GLOVERSVILLE – The Common Council unanimously passed a resolution at its meeting Tuesday to approve seeking a Brownfield Opportunity Area grant with the city of Johnstown.
Last week, the Johnstown Common Council approved a similar resolution that authorized a contract with Rochester-based Bergmann Associates, which would help the two cities apply for a $400,000 state grant.
The grant would pay for a development study for both downtowns.
According to the resolution, Bergmann Associates would be paid an $8,800 fee, split between the two cities at $4,400.
Johnstown City Engineer Chandra Cotter and Gloversville Department of Public Works Director Kevin Jones have been collaborating on the effort.
The resolution said both cities want to submit an application for Brownfield Opportunity Area Program Step 2 funding.
The Brownfield Opportunity Area Program provides money to help develop areas that may be difficult to work with because of environmental hazards.
Some of the things the grant could be used for include: future land use and master planning, environmental review and investigation to develop site profiles, regulatory updates or zoning analysis, feasibility studies, highest- and best-use studies, infrastructure analysis and capacity studies, and marketing and branding activities.
The grant wouldn’t pay for bricks-and-mortar work, environmental cleanup and remediation, purchase of environmental insurance, land acquisition, or direct subsidies to private entities.
Jones said the application period for the grant hasn’t been set, but that will give the cities time to have things ready for the prenomination phase.
“I think it’s great. Anytime we can get both our councils to unanimously support something in the two cities is fantastic,” Mayor Dayton King said. “This is one of many examples of where we have worked together with the city of Johnstown.”
