ECONOMIC 20 OUTLOOK 21 saturday, february 27, 2021 • A product of the Press-Republican
Inside:
Local doctor discusses the admirable speed and efficiency of the COVID-19 vaccines’ development, and how far the North Country has gotten in vaccinating citizens
Mayor Chris Rosenquest discusses the City of Plattsburgh’s hopes for the future surrounding the development of the ‘Harborside’ property
ROUSES POINT: Work to transform vacant Pfizer property into industrial park continues
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Chamber targets City DRI projects still in progress local tourism with border closed
TOURISM: Region’s tourism less affected than some may
think, North Country Chamber of Commerce says By FERNANDO ALBA Press-Republican
PLATTSBURGH — Almost a year into the pandemic, North Country tourism continues to feel the effects of restrictions put in place as a response — especially as the Canadian border remains closed. The North Country Chamber of Commerce is hopeful for a reopening soon, but also said, local attractions have fared better than what many might think. Part of the reason, Kristy Kennedy, vice president of Marketing and Business Development, said, was the Chamber’s adjustment to focus on attracting more in-state travelers. It hasn’t gotten official reports based off of occupancy tax revenues from last year yet and expects it in March. “But from talking to the hoteliers and some of our attractions and restaurants, [in-state travel] definitely spiked and helped offset some [loss] in certain sectors,” Kennedy said. “The marinas, which typically are full of our Quebec boaters, we couldn’t do a ton to leverage that and bring that audience back. But we definitely saw a strong showing.” In a normal year, the Chamber focuses its attention north to Quebec and Ontario, promoting the North Country’s outdoor recreation, history, beaches and lakes to Canadians, Kennedy said. But when the border closed and the pandemic was in full swing, the Chamber had to rethink its approach to make up for a huge loss. “The Canadian travel makes up so much of what makes the North Country and Adirondack Coast thrive. In tourism, it probably makes up a good 80 to 90% of our visitors typically,” Kennedy said. On top of that, Kennedy said, travelers from Quebec and Ontario make up about 84% of travelers who use Plattsburgh International Airport. And the local manufacturing sector includes companies based out of Quebec with workers who might have home offices in Quebec or travel across the border for work. “[The border] is so intertwined in so many sectors, not even just tourism, but in tourism, it’s a really important part of our economy,” Kennedy said. “To have it restricted the way it has been, has made us have to change course.” The Chamber fell back on the region’s outdoor activities and low case numbers as things to promote to other New Yorkers. “It was funny. It was the first time I’ve ever marketed us as having a low-infection rate and super safe and great sanitation practices,” Kennedy said. The Chamber saw success in its approach, which it has continued since August last year. “That’s really where we’re at right now. We understand that we shouldn’t and can’t be promoting big, sweeping travel from other states,” Kennedy said, “but we are looking at showcasing what the Adirondack Coast and Clinton County has to offer to those in the Capital region. We’ve ramped up our efforts.” The Chamber also targeted the St. Lawrence County and Saratoga areas as well as local residents by promoting staycations. “Which we never really considered them a market until now,” Kennedy said. “Our job is to bring people here. For the first time, we were really able to look inward and showcase our community to local residents and tell them how important it was to have these local businesses in our area.” While some sectors have been able to manage during the pandemic, Kennedy said some, such as group travel and lodging, will continue to struggle. “This was the first year, and it was due to the pandemic, that we really couldn’t go after the groups market,” Kennedy said. “We couldn’t encourage motor coach travel for the fall foliage. We couldn’t look to the north like we typically do. So, we really had to reinvent ourselves with who can travel safely and find out what the travel patterns are during the pandemic.” Restaurants also struggled a bit because of the restrictions that were put in place early on and had to adapt with smaller profit margins, Kennedy said. Some smaller businesses in particular needed help with understanding the new guidelines, Kennedy said. “Some of the smaller businesses had multiple businesses within them,” she said. “So, if they had food service and recreation. They fall under two different categories, and they had to abide by both.” The capital needed to make those adjustments to guidelines were also a challenge to smaller businesses, Kennedy said. A full recovery starts with the border reopening, so Kennedy hopes that will happen sooner rather than later. “I’m always glass half-full, so in my eyes, the sooner the better,” she said. “I would love to think that both our countries understand how important it is.”
BEN WATSON/p-r file PHOTO With the Durkee Street parking area being eyed for this development, the city has been chipping away at various parking replacement options in the downtown corridor.
Arts Park slated for fall 2021 completion, Durkee end date still up in air By McKENZIE DELISLE Press-Republican
PLATTSBURGH — Two notable city DRI projects continue to make headway, but while one could wrap up this fall, the other’s end date is still undetermined.
THE PROJECTS Plattsburgh City’s $10 million, state-funded Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) supported 10 total projects. Six of them — Durkee Street Site, Dock Street Waterfront District, the Downtown Grant Program, Riverfront Access, Downtown Streetscape Improvements, and Marketing, Branding and Signage Strategy — were to be executed via city leadership.
MUDDY TIMELINE The $4.3 million awarded to support the redevelopment of the Lake City’s 289-space Durkee Street parking lot is by far the most talked about of the projects. The city has been working with Albany County-based developer Prime Plattsburgh LLC, the project’s sole bidder, for years now, but, shovels have yet to enter the ground there — and the timeline of when that could happen is muddy. Plattsburgh City Mayor Christopher Rosenquest told the Press-Republican that he had no new information, adding that the project’s tax application still awaited County of Clinton Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) action. “There’s nothing much else,” he said. “We’re just waiting on the process at this point.”
