More details on Canastota’s NY Forward award, Mayor responds to announcement

CANASTOTA, NY – At a news conference in East Syracuse on February 5th, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the Village of Canastota has been awarded $4.5 million to fund more than a dozen projects as part of the second round of the state’s NY Forward program.

These projects include new construction plus renovations and repairs to public and private facilities throughout the village. The public sector projects primarily address public safety, tourism, and recreation, while the private projects will help to revitalize and expand several of Canastota’s landmark businesses.

After receiving the exciting news of Canastota’s NY Forward award, Mayor Rosanne Warner issued a statement on behalf of the Board of Trustees, residents, and village employees.

“Our team at the village is so proud of this grant award from the NY Forward program. We worked tirelessly on this application for over a year and are elated for the business owners who submitted projects, as well as the village residents who will benefit from these projects. We are looking forward to working with the Department of State to begin the process and cannot wait to see them through to completion for the betterment of Canastota. With the fun part behind us, it is time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Managing all of these projects will be difficult work and we expect that the timeline for 100% completion will span several years, but we will continue to work tirelessly to assure that we do our best to make our Canastota a better place for all.”

Madison County Board of Supervisors Chairman Joseph J. Pinard, who also serves as the Supervisor for the Town of Lenox, echoed Mayor Warner’s sentiments.

“I am proud of the hard work and efforts that went into securing $4.5 million in NY Forward funding by Mayor Warner and her staff. The Village of Canastota will benefit from multiple projects enhancing opportunity and growth in our area thanks to this funding.”

Some of the public projects in the village’s NY Forward application include:

– Recreation Park (N. Main Street): Parking, restrooms, dugouts, fences; basketball, tennis and pickleball courts
– Fire house (E. Center Street): Elevator, restrooms, parking lot, windows, building exterior
– Community Park (Dominic Bruno Blvd.): New facility including a fishing pond, walkway, restrooms, athletic fields, pavilions, amphitheater
– Canal Corridor (Canal Street): Pavilion, boat launch, water quality improvements, lighting, sidewalks, restrooms, signage

Several local businesses also participated in the application process, including:

Canastota Dairy Products
Theodore’s Restaurant
International Boxing Hall of Fame
Erie Canal Brewing Company
ZEMs/Penrick Enterprises
Karl’s Custom Framing
Textures Hair Salon
NAPA Auto Parts
The Magical Muse
Clark Equipment Rental

In the coming months village officials will collaborate with the state to begin the process of executing these projects. It is important to note that the list above is not final and a project’s inclusion in the application does not guarantee it will be approved. The state will hire a consultant to work with a village committee to execute each approved project individually.

Those interested in reading the village’s NY Forward application can do so below.