(Cortland, NY) – Today, Senator Lea Webb congratulated the Village of Marathon on being named a Round Three winner of a $4.5 million NY Forward award to support six projects as part of their efforts to revitalize their vibrant downtown corridor. 

Said Senator Lea Webb, “Villages like Marathon are what make Upstate, NY such a beautiful place to visit. I’m thrilled that Marathon has been selected to receive $4.5 million through the NY Forward initiative. This investment will transform their downtown by creating new businesses, revitalizing historic buildings, and developing more housing, enabling Marathon to continue to grow. As the home of the CNY Maple Festival, thousands of visitors will be able to enjoy these improvements for years to come. Thank you to Governor Hochul for investing in this incredible community.” 

The projects awarded in the Village of Marathon are below: 

• A project to enhance Lovell Field and the Civic Center for community use will receive $1,277,000 to add a walking trail with a river overlook, a picnic pavilion, and a pickleball court; resurface the basketball and tennis courts; and renovate the public restroom. Improve the Civic Center by finishing the interior space on the south end of the building and renovating the north end to accommodate more community events
• A project to activate the IMTS building for business expansion and job growth will receive $1,200,000 to renovate an unusable industrial space to enable a growing tool manufacturing business to expand and create jobs
• A project to transform Peck Memorial Library to improve function and accessibility will receive $1,000,000 to renovate the historic library that anchors Main Street, modernize the building, and return the second floor to active public use. Multi-phase improvements include restoring the second floor, adding an elevator, renovating bathrooms and egress, repairing exterior masonry and windows, and replacing the roof.
• A project to create new rental housing at 19-21 Cortland Street will receive $540,000 to construct new high-quality duplexes on the Cortland Street corridor to help meet the increased demand for housing in the Village and region.
• A project to establish a small project fund for mixed-Use and commercial property improvements will receive $300,000 to establish a small project fund to support interior and exterior building renovations for commercial and mixed-use buildings, upper-story residential improvements in mixed-use buildings, permanent commercial machinery or equipment for businesses, and permanent public art installations.
• A project to create a new coffee shop and bakery at 1 Broome Street will receive $183,000 to renovate the highly visible corner building at Main and Broome Streets to create a modern commercial space for a new coffee shop and bakery in the village.

The New York Forward Program works in concert with the Downtown Revitalization Initiative to provide funding to smaller and rural downtowns across New York so that all communities benefit from the state’s revitalization efforts.  

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