MCKENZIE DELISLE/p-r file PHOTO Crews from Luck Brothers Inc., a Plattsburgh-based construction group, pictured working at the site of the future Betty Little Arts Park in downtown Plattsburgh last fall. The site has bridged the gap between Margaret and Durkee streets with a ramp, but will soon become a three-tiered public park.
DURKEE ACHIEVEMENTS Still, the project has made notable progress as of late. Site plans changed in the last 12 months to incorporate various community comments, like adjustments to the structure’s height and exterior materials, and feedback from the city’s volunteer boards amounted to other alterations, like additional public parking. The Durkee project, after many months, received Planning and Zoning board approvals before the start of the New Year and was recently before the CCIDA for its pending Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) application. That vote, which could determine the fate of the
Good business year despite pandemic Local: Businesses do well
to weather coronavirus storm in 2020 and beyond By JOE LoTEMPLIO Editor in Chief
PLATTSBURGH — The past year has been a tumultuous period for businesses nationwide as well as locally, but fortunately many have not only been able to weather the coronavirus storm, but have actually thrived in some areas.
The pandemic deep- and innovative ways to serve ly wounded many customers and meet businesses, and left demands, a practice Joe a dark mark on the that always makes L oTemplio economy with thoufor better business. sands of people losNo doubt, we will ing their jobs, and see many of these some businesses innovations remains having to close their in the local business landscape as doors. we emerge from the But many believe pandemic. it could have been This edition of much worse. Economic OutThe pandemic Editor-in-chief look 2021 (formerly forced businesses to known as the Progcome up with new
ress edition) will feature some highlights of the local business year, and provide a glimpse of the coming year and its promises. With strong business leadership shown on many fronts during the pandemic, the North Country Chamber of Commerce (one of the strongest chambers in the state), and others supporting the local economy, the future of business in the North Country looks promising and we are proud to celebrate it.
downtown project, was postponed until further notice. If successful, the project looked to construct a five-story, mixed-use development on one side of the now parking area to overlook the nearby Saranac River. The structure would include upper-level apartment units, lower-level commercial space and underground parking. The second half of the lot would house a 90-plus space public parking lot and a meandering public walkway, connecting two other DRI offshoots: the Saranac Riverfront walkway and the Betty Little Arts Park.
LITTLE ARTS PARK Ground broke at the future Arts Park last fall as Luck Brothers Inc. crews worked on the site’s sanitary sewer replacement. The city named the park, to sit between Margaret and Durkee streets, in honor of longtime Sen. Betty Little, who retired at the end of last year. The three-tiered park was expected to feature an outdoor seating area up by Margaret Street as its top layer, a splash pad/water feature at its center and a sculpture garden of local artwork at the bottom down by Durkee Street. If they were to glance up, park-goers would have front-
row view of the new “Reach for the Stars! The Michael Anderson Mural” that was painted by Brendon Palmer-Angell on the side of the Westelcom Building last year.
PARK PROGRESS
Rosenquest said the park was hoped for a fall 2021 completion. “I think the Arts Park, in the grand scheme of things, speaks to our need for space that people can come and enjoy; it’s been a park that has been there, but it has just existed without any clear function,” the mayor said. “It’s about making sure that our green space is being leveraged for, not only to just be attractive for our city, but to improve our quality of life.” Rosenquest said the city was now engaged with community organization Outside Arts to get advice on what kind of art should be featured at the park. “Our hope is to identify what it will look like and then start to fill in some of those gaps,” he said. “Whether those gaps are going to be filled in the first year or second year is the question. “Some of it is also based on funding, as well.” Email McKenzie Delisle: mdelisle@pressrepublican.com Twitter: @McKenzieDelisle
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The drive to vaccinate the world
VACCINE: Development of COVID-19
vaccines ‘a daunting task’ met with massive global need and will to fund it, local doc says By cara Chapman Press-Republican
PLATTSBURGH — When asked, Dr. Wouter Rietsema could not think of another scientific or technological development whose expeditiousness and importance compared with the successful creation of the COVID-19 vaccines. “You set out with the daunting task of how do we develop vaccines to vaccinate the world — that’s a pretty big ask, and to do it quickly,” he told The Press-Republican during a recent interview. “There was such a massive global need and will to fund that need.”
PRIOR RESEARCH According to Rietsema, research into a vaccine against coronaviruses — of which there are many different types — began with the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak in the early 2000s. SARS, like COVID-19, is caused by a coronavirus. Though it was not as transmissible, it caused a severe pneumonia that killed many. Later, another coronavirus-caused disease called MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) emerged, but since it was contained, only select researchers continued working on coronavirus vaccines, Rietsema said. “As years passed, we didn’t have the will to fund it.” Simultaneously, there was global work going on to look into using messenger RNA as a means to create an immune response against conditions such as cancer. Rietsema said that use was only moderately effective, as the method worked well to create antibodies, but the antibodies did not work well to treat cancer. Still, scientists knew the mRNA method could be used to quickly develop vaccine.
NOT TOO FAST
CARA CHAPMAN/STAFF PHOTO The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was the second to receive emergency use authorization in the United States through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It was designed two days after the novel coronavirus’ genetic sequence was shared and, like the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, utilizes messenger RNA technology. Plattsburgh Family Health nurse leader Brooke Castine holds up a vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which can hold up to 10 doses. greenlighted for Phase 2 and don’t make it past that,” Rietsema said. If the slow and detailed process reaches Phase 3, many thousands of people are given the vaccine and it can take a long time, even years, to determine whether it works, depending on the disease. Then during Phase 4, referred to as post-marketing surveillance, the vaccine is studied longterm with the intent, in part, to monitor for rare side effects.
