Micro Brews, Nonprofits Among Those Who Can Apply In Latest Grant Funding Round

New York state has opened the application period for Round XIII of the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative.

Round XIII includes core capital grant and tax-credit funding combined with a wide range of programs from 10 state agencies, including $150 million in grant funds from Empire State Development, available to projects on a continuous basis.

The councils are encouraged to support projects that advance or address strategic State priorities— including green buildings and sustainable development, child care, distressed communities, and innovative public-private partnerships; those projects, will be eligible for additional award funding.

The deadline for applications is Friday, July 28, at 4 p.m. Open enrollment programs are not subject to the July 28 deadline and will continue to accept applications on an ongoing basis until funds are exhausted.

Officials said new this year, two new micro programs will award capital grants to support New York state craft beverage manufacturers and non-profit organizations, and a new $30 million Challenge competition will award $10 million to up to three regions to implement creative solutions to tackle persistent barriers to economic growth.

Also, for the first time since 2015, the councils will be tasked with updating their strategic regional economic development plans.

“Our Regional Economic Development Council Initiative continues to transform communities across the state, creating jobs and driving private investment all over New York,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “The launch of this latest round builds on state efforts to address our most pressing economic priorities—from sustainable development to the growing demand for childcare—all while empowering communities to tap into their regional strengths. Thanks to the work of the REDCs, New York is continuing to make the catalytic investments that foster economic growth and continued success in every corner of our state.”

The 10 REDCs are guided by their regional strategic economic development plans, which emphasize each region’s unique assets and provide strategies to harness local resources to stimulate regional economic development and create jobs statewide.

This year, the regional councils will review and update their plans to re-establish each region’s priorities for growth, guide the deployment of resources, and create an updated road map to achieving its economic vision.

As part of the updated strategic plan, the councils will be tasked with analyzing specific challenges to economic growth. Each REDC will develop a proposal that outlines creative and innovative solutions to address one specific challenge of their choice. These proposals will be reviewed by the state and up to three winning proposals will be awarded up to $10 million funding to implement the proposed solutions.

This year, funding is available from 10 state agencies across 30 programs. Regional councils will review projects and provide scores that reflect how well a project aligns with a region’s goals and strategies.

In Round XIII, ESD is launching two new micro grant programs: the Craft Beverage Micro Grant Program and the Not-for-Profit Capital Grant Program. Up to $5 million will be available through the Craft Beverage Micro Grant Program, designed to increase the production capacity, business infrastructure and profitability of businesses licensed to produce wine, beer, spirits, hard cider and mead in New York State. Grants ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 would support equipment purchases and facility upgrades.

Up to $5 million will be available through the Notfor-Profit Capital Grant program, which will award matching funds grants to nonprofit organizations who provide economic and community benefits in their region to assist with facility improvements and upgrades. Grant awards would range from $25,000 to $100,000.

The Regional Economic Development Council initiative is a key component of the state’s approach to investment and economic development. In 2011, 10 Regional Councils were established to develop long-term strategic plans for economic growth for their regions. The councils are public-private partnerships made up of local experts and stakeholders from business, academia, local government, and non-governmental organizations.

Learn more at regionalcouncils.ny.gov.

Officials: Wine & Food Festival Drew 7,000, Generating Some 10,000 Overnight Stays

BY PAUL POST

Paul and Pattie Harkness are just the kind of people former Mayor Bob Blais envisioned coming to Lake George when Charles R. Wood Festival Commons first opened nearly a decade ago.

“This is my first time here. My wife made me come,” he said, smiling, while sampling tasty products at the June 24-25 Adirondack Wine & Food Festival.

“This kind of event is on my bucket list,” Pattie said. “So I thought we’d start in Lake George. I saw it on Facebook.”

The festival is one of 16 major events scheduled for the Commons this year, which have a combined economic impact in the tens of millions of dollars, according to local officials. Also, they attract and expose first-time visitors such as the Harknesses, who live near Rochester, to everything the Lake George region has to offer, which quite often results in repeat visits, further fueling the area’s vital tourism and hospitality industry.

The Wine & Food Festival alone drew more than 7,000 people from three dozen states, generating more than 10,000 overnight stays with an economic impact approaching $5 million, organizers said. More than 120 vendors provided wine, liquor, craft beer and artisan foods.

