With a new group of people taking over the reins, efforts to revitalize Herkimer, New York’s Main Street are on the upswing.
The newly formed village Planning Board has taken over the task from Herkimer Now, the grassroots organization that formed in 2010 with the sole purpose of revitalizing Main Street.
“The talk about revitalization has been around for a long time,” said Roseanne Weisser, the owner of Weisser’s Jewelers in Herkimer.
The difference, she said, is that people are finally working together to make it happen.
She credits much of it to the Planning Board, and said that the community overall has been very supportive as well.
“My vision is, of course, growth and revitalization,” Herkimer Mayor Tony Brindisi said. “The situation we’re in, like most small villages, is that our young people grow up and go away to school and don’t come back. We need to get young people back in here. I won’t be mayor forever. We need young thoughts and minds. We need to get young again and grow.”
“The planning board is something I decided to activate because we need a comprehensive plan on rebuilding the village,” he continued. “The planning board and zoning board are something we need to rebuild the village.”