Rietsema denied that the COVID-19 vaccines were developed too fast. GOV’T ASSUMED RISK “The science did not move any faster Two things made the COVID-19 vacthan it normally moves in vaccine develcine development process different, opment.” Rietsema said. Normally, the process follows a very First, the U.S. and many other govset pace, Rietsema explained. During ernments assumed all the financial Phase 1, the vaccine is given to a few risk that companies normally would people in order to help determine the take into account during development. right dose or if there are any horrible Wouter Rietsma Though Pfizer did not accept federal side effects. funding for manufacturing and develFollowing evaluation and research, oping its vaccine, it did receive a $1.95 billion pharmaceutical companies may move on to Phase advance-purchase agreement to deliver 100 2, which involves vaccinating a larger group of million doses, The New York Times reported. people, in the low thousands, and similarly looking With the governments taking on the risk and at dosing and side effects, less so efficacy. providing incentives, that allowed the compa“Many things they (private pharmaceutical nies to, in a sense, overlap the phases. companies) develop, whether it’s medications or “They were doing things at the same time as vaccines, don’t make it past Phase 1, or they’re
opposed to one after another,” Rietsema said. “They were already planning and developing and recruiting Phase 2, so that when Phase 1 was done, they were immediately ready to move on to Phase 2. “When you take away all the money risk, it’s really easy to move really quickly for the pharmaceutical companies.”
SHORTER PHASE 3 The second difference was that Phase 3 efficacy trials turned out to be much shorter. “In the midst of a global pandemic, some of the trials only lasted three or four months, there were so many cases,” Rietsema said. “The science was the same. The only thing that had not been done was long-term studying.” With most vaccines, you want to know how long they remain effective and if any rare side effects pop up, Rietsema said. As a result, most do not get approved until years and years of data have been provided. “Obviously with millions of people dying worldwide, the win from an effective vaccine far outweighs the very rare case where there’s severe side effects,” Rietsema added.
Rietsema believes it is too soon to tell whether development of COVID-19 vaccines will lead to a more proactive than reactive approach to funding similar projects. Everyone is motivated to do so right now, he continued, adding that we are also learning a lot about mRNA vaccines like the Pfizer and Moderna candidates that currently have emergency use authorization in the United States. Multiple outlets have reported on how the Moderna vaccine was designed in two days once the genetic makeup of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, was made available. That does not necessarily mean all future vaccines will utilize mRNA technology, but does prove we know how to develop vaccines quickly, Rietsema added. “The Pfizer vaccine is a little bit different than the Moderna vaccine. Long-term, when we find out which one is better, which mechanism is better, learning that will inform future pandemics, whether it’s coronavirus or something else.” Email Cara Chapman: cchapman@pressrepublican.com
INFORM FUTURE PANDEMICS
Twitter: @PPR_carachapman
Northern NY vaccine hub works to ensure consistent approach
Group: Aims to identify
when the prime mechanism is the internet — how do you know where to go? How do you schedule a vaccine?” The Equity Task Force has been working with counties’ offices of the aging to help people access vaccine registration, and is trying to identify other available resources to help people in each county, Rietsema said.
resources, create messaging for equitable vaccine access By CARA CHAPMAN Press-Republican
PLATTSBURGH — About 20 percent of eligible adults in the seven-county North Country region have received their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Wouter Rietsema says. And eight percent have received both doses, a figure that has more than doubled since the beginning of this month.
EFFECTIVE MESSAGING
CONSISTENT APPROACH Rietsema, an infectious disease physician and the vice president of population health and information services at University of Vermont Health Network, Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, serves as the coordinator of the Northern New York Regional Vaccination Hub. He said the group’s role has not changed much since vaccine rollout began in December with the Pfizer/BioNTech and, later, Moderna candidates receiving emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Prior to when vaccine was distributed, the hub developed a plan that was submitted to the state, later moving into a coordination role as jabs started to flow. A task force meets multiple times each week to answer
OFFICE OF GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO/PHOTO Cars line up for COVID-19 vaccine appointments at the 213 Connecticut Rd. COVID-19 vaccination site in Plattsburgh on Jan. 18. questions and make sure the region’s different stakeholders understand current guidelines. “We’re really just helping different vaccine components of our task force do what they need to do,” Rietsema said. The task force comes together to formulate plans when the state pushes out new initiatives, such as the recent
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expansion of vaccine eligibility to include people with certain comorbidities. “We have a call with the health department and ask, ‘What do you think is the best way to do that?’ to ensure we have a consistent approach across the North Country,” Rietsema said.
EQUITY TASK FORCE
The hub also has an Equity Task Force whose work is starting up, Rietsema said, adding that health equity concerns in a rural area like the North Country tend to be different from those in an urban setting. While the urban focus may be on ethnic populations, he continued, noting there are certainly pockets of ethnic
groups in northern New York, work in the seven counties will look in particular at the challenges faced by elderly people, especially those who are poor and/or live remotely. These people may not have internet access or, if they do, may not be all that familiar with it, Rietsema added. “They’re going to be challenged in accessing vaccine
The Equity Task Force is also looking to create messaging that works for different communities as well as determine what forms of communication will be effective. For example, Rietsema said, if the Clinton County Health Department were to hold a vaccine clinic, will or won’t its active social media presence suffice for notifying people who live in more remote areas? In some towns, the doctor continued, a local post office or other place may serve as the community center where people go to for news. “Our goal is to pull together funding to create messaging that’s not all on the internet,” the doctor said. “What we’re trying to do is create materials that can be used in communities by the office of the aging or by the health department to share so they are not distracted from primary work they need to do.” Email Cara Chapman: cchapman@pressrepublican.com Twitter: @PPR_carachapman
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Harborside property to be future Lake City hub Mayor: Envisions lakeside
a request for proposals last year. S ky wa rd Ho s p i ta l i ty, which recently opened a hotel on Lake Flower in Saranac Lake, was the site’s sole bidder. It’s most recent proposal was for a 120room, L-shape waterfront hotel to include two eateries and 4,000 square feet of venue space. The city recently OK’d a resolution allowing for the subdivision of the Harborside’s tax parcels “to prepare the area for future development” and Rosenquest said the city expected something to be developed down there in the next three to five years. “These things take time,” he said. “That’s the caveat to it — we can’t just start digging in the ground next week; it’s the nature of the beast.”