“Because it’s Lake George and it’s the kickoff to summer, people are specifically coming to attend this festival, but then they make a vacation out of it,” said Sasha Pardy, festival founder and Adirondack Winery co-owner. “They’re here for a week, two weeks or even longer in a lot of cases. More than half our visitors are from four hours away.”

The town and village of Lake George and Warren County purchased the 12.5-acre former Gaslight Village property from the Charles R. Wood Foundation in 2008, paid for with grant money and donations from three conservation groups—the Lake George Association, Fund for Lake George and Lake George Land Conservancy.

In addition to event space, the $12.5 million project featured a large environmental component with creation of an eco-friendly wetlands area, complete with nature trails, that keeps harmful sediments and nutrients from reaching the lake. This, too, helps the economy by preserving the lake’s clear, clean water that makes Lake George such a desirable place to visit for boating, fishing and other types of outdoor recreation, officials say.

Blais, who retired as mayor this spring after 52 years in office, is now in charge of bringing attractions to Festival Commons in his new job as village director of special events. At one time, Lake George was basically a two- or at best three-month summer resort town. People stopped coming after Labor Day and didn’t return until school let out in late June.

“We built this place to extend our season,” Blais said. “It’s proven to be a huge catalyst. Special events bring people to Lake George that may not otherwise have decided to come here. Americade, the Wine Festival, Car Show (Adirondack Nationals), Garlic & Pepper Festival and Kris Kringle Christmas Festival, they’re the reason that people are now coming here on the shoulder seasons.”

“Who ever would have thought that we would have an Ice Castle here in January and February drawing close to 70,000 people?” he said. “That never would have happened without Wood Park. The Ice Castles people have told us the location in

Lake George next to a main highway (Route 9) is their number one location.”

This summer’s offerings include a Box Off for the ADK boxing event (July 22), Lake George Arts and Crafts Festival (July 28-29), Shriner’s Circus (Aug. 6) and Rock the Lake music concert (Aug. 12). Boxing matches are sanctioned by the New York State Boxing Association.

“It just shows you the variety of attractions outside of the big music festivals we have,” Blais said. “One of the greatest things you can say about this is that all of the events we have hosted to date have chosen to return again.”

Warren County has a 68 percent ownership stake in the park while the village, which purchased the town’s share, owns the rest.

Event owners pay a rental fee to use the festival space, all of which is put back into the park for ongoing maintenance and improvements. For example, a children’s play area is scheduled for upgrades this year.

Rental fees, totaling more than $100,000, are expected to exceed maintenance costs for the first time this year, and such revenue should grow as new and different types of events are added to the lineup. Plans are already in the works for a more than week-long circus next summer.

Don and Michele Jarvis, of South Hadley, Massachusetts, epitomize the type of Lake George visitor that boosts the economy by patronizing all kinds of local businesses.

The Adirondack Wine & Food Festival marked the start of a week-long camping vacation for them.

The Wine & Food Festival gives a tremendous boost to local vendors such as Bryn Reynolds of Moreau, a retired police officer-turned-artist (Dark Mountain Arts) who specializes in pet and people portraits along with colorful landscapes.

“Most of my work has to do with nature, the Adirondacks, the mountains,” he said. “What better place to showcase it than right here in the village of Lake George? It’s a phenomenal way to meet new customers, make contacts for possible custom drawings and get my artwork out there a little more.”

The festival provides a significant financial benefit to an important nonprofit. This year, for the fourth time, the festival donated a portion of all ticket sales to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks, which provides mentorship, tutoring, and experiences to youth in Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties.

Last year the festival raised more than $23,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters and this year’s goal was even higher.

“When the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival began years ago it was a game changer for the village, providing a major event on that weekend after the official start of summer,” said Amanda Metzger, Lake George Chamber of Commerce marketing director. “It brings thousands to the Lake George area who stay in hotels, dine at restaurants, go shopping and enjoy our attractions. In addition it garners media coverage and influences attention on social media, helping to spread awareness of our destination.

The Festival helped put Charles R. Wood Park Festival Commons on the map.”

For more information about Festival Commons events visit festivalcommons.com or lakegeorgechamber.com.