Recent meeting asked for advice and assistance
The feedback from the April 24 Main St. Symposium has been good, Highland Falls Mayor Joe D’Onofrio said this week.
But now … the work begins.
D’Onofrio hosted the meeting, which was designed to bring “big stakeholders in Orange County, the Hudson Valley and New York State” to Highland Falls, and to pick their brains on how the village can move ahead in its desire to revitalize.
Officials from West Point (the Garrison Commander’s office, MWR, the Thayer Hotel); Orange County (the Transportation Council, Legislature, Planning Department); area real estate firms (Keller Williams and Rand Realty); the village (Chamber of Commerce, trustees, Historian’s office, business owners); Hudson Highlands Land Trust; Pattern for Progress; Orange County Partnership; Scenic Hudson; and Assemblyman Colin Schmitt and a representative from Senator James Skoufis’ office were all on hand.
“We need their ideas,” D’Onofrio said. “Then when we get those ideas — which we are getting — hopefully they can turn into a vision, and then a plan.”
Already those who were at the recent meeting were offering their help, the mayor added.
D’Onofrio is working with Paul Walker, a Highland Falls resident and co-owner of Bear Mountain Bakery, who has taken on the — volunteer — task of helping put together a new master plan for the village. He’s working with the LA Group, an upstate firm which has done work locally at Roe Park and on Main St. and is currently working on the village’s waterfront rehabilitation plan, and assisting the village in applying for one of New York State’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grants.
“We’re using old studies, and lessons learned here and by other municipalities,” Walker said last week. “We need to decide what some key projects will be and then get them going to start the momentum. This meeting, and others, are to collect feedback.”
D’Onofrio is confident that the village will eventually get the $10 million from the state — “this is our fourth year applying, and we’ve come close,” he said. “Our application is due on May 30.
The meeting on April 24, they hope, will show the state how serious Highland Falls is about improving.
“This strong show of unity — from the community and those who live and work in the region around us — is important,” D’Onofrio said.
First and foremost, D’Onofrio and Walker said, they want to move quickly — whether or not that $10 million comes the village’s way.
“For instance, we’re looking at creating a historic walking loop along Main St.,” Walker said. “But right away we want to get a visitor’s kiosk across from the Visitor’s Center in place. We want new trash receptacles, benches and planters in place. We want everyone to see that something is happening.”
But most importantly, they said, at the same time little upgrades are being made, they are still working toward a unified community vision.
The mayor said there will be more meetings similar to the April 24 session, but for local residents and business owners specifically. Already a letter has gone out to businesses not only listing some of the recent grants and improvements they believe the village has made, but asking for input. They asked that a survey on the back of the letter be filled out and returned to Village Hall — it asked questions like:
• What is the most important improvement that should be made to enhance the quality and success of the business corridor of the village?
• Have there been any municipal issues that have affected your ability to run your business?
• What do you see as the biggest roadblock to you business’ further success?
• Are there any other ways that the village could support your business opportunities?
Those who want to answer those questions are asked to do so and get them back to the mayor’s office soon.