site for Farmers Market, hotel/housing development and recreation By McKENZIE DELISLE Press-Republican
PLATTSBURGH — When Mayor Christopher Rosenquest pictures the future of the Lake City’s Harborside area, he sees a lakeside hub for visitors, recreation and maybe even housing. “In the next five to seven years,” he said, “that Harborside will be unrecognizable.”
‘LOT TO NOWHERE’ Located just off the banks of Lake Champlain, the underutilized acreage sits off of Dock and Bridge streets atop a peninsula down by the Plattsburgh Amtrak Station and Plattsburgh Boat Basin. Given its proximity to and views of the freshwater lake, there has been much talk of development there, but it currently houses the city’s Water Pollution Control Plant and was the former site of the city’s Municipal Lighting Department (MLD). It was pegged for a hotel development that fell through in the early 2000s and, given its abundant parking, was nicknamed the “parking lot to nowhere.” A city-owned stage now sits onsite, which was used for a weekly concert series last summer, and the location is popular amongst fishermen/women, kayakers and walkers in the warmer months.
FARMERS MARKET Though the city had plans to demolish all former MLD structures there, it was later determined one would be salvaged to house the annual Plattsburgh Farmers and Crafters Market.
MASTER PLAN
mckenzie delisle/staff photo A former Plattsburgh City Municipal Lighting Department (MLD) building sits vacant off of Dock Street down by the city’s waterfront Harborside area. The building was save from demolition and is being rehabbed to house the Plattsburgh Farmers and Crafters Market and is expected for a May 2021 completion. Work is now being done on the structure’s interior, its doors and windows will be replaced and it will be painted in coming months. The market typically operates out of a structure situated in the Durkee Street parking lot, but that lot is up for redevelopment. While the building at the city’s Harborside was to be rehabbed in time for the market’s 2020 season, the project was paused last spring. Officials had said they awaited action on that Durkee lot redevelopment, which has been a controversial project of the city’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI).
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At the time, the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals had yet to vote on the project and a downtown opposition group was threatening legal action. Both boards have since voted in approval. It was recently announced that work on the structure had picked back up. The Farmers Market was expected to operate its seasonal business there this year. Community Development Director Matt Miller told city councilors asbestos removal was complete,
a grinder pump had been installed and most of the plumbing work was underway. Interior work had also begun, he added. “Some of the work isn’t going to be done until the spring when it warms up, especially the painting. . . so while the windows and doors will be replaced — just to manage everybody’s expectations — the exterior of the building will largely maintain its current appearance until probably midApril,” he said at a recent committee meeting.
“But we are still on schedule to have everything completed by May 1, in advance to the Farmers Market’s opening.”
HOTEL DEVELOPMENT Nearly $300,000 of the city’s state-funded DRI funds were awarded to the Dock Street Waterfront District, or the Harborside. The monies meant to help identify new uses there to better connect the waterfront area with the city’s historic core. Since, a Highest and Best Use Study has been performed and the city issued
Rosenquest said a Harborside Master Plan was in the works, which would “continue to define and fine tune what Harborside is going to look like” and fill in the gaps between the Farmers Market building and the possible hotel. “It will include enhancements to the marina, to the waterfront and Green Street and then fine tune some of the projects that we’re doing down there, including the Farmers Market move and recreation opportunities,” he said, noting planned Water Pollution Control Plant façade enhancements and sight, smell and sound mitigation. “Our goal is, at the end of the day, to look at property and to have people look at that property like an asset,” Rosenquest said. Email McKenzie Delisle: mdelisle@pressrepublican.com Twitter: @McKenzieDelisle
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Moore project could wrap up this summer Project: On time and on
budget, CCC President Ray DiPasquale says By CARA CHAPMAN Press-Republican
PLATTSBURGH — Renovation of the George Moore Academic and Administrative Building at Clinton Community College could wrap up by early August. “The project is really moving very nicely,” CCC President Ray DiPasquale told The Press-Republican during a recent interview. “It’s looking great. It’s going to be a tremendous point of pride for the college, … along with the community, county and state of New York to bring back this wonderful historic building to the glory days.”
DONE IN PHASES Phase 1 of the approximately $15 million project — which included the stateof-the-art Learning Commons — focused on renovating the south side of the building and has been completed. Work on Phase 2, the building’s northern half, was ongoing until about three weeks ago, and will recommence when the weather breaks. DiPasquale said 454 windows were replaced with triple-paned windows, which will bring huge energy savings to the college and help maintain a quieter atmosphere in the face of winds coming off the lake. Other completed components include new doors at all the entrances, the new loading dock, the air conditioning system, new stairs on both the front and back verandas, and the reinstallation of the original Hotel Champlain window railings on the south side. “What remains as we go forward is finishing the front veranda with railings, the north side (with) all the new stucco and facing, the new parking lot in the front,” DiPasquale said.
