Sharon, Summit, and Seward if the need arises.

As the meeting concluded, Supervisor Werner Hampel profusely thanked the highway department for their services in the wake of the recent snowfall, a commendation that each member of the Board supported.