Herkimer County LDC discusses Bill School survey, developer interest and approves financials

At a meeting of the Herkimer County Local Development Corporation, board members discussed next steps for the Bill School property, including a title search and land survey, and approved routine financials.

The corporation is pursuing a title search and land survey for the Bill School property, and the transcript records a $4,000 quote for the survey from an entity identified in the meeting as “AmEx.” Board members said overgrowth around the building must be cleared to establish correct metes and bounds and to prepare for a potential sale or redevelopment. An appraisal on the property has been completed and a developer has expressed interest in the site, the meeting record shows. The board expects survey and title work to be completed in August and planned to return to the board with numbers and recommendations after those tasks are finished.

The meeting also addressed a separate set of preservation and downtown revitalization efforts tied to the Masonic building. Staff reported they are pursuing Restore New York and the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) and have identified window‑replacement opportunities that could involve National Grid. Staff said they compiled an extensive photographic inventory at the request of the program administrators and hoped to have updates at the next meeting.

Members noted that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) identical to one used previously with the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) will be used for this office’s work; the transcript records that the same MOU was discussed and will be completed in the office.

Procedural business: a motion “to accept” (recorded in the transcript as a motion to accept without further specification) carried by voice vote. Several members recorded in the transcript as voting yes include Albert, Angelo Day, Adorecki, Mendel and Gary. The meeting record does not specify who moved or seconded the motion, nor does it explicitly identify whether the motion referred to the minutes, the financial statements, or both; the transcript indicates financials had been circulated prior to the meeting.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: staff will pursue clearing and survey work, finalize title search results, refine sale or redevelopment numbers after the survey and title work are complete, and report back to the LDC at a subsequent meeting. Staff also will follow up on the photographic inventory and any program responses from Restore New York/DRI and National Grid.

No formal dollar amounts for any proposed sale or redevelopment were presented in the transcript other than the $4,000 survey quote; the timing and availability of grants or incentives remain subject to program review and external approvals.