Kelsey Peebles walked her dog Tuesday on Main Street. One stopped to smell a stranger; the other just enjoyed a warm fall day.
“We love the small-town feel,” Peebles said, and it’s something she’d like to see preserved, even as Homer progresses through the planning and implementation of 11 projects funded by a $10 million state Downtown Revitalization Initiative.
“We love the accessibility,” said Peebles, who lives on Main Street. And she said the idea of a new bookstore is pretty cool, too.
The village received word from the state in February 2023 that it had won the $10 million investment, then worked with consultants to whittle an initial wish list to the 11 projects, which the state approved in May.
The projects are progressing, although a simple glance at the village might suggest otherwise.
“Every project has a different state agency to work with,” said Village Clerk Dan Egnor. “Their timelines are unclear, so a lot of this is ‘hurry up and wait.’”
Many of the projects, as Peebles wished, are meant to preserve the village’s 19th Century atmosphere. A riverwalk behind the village fire station, next to the village fairgrounds, would be installed, and the grounds themselves improved. Together, those projects total nearly $2 million
The nearly 200-year-old Little White Church would be restored, or at least restorations would begin with a $1.17 DRI injection into an initial $2.5 project. In fact, a meeting two weeks ago drew a bevy ideas for it, from hosting writing workshops and seminars to chamber music in a multi-use facility that Ty Marshal, executive director of the Center for the Arts of Homer, which owns the church, hopes will become a “third space,” a place besides work and home where people feel comfortable.
Each of the 11 projects has a different state agency with which to partner, and a different timeline, so don’t expect to wake up one morning to a brand-new village. Note, for example, that Cortland won its DRI award in 2017, and is still working on its centerpiece project, refurbishing Main Street.
In Homer, the investment isn’t just in public facilities. The Village Food Market at 7 S. Main St will receive $139,000 from the state toward a $347,500 renovation project. Renovations include a new layout, rear entrance, commissary kitchen, new appliances, and improvements in the floors and walls. Owner Kevin Williams said he hoped the administrative work can be completed this fall, so work can begin next year.
Deputy Mayor Patrick Clune had little to add. He was on vacation Sept. 17 when the village had its last update on the project, he said in an email.
Molly Lane and Joe Cortese plan to open MoJoe’s Book and Brew at 11 Wall St. The state would contribute $396,000 to the $990,000 cost of renovation of the 154-year-old building, one of Homer’s first train stations.
“The outpouring of support in this short time … has just been amazing,” Lane said last summer. “I’ve had people come up and say they’ve wanted this.”
It ties back to the theme for the DRI application – “Building on History.”