ALLOWED FOR PROGRESS
photo provided One of the most visible changes to the George Moore Academic and Administrative Building at Clinton Community College has come with the installation of an Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS), which incorporates layers of insulation and stucco, on the facade. The exterior’s south side (on the right from this angle) has been completed, and contractors are set to start work on the north side by late spring or early summer, CCC Director of Buildings and Grounds Robert Trombley said. Director of Buildings and Grounds Robert Trombley estimates that about 98 percent of the internal work is complete, with one of the exceptions being window treatments on back order. He anticipates that, by late spring or early summer, the project contractors will be ready to start installing the Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS), which provides layers of insulation and, over that, stucco to maintain the historic Hotel Champlain facade. “There are not a lot of silver linings in the pandemic, but one of the things about
being remote is that it allowed things to progress so far,” he continued. “We were allowed to let people into areas that weren’t supposed to be open until Phase 2.” Prior to the pandemic, offices like admissions and student services temporarily moved to the Stafford Center for Arts, Science and Technology building during Phase 1 construction. Additionally, courses offered in the Moore building were held in classrooms on the side not undergoing EIFS installation. DiPasquale has said that, this academic year, as much as 95 percent of the
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college’s courses were offered remotely. DiPasquale said the offices have since moved back to the Moore building. Trombley added that the project’s contractors have been very accommodating. “They have really taken pride in the work, not that they didn’t on other jobs, but you could just tell they were really interested in preserving the building.”
MADE UP TIME Construction was paused for about a month last spring during the initial shutdown in New York State, Trombley said. DiPasquale added that Gov. Andrew Cuomo reacted quickly to higher education projects across the 64 SUNY campuses. “We were all treated the same; we had to submit a plan, the company had to submit
safety protocols. I would say it was no more than a month and they were right back on the project. I would say they actually made up that time.” No specific changes to the Moore project were made due to COVID-19-related concerns, Trombley said, though filters across campus were upgraded to MERV 13 and additional hand-sanitizing stations were installed. Such expenses were covered by federal coronavirus relief money, DiPasquale said.
PARKING LOT DiPasquale said the project is on time and on budget, but Trombley added that CCC is still waiting on final numbers before deciding which alternates to move forward with, though the goal is to redo the faculty and staff parking lot. “Once they (contractors) return in the spring and get going on the project, we’ll
see exactly what’s going on. I think by early spring we’ll be able to decide what we’re going to do moving forward,” Trombley added. Any remaining projects on campus are smaller in nature. “We’ve done a lot the last three or four years,” Trombley said, referring also to the $12.7 million Institute for Advanced Manufacturing that opened in fall 2017. The college is planning a grand reopening of the Moore building with dignitaries present. DiPasquale remains optimistic that it will coincide with welcoming back students — the vast majority of whom are currently learning remotely — to in-person learning. Email Cara Chapman: cchapman@pressrepublican.com Twitter: @PPR_carachapman
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If you have a story idea or information you would like to see reported in the feature pages of the Press-Republican, please call Editor-in-Chief Joe LoTemplio at 518-5654148, or email news@ pressrepublican.com The feature schedule is as follows: • Monday: Home and Garden • Tuesday: Health and Fitness • Wednesday: After 50 • Thursday: Out & About • Friday: Faith and Spirituality • Saturday: Family
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photo provided A digital mockup of the Northwoods Housing Project set to be built behind Lenny’s Shoe and Apparel on Tom Miller Road in the Town of Plattsburgh. Forty of the complex’s 80 units will be identified for homeless individuals and families that need support services, according to Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor Michael Cashman.
Progress in affordable housing, water works on way in Town of Plattsburgh Town: ‘Found a way’ to
continue to work with developers through COVID, Supervisor says By ROBIN CAUDELL Press-Republican
PLATTSBURGH — The Town of Plattsburgh’s busyness defies COVID-19. Behavioral Health Services North and ETC Housing Corp. received $10.7 million from the New York State Office of Home and Community Renewal to build 80 units of affordable housing.
NEW NEIGHBORHOOD “The Northwoods Housing project is going to be located behind Lenny’s Shoe and Apparel,” Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor Michael Cashman said. “We are waiting for them to fully activate. We imagine that there are phases of construction that could start as early as this spring. “That was a competitive award. The build out will be constructed on approximately 13 acres and that is situated off the Tom Miller Road.” The project is a unique, collaborative multi-agency effort between BHSN and ETC Housing Corp. “What makes it special is 40 of the 80 units will be identified for homeless individuals and families that need support services,” Cashman said. “What is powerful about it, too, is the location of this proj-
photo provided The Town of Plattsburgh’s Water Tank Farm, viewed from above, that holds 6 million gallons of water. The town continued work on its water capital plan thorughout 2020, Supervisor Michael Cashman said. ect. It fits within the Town’s effort to activate our Smart
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Growth Plan in the uptown corridor because it is ideally situated as a live-work-play environment that abuts up to the access of things like employment, healthcare, retail and recreation.” The Town of Plattsburgh anticipates and remains hopeful about the project. “Obviously, COVID-19 and many other things continue to play an impact on that, but we anticipate late spring,” he said.
WELL DONE Progress continues on the Town of Plattsburgh’s Water Capital Plan. “We had been working on redoing critical infrastructure out on the old Air Force Base (New Base),” Cashman said. “That project made great gains and will continue once the construction season starts ramping back up in the spring of 2021 as well.”
Another infrastructure related project is off of the Quarry Road. “All of these are interconnected to the master Water Capital Plan, which represents the efforts of our $24 million Water Capital Plan,” he said.
