The city of Plattsburgh will receive a grant of more than $1.5 million from New York state’s Climate Smart Communities grant program for a project with a goal to reduce the use of cars in an area of the downtown.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation and governor’s office awarded the funds, which will help support a project to build a multiuse path along Brinkerhoff and Court Streets between Oak Street and Beekman Street in the downtown. The project will widen the sidewalks to create a three-lane path, one lane for walking and two lanes for bicycle use.
Plattsburgh Senior Planner Elisha Bartlett says it’s part of the city’s Bike Friendly Plattsburgh plan.
“It’s a multi-faceted approach to building alternative infrastructure. What we’re trying to do is create as great of an ease with non-motorized as we have with motorized,” explains Bartlett. “There’s economic benefits. There’s health benefits. There’s climate benefits and beyond to building that infrastructure and culture around non-motorized travel. So with these two multiuse paths, Brinkerhoff and Court going between downtown and the western end of the city of Plattsburgh where it abuts the SUNY campus, what we’re hoping to do is create a really smooth, swift, safe corridor
Plattsburgh Director of Community Development Courtney Meisenheimer notes that the bike friendly plan has been guiding the citywide strategy that has led to opportunities to receive grants like the Climate Smart Communities.
“This will connect to the Saranac River Trail, a project that has been continuing to build out phase after phase. It will connect to other roads that have sharrows on them,” said Meisenheimer. “And so it’s building this huge map of a Plattsburgh that is friendly to bikes. And we’re creating important routes of connectivity, not just for recreation but also for folks to commute to get from where they need to be, that support folks who don’t have access to cars and they need to travel for work. It supports our student population in so many different ways.”
The Department of Environmental Conservation says the grants are intended to help communities take action to address climate change. The city of Plattsburgh has a Climate Task Force and is working to obtain silver certification from the state. Coordinator Rachelle Armstrong is thrilled the city obtained this latest state grant.
“Such a project is right down our alley. We support it a hundred percent,” enthuses Armstrong. “The fact is we are all going to have to adapt to climate change and not only does this kind of project help us to do that by enabling us to think about other ways to travel rather than our cars, but then it’s also a much healthier way to live. So I think this is a very significant piece of an overall plan that’s really on the forefront of trying to adapt to climate change and mitigate its effects.”
Ward 3 Democratic Common Councilor Elizabeth Gibbs had been a member of the task force and says while the work of the task force is separate, it helps the city secure more grants like the Climate Smart Communities funding.
“This is the reason why I fought so hard back in 2021 for the Climate Smart Task Force to be reassembled and we finally achieved that in 2022,” says Gibbs. “Because once you’re certified as a Climate Smart Community then you’re on the state’s radar as eligible for grants. And so this is now the outcome, being awarded this grant, of all of that hard work.”
The city of Plattsburgh was notified about a month ago that the grant had been awarded and it’s hoped the project can be implemented by next summer.
