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Peekskill pursues $50,000 design grant for Hook & Ladder building and pilots a downtown holiday market
Summary
Staff asked council permission to sign an incentive agreement with Empire State Development that provides $50,000 for design services for renovations at 828 Main (Hook & Ladder building) and requested matching funds from future parks and recreation budgets. The city also plans to pilot a temporary operating permit for a holiday market at 15 South Division this season under the new temporary-operating-permit program.
City staff said the Hook & Ladder building at 828 Main Street — which houses the youth bureau and a social space — needs renovation for accessibility and energy-efficiency work and that the city applied for and would accept a $50,000 Empire State Development design grant provided the council agrees to match funding.
“They've given us $50,000 and they want us to match it with a $100,000. I would like to ask that we match this with future parks and rec funds,” the city manager said, describing the incentive agreement and the need to begin planning work.
Staff also said the recently adopted temporary operating permit process could be piloted this holiday season at the old Ford Piano building (15 South Division), where a group of artists and operators expressed interest in running a holiday market. Staff said the pilot will help the city test procedures and timelines for future temporary operations in downtown storefronts and that they would prepare a rollout application for council review.
Councilors asked about the appearance of the building steps on Main Street and requested staff seek options to make them less unsightly during renovations. Staff agreed to get professional recommendations and to proceed with the grant paperwork if the council concurred.
