Since 2015, PCD has raised over $8,000,000 in grant funds to assist local businesses and improve Hamilton’s quality of life.
Housing Research
Housing availability is one of our community’s most pressing issues. The PCD is at the forefront of facilitating the creation of diverse, affordable housing that benefits everyone. In 2018, the PCD and our partners worked with a consultant team to prepare a study that lays out Hamilton’s housing needs, opportunities, and challenges. This information has helped to lay the groundwork for our work in housing moving forward.
Senior Housing: Fayette Park Manor
Christopher Community, Inc., the Village of Earlville, and the Partnership for Community Development are working together to address the unmet need for high-quality affordable housing options for seniors in the Village of Earlville and the surrounding community. This project addresses the vacant former school building at 39 Fayette Street, Earlville, a property that for many years has not been maintained in a utilized in a way conducive to the growth and character of the community.
Fayette Park Manor will include 45 units of affordable supportive housing for seniors ages 55+. Rents will be set between 30%-60% of area median income. Twenty units will be set aside for the frail elderly, with on-site support services provided by Crouse Community Center. These units will receive rental subsidies through the Empire State Housing Initiative.
The existing three-story section of the school building will be rehabilitated, and the newer one-story addition will be demolished and replaced with a new three-story addition that will more closely match the appearance of the original building. This project also coincides with the Partnership for Community Development’s efforts to revitalize the adjacent park and playground. PCD is working to secure grant funding to transform the park in to a high-quality public space for recreation, fitness, community activities, and social interaction for people of all ages.
In 2024, PCD was awarded $1,850,000 from Restore NY to facilitate this project. Rural revitalization projects like Fayette Park Manor and Fayette Street Park require strategic collaboration and combined resources and expertise to promote holistic change. These projects are critical to the health and well-being of this community.
Vacant Home Rehabilitation
In 2023, the PCD worked with the Town of Hamilton to secure a Restore NY grant to rehabilitate six vacant homes in the hamlet of Poolville. This project will elevate the character of Poolville and put housing back into the market.
NY Forward
In 2023, the Village of Hamilton was selected as one of the first round of NY Forward awardees. The application put together by PCD outlined community growth objectives and project opportunities for Hamilton. NY Forward is a grant program designed to help small, rural communities complete transformative community projects. The Village of Hamilton received $2.25 million and spent 2023 working with the state and their chosen consultants to narrow the potential projects in our application down to a list of priority projects that were submitted to the state for approval. The approved projects will cover a variety of important areas, including housing, downtown development, and infrastructure.
Mobility Planning: Pedestrian, Vehicular & Bicycle Circulation
In 2023, the PCD contracted with the firm Environmental Design and Research to help the Village, Town and University come together to identify opportunities for improving multi-modal mobility in advance of the anticipated DOT reconstruction of the 12B corridor through the Village. A committee of representatives from various stakeholder groups worked with EDR to explore options at a nuanced level in advance of final decision making regarding traffic patterns. This study has also helped outline future endeavors to pursue regarding improvement of pedestrian and bicycle connectivity in the community.
Chenango Canal Towpath Trail
The PCD works with the Chenango Canal Association to improve the Chenango Canal Towpath Trail, which runs for eight miles from Hamilton to Solsville. The CCA maintains the trail as both an outdoor recreation asset and an important contribution to local history. In 2022, the CCA used a Recreational Trails Program grant to resurface one mile of trail in the Town of Eaton, and in 2021 designed and installed a new signage system using a grant from the CNY Community Foundation.
Climate Preparedness
The Town and Village of Hamilton are committed to climate action and sustainability. The Hamilton Climate Preparedness Working Group (HPCWG) is a working partnership between the Town and Village, Colgate University, Madison County, and other community partners. In 2020, the group helped both Town and Village receive Bronze certification in the NYS Climate Smart Communities program, a designation that opens up new funding opportunities for additional sustainability initiatives. The PCD works with the group as a partner on grants and community outreach.
