Officials and residents celebrated the completion of a number of state-funded development projects in Gloversville last week.
St. Thomas Square in Gloversville wasn’t exactly the most scenic site for a farmers’ market. But a new vendor space and newly planted grass and trees have given fresh life to the once-barren parking lot, transforming the square in the heart of the city into a welcoming space for residents and market vendors.
The St. Thomas Square overhaul is one of five recently completed or soon-to-be completed projects to come out of Gloversville’s $10 million state Downtown Revitalization Initiative funds, awarded in 2021. Gloversville Mayor Vincent DeSantis says the DRI initiatives have made a tangible difference throughout the Mohawk Valley city, with St. Thomas Square serving as a prime showcase.
“The farmers’ market is active for four hours a week in the summer on Saturday morning, but there was no activity around it. It was the DRI that gave us the incentive and gave us the wherewithal to be able to expand that project, including a new building, to activate the space,” said DeSantis.
DeSantis sees the completion of these projects as a part of his legacy. After more than four decades of public service in the city, he’s not seeking reelection.
The lifelong resident hopes this is the beginning of the next era for the Mohawk Valley city, once the hub of the country’s glove manufacturing.
“So, we’re celebrating here today not just the first physical manifestation in bricks and mortar of our downtown [revitalization initiative] but also the first manifestations of the city’s rebirth,” said DeSantis.
New York Secretary of State Walter Mosley was on hand to help unveil the finished projects.
“The enthusiasm of the community members is really reflected in the room. And that is evident by the remarkable speed by which you completed these four projects, as well as the quality of these projects you have chosen. You have set the bar high, and I don’t say that often, not to say the other DRI recipients haven’t, but this has taken it to a new level,” said Mosley.
In addition to the $1.1 million put toward the renovation of St. Thomas Square, the city says an initial $1.2 million in DRI funds has turned into $22 million in private investments in the form of the soon-to-be-completed Glove City Apartments. The 75, mixed-income units across the street from City Hall are expected to go on the market in September.
In addition, DRI funding also allowed the city to complete a $346,000 renovation on the Schine Memorial Hall, as well as a nearly $500,000 expansion to the city’s Trail Station Park. Meanwhile, $435,000 in DRI funds have turned a formerly vacant lot on Main Street into a piazza. Mayor DeSantis envisions outdoor music shows and movie viewings in the space.
While last week’s announcement celebrated the newly rebuilt downtown, a fire in April threatened the city’s urban core. No one was hurt, but flames destroyed the historic Fownes Glove Factory, an apartment building, and a neighboring exotic pet store.
Now, the cleanup from that fire may even help spur development, allowing for new construction at the Fownes site instead of a more involved restoration, DeSantis says.
“After the fire, we are hoping to get grant funding to clean up the area and to make it available for new construction. New construction is a much lighter lift than restoring an historic building. So, the opportunity is still there for activating South Main Street at that space,” said DeSantis.
It all adds up to a re-imagined downtown that’s encouraging longtime residents. Gloversville native Valerie Levine said she’s excited to bring her grand kids to Gloversville’s re-imagined downtown.
“I just love it because Gloversville’s downtown was a wonderful, wonderful place to grow up. Then it took a downturn because of the leather industry leaving our area. And this got—became really down in the mouth all the way around, still some nice areas things like that. But, putting in the rail station park and the splash pad and this St. Thomas Square and we have the bike path. It just makes me feel prouder of the area and that gives me a great feeling, that I can feel that way about Gloversville again,” said Levine.