MORE SMART GROWTH The Town of Plattsburgh is also working on another Smart Growth project with the Clinton County Board of
Realtors. “In mid-November, we were able to secure two grants due to a public-private partnership with them where we are going to be launching a new layer of Smart Growth planning that is directly connected to the old Clinton County Airport,” Cashman said. “What we’re doing is not only are we going to be doing some Smart Growth plannng, but we are also going to be hosting a webinar for local developers and stakeholders about Smart Growth planning and zoning in the near future.” As the Town of Plattsburgh wrapped up 2020, it saw hundreds of thousands of new square feet of business. “Largely because we were able to maintain an continuance of governance by keeping our Zoning Board of Appeals and our Planning Board projects moving forward,” he said. “What is interesting is we saw approximately $25 million of investment in the Town of Plattsburgh last year. That becomes critical.” Approximately 500 building permits last year were among the flurry of activity and local investment that occurred even during the pandemic. “That’s because we look at government at the local level of trying to be solution-focused that adopts creativity to meet the challenges of the times that we’re facing,” Cashman said. “Some of that was using adaptive methodologies like having Zoom meetings, right? No one was having Zoom meetings the year before that. “But we found a way and we were able to work with developers to make sure projects could stay on the path that they needed to be on.” Email Robin Caudell: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com Twitter:@RobinCaudell
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economic outlook 2021
saturday, feb. 27, 2021
pressrepublican.com
For food and hospitality industry, adaptability was prerequisite in 2020 by ben watson Press-Republican
PERU — Businesses in every industry were forced to adapt immediately last March at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in America, but few industries were hit as hard as food and hospitality. For Curtis Hemm and the Carriage House Cooking School in Peru, that meant not running any in-person classes from March 9 to July 14. For Donovan and Dana Reyome and Donovan’s Steak and Ale in Malone, that meant transitioning to takeout only from midMarch until July 1. Both had to come up with new solutions that will affect how they’ll do business going forward.
DONOVAN’S When his family’s restaurant had to pivot to takeout only along with the rest of the state’s restaurants, Donovan Reyome said it was a bit of a shock to the system. “It’s fitting for the restaurant world, because we’re always having to adapt to different situations and circumstances,” Reyome said. “It was never really a part of our business model.” The restaurant reinvented it’s menu, converting many of its pasta dishes to full-size family style trays of food, eventually offering a limited cycling menu of some of their other popular dishes alongside them. In the process, they “created another business within the business,” according to Reyome. The new takeout service generally received rave reviews on the social media posts that the restaurant used to advertise the specials, which led to the service staying once the eatery resumed in-house dining, with COVID-19 precautions, on July 1.
COVID REALITY The act of returning to in-person business was challenging enough. From the regular printing of disposable menus, the constant sanitizing and the general level to which the staff always had to make sure regulations were always being followed, the work never ended. On top of that, the new reality of the takeout service presented another hurdle. “When we were open, we’d often have a full dining room and someone could call in a takeout for 10 people,” Reyome said. “It’s always a monkey wrench that can be thrown in, but I guess that’s why we’re in this; We enjoy this controlled chaos environment that we live in.” The summer and fall passed with much success operating both the in-person and takeout dining, according to Reyome, but when
winter hit and COVID-19 case numbers started spiking, the restaurant transitioned back to takeout only at the start of the new year. The combination of having less staff in the winter off season and being able to make sure that the limited staff was taken care of in terms of unemployment made the decision to move back to the pick-up model for everyone’s safety easier, Reyome said. And the restaurant will be returning to in-house dining once again on March 2, but that doesn’t mean the family-style takeout will be going away. “We do a family meal for under $40, and, I never really thought about it, but it really hit a need for people,” Reyome said. “We’ve found that it makes people happy and it’s been working for us, so why get rid of it?”
CARRIAGE HOUSE The Carriage House Cooking School has undergone quite the transition since getting temporarily shuttered in March. Hemm had to cut off classes from March 9 until July 14, losing roughly $5,000 a month in profits. In that time, though, he noticed that grocery stores were often low on staple items, which inspired him to do Facebook live Q+As to help people learn how to cook with what was in their pantry. Those live sessions saw success, which spurred on a live cooking show that Hemm did every Thursday night over the course of the early pandemic days, which has since transitioned to an every-other-Monday schedule. The viewership of those shows brought in roughly 600 new facebook page likes in the first four months or so, cooling off a bit since switching to the less frequent schedule with roughly 250 new likes since October, Hemm said.
ZOOM IN While Hemm has made a return to use usual in-person classes, albeit masked, socially-distanced and on a smaller scale, a large focus for him and the Carriage House has been the transition to Zoom classes. Like so many businesses around the country in 2020, Zoom came to the forefront for Hemm as a way to get more people learning in the days of COVID-19. Hemm, whose last job after being dean of the New England Culinary institute was getting a culinary program accredited online, has a background in online learning, and has pivoted the Carriage House kitchen into a TV station of sorts. During Zoom Classes, the business now has four camera angles, constant audio, studio lighting, and a
photo provided Chef Curtiss Hemm of the Carriage House Cooking School in Peru leads a Facebook Live cooking show, a new venue the school branched out into during the COVID-19 pandemic. The school took some inspiration from these shows and used it to move forward into Zoom online cooking classes, a goal the business had had been pushing toward, accordng to Hemm. 64-inch flatscreen streaming the Zoom class participants behind the camera so Curtiss can engage with the up to 20 participants. While parts of this push toward online were inspired by the Facebook live shows of the pandemic, the business had been working toward this for some time, according to Hemm, but the pandemic gave the push a speed boost. “You need to be able to adapt on a dime,” Hemm said. “If you’re not looking at diversified points of revenue, you’re crazy.” Several 20-person Zoom classes have gone on successfully so far, according to Hemm, with groups from the United Kingdom and Philadelphia even taking part. And once the business gets a strong handle on the 20-person model, there are thoughts of bumping it up to 40-person classes. “I’m planning on doing Zoom classes better than anyone else in the country,” Hemm said.
photo provided The Carriage House Cooking School’s kitchen, now with production lighting and a camera for Chef Curtiss Hemm to use in the production of the school’s new virtual Zoom classes. With the current virtual class structure, the Zoom classes should account for about 40 percent of the Carriage House’s revenue
stream, Hemm said, adding that that could jump to 60 to 70 percent if and when the larger classes are introduced.
