Village wins $10 million DRI grant to help build business

Mayor Paul Maroun and Assistant Secretary to Governor Kathy Hochul, Barbara Rice of Saranac Lake, display an enlarged replica of the $10 million headed to Tupper Lake in coming months. Beside Paul was was his old boss, Senator Betty Little, who came up from Queensbury that day to help Tupper Lake officials celebrate the good news. Behind Mayor Maroun and Mrs. Rice were Senator Dan Stec and Assemblyman Billy Jones. (Dan McClelland photos)

by Dan McClelland

Perhaps the best news to hit Tupper Lake and its businesses in decades was the announcement that the Village of Tupper's New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) application was funded to the tune of $10 million.

The grant money will go to create new businesses here and expand existing ones in coming years in the target area. While the state's DRI program has been around for a number of years, this was the first year the village applied.

Mayor Paul Maroun, who helped shepherd the coming windfall for local businesses in the uptown district and along Demars Blvd., was smiling ear to ear Friday afternoon at Tupper Arts center when Governor Kathy Hochul's representative, Barbara Rice of Saranac Lake delivered the good news.

The money which will be channelled through the North Country Regional Economic Development Council in coming years will help develop a dozen or more business expansions and commercial development projects in the village's Park Street business district and along Demars Blvd to the town hall.

Mrs. Rice, a former county legislator representing Saranac Lake and now assistant secretary to the governor on matters of economic development, told about 40 local and regional officials and leading citizens here she was “super excited to be in Tupper Lake that afternoon” on behalf of the new governor.

She introduced some of the state dignitaries in the spaced out seating area- including Senator Dan Stec, Assemblyman Billy Jones and former Senator Betty Little.

“The last 20 months have been tough on all New Yorkers. All of our lives have been upended by the pandemic and here in New York we are still recovering...mentally, emotionally and financially. That's why I'm so proud to be here today to make this announcement.”

“On behalf of Governor Hochul it is my distinct pleasure to announce that Tupper Lake has been awarded a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative.

Loud, sustained clapping ensued.

She said New York's DRI “will invest $200 million in downtowns statewide. The DRI program, led by the department of state, is a cornerstone of the state's economic development policy by transforming downtown neighborhoods into vibrant centers of activity. This program will do many things here in the North Country. It will boost the local economy, attract tourists and regional visitors which will increase commerce for businesses and restaurants, create jobs, improve quality of life so residents and visitors can enjoy revitalized and renewed downtown areas.

“This award is truly unique for Tupper Lake. The DRI allows communities to re-imagine themselves for the better!

“-And it's all because Tupper Lake believed in itself and its community! -And this is one more sign of locals' ambition to grow their community.”

Mrs. Rice said the proposed goals of each DRI are ambitious and “that's testament to what Tupper Lake can become. The DRI is a shining example of what communities can do if they believe in themselves.

“And as we rebuild from the pandemic our downtown revitalization initiative is bringing a renewed sense of hope to communities across the state- especially in Tupper Lake!”

“The DRI will help transform these communities and build resiliency to come back stronger through the pandemic.”

She said the Tupper Lake community and its leaders will come together over the next several months to determine the projects they will support and how “they want to re-imagine” their downtown areas.

“Governor Hochul and I are so excited to see what projects get selected. -And I'm so excited for Tupper Lake!”

More loud clapping from the audience, as Mrs. Rice leaves the podium.

Mayor Paul Maroun, who has been working on the DRI project for several years, offered the community's thanks to Governor Hochul “for putting her confidence in Tupper Lake and our plan and our future. He also thanked the North Country Regional Economic Development group for its support of the village's application.

“This has been a hard road and we have worked hard. I would be remiss if I didn't mention a few key people. “These things don't just happen out of the air. Without help of Melissa McManus (Tupper Lake community development coordinator) who put this program together,” wouldn't have happened.

He recognized too Village Code Enforcement Officer Peter Edwards who he said “pushed us through” the various steps of the application.

