Cobleskill Pursues Pocket Park

COBLESKILL - The Cobleskill Village Board convened for their regular meeting last Tuesday to discuss a multitude of grants that may be available to them.

The meeting was opened with a public hearing surrounding the application for the Restore NY Communities Initiative. This grant is funded through Empire State Development, who the Board sent a letter of intent to last month.

The idea is to achieve funding for 553 Main Street, otherwise locally known as “the Pit.” Staying in line with their efforts to beautify and spruce up parts of Cobleskill, the Board wants to transform the property into a pocket park for all to enjoy.

Luckily, Empire State Development was taken by their letter, and recommended a full application process for the grant. However, not everyone in the room was so quick to proceed.

Citizens took full advantage of the public comment period, stating their hesitation in restoring the property. They cited how the Board attempted to do the same thing years ago, only to be stopped when they realized that it was a police monitoring deadzone. 

Now, with Cobleskill’s police department crippled even further, the locals are worried about the potential hazards that may come with such an awkward lot, especially when centered on Main Street.

The Board took the notions into consideration before electing to move forward with the process anyway. Member Howard Burt summed up their feelings, stating “It’s worth a try to see if we can get it.”

Following these remarks, the Board approved two motions to begin the application process in full and commence the needed SEQR.

In the same vein of grants, members quickly looked at NY Swims, a new program that rolled out this year to assist municipalities with expensive swimming pool costs. These can range from upgrades to concession stands or bath houses to maintenance repairs. 

Though the program called for a lengthy application procedure, the Board adopted the same attitude as before and passed the motion to begin.