Waterville NY Grant Aids Three Businesses

After two years of work by Village of Waterville officials and volunteers, the list of projects that will develop was released last Friday.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the following projects will be funded by the $4.5 million New York Forward grant won by the Village and Waterville First in Spring 2025.

*Stately on Main ($388,000): Renovate a historic 1872 church in downtown Waterville to become a premier wedding and event venue. The venue will serve as an economic driver, attracting visitors from across the region, generating renewed interest in Main Street.

*Create a Small Project Fund ($477,000): This will provide property owners within the Waterville NY Forward Area with financial and technical assistance to bridge potential funding gaps for eligible projects.

*Mulligans ($1,836,000): Renovate 116 and 118 West Main Street to allow for the expansion of Mulligans and the creation of upper floor housing units. The project also includes facade upgrades to activate the block.

*Waterville Laundromat Building/the Buell Block ($1,799,000): Rehabilitate the upper floors of the historic Buell Block building on W. Main Street to create upper- floor housing. The project also includes exterior renovations to better capture the building's historic character.

The Local Planning Committee of residents and business owners worked with state officials to develop a list.

From that list Hochul chose the four projects.

Left out of the funding approval were any public projects to benefit the community at large, including a community center, trail along Big Creek, an overlook near Stewart’s and streetscape improvements and signs along Main Street.

Also, no non-profits in the community received funding, including Huddle Farms Village Market co-op.

The Co-op needed the funding to relocate to stem off closure due to cost of operations in the triangle Bank Building.