The mayor also stressed “that if it hadn't been for Village Clerk Mary Casagrain” this wouldn't have happened.

“The other person in this room who I want to thank, because she has expanded my abilities in government over the years and who put a lot of money here through state grants over the years and who has had great faith in Tupper Lake over the years and who loves Tupper Lake: Senator Betty Little.”

The mayor also had great praise for the assistant secretary, Mrs. Rice.

“She was the daughter of my good friend Gail Rogers Rice, a past president of North Country Community College. So I called her 'the daughter' for a time. Then she got elected to the county legislature and I called her 'my colleague.' She said next to me on that board for six years. Then I had to call her 'chairman' was she was elected chairman of the legislature. Now the biggest honor I can give her- and especially someone who says they are going to give me $10 million, is to call her State Secretary Rice.”

“Now there's a lot of work to be done. We have a lot of great projects that we put forth in our application.”

The mayor turned the audience's attention to copies of a speech he delivered to the board of directors of the North Country Economic Development Council this past September 10. See his comments on our editorial page this week.

“The speech shows what work went into our application. The village board and the town board and the Franklin County board stood behind us, as also did Assemblyman Jones and Senator Stec, to move this along!”

“We have shovel-ready projects. We have hotels waiting to be build. We have an OWD complex waiting to be redone to create 90 new housing units. We have this arts center where you are standing today which does all sorts of cultural things we never had before. We have great things already happening on this main street in the DRI area.

“I want to thank Governor Hochul, madam secretary and I wanted to thank everyone for coming today!”

“Congratulations, Tupper Lake. This is fantastic news!” Senator Dan Stec announced when he was invited by the mayor to the podium.

More sustained clapping.

He too thanked Governor Hochul and the regional economic development council members.

He called the state's economic development strategy through its regional economic development councils “one of the brighter spots in each state budget” since he joined the state legislature.

Senator Stec said with that regional plan in place he knew the North Country would eventually benefit and “move the needle in our communities” to progress. “I fought hard to keep” the regional approach to economic development in the state budgets I have worked on and will continue to keep funding for them there.

“We know these projects in our North Country communities are great investments. They are well managed and well organized. -And they are certainly needed. They are safe investments to put in our communities!”

“They are particularly safe when they are put in the hands of someone as trusted as Mayor Paul Maroun, the village board and community leaders here that have really been churning on these projects and trying to put this application together. As Paul pointed out, it doesn't happen by itself!

“As a representative that doesn't live in Tupper Lake I learned early on how important Tupper Lake is and how (improvements) to the downtown will have a ripple effect on the entire region. This is a wonderful investment and I'm both delighted and thrilled Tupper Lake won this funding.”

He offered his assistance and the assistance of his office to move many of these projects along. “We stand ready to help you anyway we can!”

Assemblyman Billy Jones called it a great day for Tupper Lake and called on everyone in the room to give themselves applause for the work that has been done here to ready the community for this major grant.

“When I started out in the legislature a number of years ago I began coming down here to meet with Paul and others. You could feel that good things were coming to Tupper Lake. I want to congratulate you Paul, your village board and everyone here- and Melissa, of course, for all the work you have put into this. This big check just doesn't come overnight...a lot of work goes into it!”

“Everyone in this room has been a part of that effort! Congratulations to all of you. This is the second award of its kind in Franklin County.” He reminded the audience of Saranac Lake's successful win several years ago.

“It's been the third one in my district in the past couple of years!”

“As Senator Stec said: 'this is good stuff' because you are putting the grant money into local peoples' hands...people who know the community and know what the community needs!

“Congratulations, Tupper Lake. There's a lot of good projects going on already and this will only move those forward and may have a few new ones too, I assume, he said looking at the mayor.

“It's a great day to be in Tupper Lake and I look forward to the many good things that will come out of this!”

As the short ceremony closed, Mayor Paul Maroun said he will be inviting the new governor up here soon “to see all the good things we're doing!”