More information on the school’s in-person and virtual classes can be found online at www.carriagehousecookingschool.com.
kayla breen/p-r file photo kayla breen/p-r file photo
PREVENTION
Donovan’s Steak and Ale, located at 3853 US-11 in Malone, had to transition to entirely takeout in mid-March of last year, an area the restaurant had rarely touched. The experience was like opening a business within the business, owner Donovan Reyome said.
A file photo of one of Donovan’s Steak and Ale’s several dining rooms from before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The restaurant was without indoor eating from mid-March 2020 to July 1, 2020, as well as voluntarily returning to takeout only at the start of the 2021 new year. In-person dining will return there on March 2.
economic outlook 2021
pressrepublican.com
saturday, feb. 27, 2021
7
Strand Center, Theatre receive boost from DRI DRI: Demolition underway
in Center for the Arts, restoration wraps up at Strand Theatre By ROBIN CAUDELL Press-Republican
PLATTSBURGH – Dust is in the air at the Strand Center for the Arts and the Strand Theatre in Plattsburgh. Demolition and construction projects are underway thanks to a $755,000 Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant. “We have broken ground on all facets,” Tom McNichols, a Strand board member and secretary, said. “There are a number of different scopes in the theater, but they all focus around final aesthetic build outs.” At 25 Brinkerhoff St., the Strand Theatre receives final treatments towards its overall restoration, focusing on function, safety, technical updates and final appearance, according to the board. “There’s a new bar and some other functional upgrades as well to light and sound,” McNichols said. “The new bar is in the lobby. We always used to have kind of a makeshift one, and now there will be a permanent, formal concession area that is two equally symmetrical sides. The carpet is going throughout the balcony.” At the former Federal Build-
TOM MCNICHOLS/PHOTO Non load-bearing walls were removed on the second floor of the Strand Center for the Arts, which is the future Maker Space, music classroom and a Smart classroom/flex space. ing at 23 Brinkerhoff St., the home of The Strand Center for the Arts, the second floor is gutted. Upon completion, the second floor will feature a dedicated Maker Space, music classroom, and a Smart classroom/flex space. “The second floor is nearing complete interior demo,”
McNichols said. “They removed nearly all of the non bearing interior walls to open up the two wings. Ultimately, we’re still in the process of planning that second floor. “We actually just formed a community committee to help make some of those final decisions collectively.”
These upgrades underscore the Strand’s mission, “To Engage, Enrich and Entertain” the community through the arts. The multi-faceted organization now delivers on that promise with the DRI grant. “The whole DRI program from the state level was delayed due to COVID,”
McNichols said. “We are concentrating on executing what we’ve started and then we’ll get to other things in due time.” New York State Housing and Community Renewal, who oversees this grant process, granted the Strand further permissions to make infrastructure and facilities
improvements, including internal systems, updated accessibility standards, and permanent signage to transition the façade from Federal Building to The Strand Center for the Arts. Norsk Titanium dedicated funds toward a large-scale 3D printer, and the Strand has ongoing plans for similar equipment across mediums. Project professionals include Fred Keil Architect, AES NorthEast, LeGault Construction, Dow Electric, KAS Engineering, Lake Champlain Roofing, and Syracuse Scenery and Stage Lighting, Murnane Building Contractors, Bruce Building, MLB Inc, Ametal Construction Corp, General Engineers’ Construction, Raville Painting, Ace Electric, and The Wood Lab. The Strand Board is thrilled with the spring push since it shuttered its venues to large gatherings in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Hope was kept alive with a string of Pop-Up events to engage masked and socially distanced artists, artisans and patrons. Now, the Strand embarks on a new chapter with polish and pizzazz. “It’s been a long time coming, and we’re proud of the work we did to get there,” McNichols said. Email Robin Caudell: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com Twitter:@RobinCaudell
United Way of the Adirondack Region, Inc., 45 Tom Miller Road, Plattsburgh, NY 12901-Phone:518-563-0028/www.unitedwayadk.org
Clinton County
Essex County
Food & Basic Needs:
Food & Basic Needs:
Catholic Charities-518-300-0272 Dept. of Social Services-518-565-3300 Interfaith Food Shelf-518-562-3663 JCEO-518-561-6310 Office for the Aging-518-565-4620 Red Cross-518-561-7280 Salvation Army-518-561-2951 Legal Aid Society of NENY: 518-563-4022 or 833-628-0087 Legal Aid Society of NENY (SNAP Assistance): 518-563-4022 ext. 112
Family Needs: Child Care Coordinating Council-518-561-4999 JCEO-518-561-6310 Public Health: Dept. of Public Health-518-565-4840 CVPH-518-561-2000 Mental Health & Counseling:
Behavioral Health Services North, Inc.-518-563-8000 Champlain Valley Family Center-518-561-8480 Dept. of Mental Health-518-565-4060 National Alliance on Mental Illness-CV-518-561-2685
Adirondack Community Action Programs, Inc.-518-873-3207 Catholic Charities-518-300-0272 Dept. of Social Services-518-873-3441 Office for the Aging-518-873-3695 Red Cross-518-561-7280 Salvation Army-315-877-6079 Legal Aid Society of NENY: 518-563-4022 or 833-628-0087
Family Needs: Adirondack Community Action Programs, Inc.-518-873-3207 Child Care Coordinating Council-518-561-4999 Public Health: Adirondack Health-518-891-4141 Dept. of Public Health-518-873-3500 Elizabethtown Community Hospital-518-873-6377 Mental Health & Counseling:
