Ellenville is sprucing up Liberty Square at the heart of the village to further enhance the ongoing renovation of the historic and scenic village in Ulster County.
Federal Housing and Urban Development money procured by U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey will pay the $294,000 tab for the plaza where Canal Street meets Liberty Street.
The streetscaping will include better lighting, faux-brick cross walks, new sidewalks, new benches, trash cans and trees, all designed to encourage and facilitate foot traffic through the business sector that surrounds the square.
“What we”™re looking for is a wow factor,” said village manager Mary Sheeley. “We just want a real welcoming look to it, so we get some feet on the street.
“We want the area down there to be so inviting and so attractive that you are going to get out of the car and walk down the street, and just be part of the whole Ellenville downtown,” she said.
The plan was formally presented to the village board Jan. 25 by Glenn Gidaly, a planner with Barton and Laguidice, which has helped the village in a series of recent projects that have upgraded sidewalks and storefront facades and helped smooth the move into a new five-story village hall and office building near Liberty Square.
The work is scheduled to start in May and be completed by July. “The Mayor wants it done by the 4th of July parade and what the mayor wants she gets,” joked Sheeley.
She said village officials had widely publicized the rollout to draw attendance from the business community that would be most affected and were pleased by the response.
“It was a nice turnout,” said Sheeley. “There was a lot of dialogue but the businesses were mostly very receptive. It looks like the plan will proceed pretty much the way it was presented.”