18-22 Utica Street
The building at 18-22 Utica Street, owned by The Hamilton Initiative LLC, is being demolished and rebuilt over the next several years. Once finished, it will be a mixed-use building that matches the style of Hamilton’s downtown while adding new housing and commercial space. Included in the new building will be the new home of The Hub.
Microenterprise Grants
Through the CDBG Microenterprise Grant Program, PCD has provided small grants to thirteen small businesses in Madison County. These grants have helped businesses in a variety of niches, from retail and lifestyle to small manufacturing, get established and expand.
Earlville Main Street Grant
In 2021, the PCD assisted Madison County in receiving $225,000 from the NYS Main Street Grant Program to rehabilitate underutilized properties in downtown Earlville. The funding was awarded to four owners of commercial and mixed-use properties. The Madison County Department of Planning is working with the awardees to complete their projects.
First-Time Homebuyer Grants
From 2017 to 2023,, the PCD worked with the Utica Homeownership Association to administer two NYS Affordable Housing Corporation grants for exterior rehabilitation and down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers.
CDBG Grant: Kriemhild Dairy
Kriemhild Dairy is a small, farmer-owned agribusiness that makes high-quality butter and other dairy products using milk from grass-fed cows. In 2016 the PCD helped them receive CDBG funding to purchase new production tanks and other equipment.
CDBG Grant: Heartstone Bakery
Heartstone Bakery at Alambria Springs is an artisan bakery that uses locally-sourced, organic ingredients for their breads and pastries. In 2017, the PCD helped them receive CDBG funding to purchase new equipment, including a new Italian oven that allowed them to greatly increase their production capacity.
CDBG Grant: FoJo Beans
FoJo Beans is a small-batch, artisan coffee roaster. In 2018, the PCD helped them receive CDBG funding to open their first retail location in downtown Hamilton. The location is a combination roastery, cafe, and coffee shop.
CDBG Grant: Ray Brothers
Ray Brothers is a barbecue restaurant in the Town of Eaton. As well as being a go-to dinner spot for locals, they also host an outdoor concert series each spring and summer. In 2018, the PCD helped them receive CDBG funding to build an expanded kitchen and outdoor service window. The expansion helped them meet their increased demand for catering as well as serve outdoor crowds during their concerts.
Rural Business Transitions Program
In 2020-22, the PCD used funding from the Alliance for Economic Inclusion in Onondaga County to provide small grants to businesses going through a transition of some kind. We awarded grants to eight businesses.
Rural Business Technology Grants
In 2019-2021, the PCD used USDA Rural Business Development Grants funding to help agricultural businesses incorporate technology into their business, for example website building, e-commerce, or digital marketing.
Nine-Mile Park
The Town of Hamilton purchased a parcel of land containing the informal canoe/kayak launch to Nine Mile Swamp with the intention of formalizing the launch and creating a small park with parking and a pavilion. The PCD has assisted with the park design and with securing CNY Community Foundation grant funding to cover the additional expense of installing an accessible kayak launch.
Nonprofit Capacity Building
The PCD works with a variety of other non-profit organizations on many of its projects. In 2023, with the help of a student intern from Colgate’s Upstate Institute program, we began an initiative to help small, all-volunteer nonprofits build capacity and evaluate their life cycles and finances.
Fayette Street Park
From 2020 to 2022, the PCD worked with the Village of Earlville and the Earlville for Earlville community group to redesign the skate park and playground adjacent to the former school on Fayette Street. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, public input into the design process was delayed and conducted in phases, but the community was enthusiastic and ready to provide their feedback for the final designs. We are pursuing various funding opportunities to make this vision a reality.
Rocky Top Acres
In 2020, the PCD worked with the Southern Madison Heritage Trust to secure a Farmland Preservation Implementation Grant to purchase a conservation easement on Rocky Top Acres, a 528-acre dairy farm in Brookfield. This grant ensures that the land will stay in agricultural use and helps allow the family to pass on their farm to the next generation.