Dept. of Mental Heath-518-873-3670/after hrs - 1-888-854-3773 Mental Health Association - 518-962-2077 National Alliance on Mental Illness CV- 518-561-2685 St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers - 518-891-3950 Behavioral Health Services North, Inc. - 518-563-8000
Franklin County Food & Basic Needs: Community Connections of Franklin County-518-521-3507 Dept. of Social Services-518-481-1808 JCEO-518-483-7022 Office for the Aging-518-481-1526 Red Cross-518-561-7280 Salvation Army-315-877-6079 Legal Aid Society of NENY: 518-563-4022 or 833-628-0087
Family Needs: Catholic Charities of Franklin County-518-483-1460 Child Care Coordinating Council-518-561-4999 Public Health: Adirondack Health-518-891-4141 Alice Hyde Medical Center-518-483-3000 Dept. of Public Health-518-481-1709/1-877-410-5753 Mental Health & Counseling: Community Connections of Franklin County-518-521-3507 National Alliance on Mental Illness-CV-518-561-2685 North Star Mental Health-518-483-3261 St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers - 518-891-3950
Hamilton County Food & Basic Needs:
Dept. of Social Services-518-648-6131 Office for the Aging-518-761-6347 Red Cross-518-561-7280 Salvation Army-315-877-6079 Warren/Hamilton Community Action Agency-518-793-0636 Legal Aid Society of NENY: 518-563-4022 or 833-628-0087
Family Needs: Warren/Hamilton Community Action Agency-518-793-0636 Public Health: Dept. of Public Health-518-648-6497 Mental Health & Counseling: Dept. of Mental Health-518-648-5355
Dial 2-1-1 for General Information and Referral
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Economic outlook 2021
saturday, feb. 27, 2021
pressrepublican.com
Work to transform old Pfizer property into industrial park continues ERS: Says demolition,
remediation complete; interior work now in progress By McKENZIE DELISLE Press-Republican
ROUSES POINT — The real estate group working to resurrect acres of deserted Pfizer property here is gaining ground. ERS-Rouses Point LLC, a subset of NYC-based ERS Investors, acquired 80 acres from the pharmaceutical giant in 2018 and its efforts to construct the Northern Gateway Industrial Park there have received support from the Village of Rouses Point, the North Country Chamber of Commerce and, most recently, the County of Clinton Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) by way of an approved tax abatement agreement. “When we bought the property, every structure was slated to be torn down,” ERS-RP Partner David Kreutz said, noting that Pfizer later allowed a few structures to remain standing, before adding, “but the interior of all three had been pretty torn up during the remediation process. “Everything needs to be put back together internally to attract firstclass tenants to the village.” PHOTO PROVIDED
INTERIOR PROGRESS Kreutz spoke before the CCIDA at the board’s February meeting, saying remediation and demolition work there had finished and has since said interior improvements were in progress. That included ceiling, floor, wall and bathroom work, as well as upgrades to lighting and electrical systems. As previously reported by the Press-Republican, the three remaining buildings had nearly 234,000 square feet of accumulative space. Kruetz said the ongoing enhancements were hoped to make the square footage enticing to tenants in the medical manufacturing, computer manufacturing, industrial warehousing, solar manufacturing, robotics and refrigerated storage sectors, as well as other “cutting edge” firms.
TAX AGREEMENT The 15-year tax agreement approved by the CCIDA granted ERS 100 percent real property tax
A bird’s-eye view of one structure situated at the former Pfizer property in the Village of Rouses Point. Real estate firm ERS-Rouses Point LLC, a subset of NYC-based ERS Investors, acquired 80 acres there in 2018. Though all structures were to be razed, it was later announced that three would be kept. ERS is working to rehab their interiors for what will become the Northern Gateway Industrial Park. abatement on years one through five. In the sixth year, it would chip in 50 percent of those taxes and that percentage would increase by 5 percent annually. By the 16th year, the developer would pay 100 percent of its taxes. The tax break was to support the firm’s aforementioned renovations and reconstruction.
‘TAKES A VILLAGE’ Though the facility is still prepping for its first clients, ERS says it is “in talks every day” with possible tenants and says 2021 could “see some real progress.” “This is a community effort,” ERS President Chris Wilson says in a recent release. “As things progress, we will work closely with the village to attract the type of business and high quality, good paying jobs that will make a positive impact on the community.”
UNDER EVERY MASK IS A SMILE AT PARKER!!
Kruetz thought efforts to transform the Pfizer property into a premiere industrial park proved the old adage, “It takes a village.” “Let’s not forget,” he added, “we have the full support of (North Country Chamber of Commerce President) Garry Douglas and (Vice President of Economic Development) Sue Matton and the rest of the great people at the chamber and those are resources that are literally a game changer when you need to get yourself noticed in a crowded room. “What we’re trying to do in Rouses Point can’t be done without the commitment and effort of the entire community.” Email McKenzie Delisle: mdelisle@pressrepublican.com Twitter: @McKenzieDelisle
PHOTO PROVIDED The interior of one of three buildings still standing at the former Pfizer property in the Village of Rouses Point. ERS-RP Partner David Kreutz said interior work was in process, including ceiling, floor, wall and bathroom work, as well as upgrades to lighting and electrical systems.
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