LYONS FALLS, New York (WWNY) – When the winners were announced Monday, Lyons Falls Mayor Donna Dolhof could not believe it.
“I was so excited I was jumping up and down,” said Village of Lyons Falls Mayor Donna Dolhof.
$2.25 million is earmarked for the Village of Lyons Falls. It’s part of the $100 million NY Forward program.
Dolhof says the money could be a game changer for her community.
“I couldn’t believe it really. We’re a small little village, and I didn’t think that we had a chance. I was just extremely excited,” said Dolhof.
Lyons Falls submitted its application in September for the grant. Some of the potential projects for the village include an expansion of the Black River Valley Natural Creamery and improvements for the facades of small businesses in downtown Lyons Falls.
Also up for money is a plan to redevelop the old school, turning it into a mixed use building for retail shopping and residential housing.
“The worst thing I can think of it just to see the building fall down on itself,” said Dolhof.
Some of the smaller ticket items include the possibilities of building a splash pad at Riverside Park. On the other hand, the Mayor says there are larger ticket items that she says may be more of just a wish list.
One such proposal suggests building a scenic overlook on the Black River to show off Lyons Falls’ name sake. The money is limited though, and will have to be divvied up wisely.
“Several of these projects that we hope to complete, we would never be able to do so without grant money. We’re just very excited to improve the economic development in the village,” said Dolhof.
Two other North Country communities also were announced on Monday as grant award winners. Cape Vincent will receive $4.5 million dollars and the Village of Waddington will also get $2.25 million dollars for improvements.
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