Community News

Mayor Billy Barlow and Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul announced the re-opening of the Children’s Museum of Oswego (CMOO), unveiling the improvements and exhibits in the museum funded through Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative.

The $300,000 in funding supplemented the Children’s Museum of Oswego’s fundraising efforts, allowing for new interactive exhibits and expanding the capacity of the museum in downtown Oswego. CMOO also received an additional $180,000 allocation from the DRI for exterior improvements to the historic Buckhout-Jones building to be conducted later this summer.

“The newly renovated Children's Museum is at the heart of the transformation of downtown Oswego, welcoming both residents and visitors to this unique community," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, who spoke at today's event. "Thanks to support from our Downtown Revitalization Initiative, the museum features new interactive exhibits that provide a valuable educational experience and help children and families make memories that will last a lifetime."

New York State Secretary of State Rossana Rosado said, ““This DRI project takes a major step toward making downtown Oswego a vibrant, fun, family-friendly destination. The Complete Streets project in front of the museum has created a safer streetscape for all to access and enjoy what downtown has to offer. The Pocket Park around the corner provides relaxing space on the waterfront and the Lake Ontario Water Park will offer yet another amenity for the downtown thanks to the DRI program.”

City of Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow said, “The Children’s Museum of Oswego is a vital component to our comprehensive downtown revitalization plan. The museum provides Oswego families with a recreational activity that is educational and active, while also drawing visitors from our region to downtown Oswego to experience the museum. The Children’s Museum of Oswego is a great unique asset, complimenting so many other positive developments in our downtown and with all new exhibits and improvements, can further enhance the experience and continue to be a destination for people from all over Central New York.”

CMOO, founded in 2013 by Jill and Jonathan Shaver, features hands-on multi-sensory exhibits in a developmentally stimulating environment. Jillian Shaver, Executive Director and Founder of CMOO said, "We were thrilled when the Lieutenant Governor announced that the children's museum would receive funds from Oswego’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative Award. It showed that our state leaders and city administration believe in investing in cultural institutions to support the economic, physical and social goals of revitalizing our urban core. It proved that the children’s museum was not going to simply serve as a sideline to economic vitality, but stand at the forefront of positive growth in our city."

In April of this year, Lieutenant Governor Hochul and Mayor Barlow presided over a ribbon-cutting for four other DRI projects in Oswego—the Market Street Pocket Park; Rt. 104/Bridge Street Complete Streets; LITATOR Building (Global Buffet) mixed-use development; and the River Walk mixed-use on West First Street. At today’s event, the Lieutenant Governor toured and was briefed on the significant progress on these projects just three months later. The Complete Streets project has been completed; the Pocket Park is nearly complete; the Global Buffet building has been demolished, paving the way for the new DRI project; and construction on housing units in the River Walk complex on West First Street will begin in the Fall.

In 2016, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the creation of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), a program providing a comprehensive approach to improving the physical, social, and economic climate of participating communities. The intention is to provide funding that can help communities on the cusp of economic revitalization tip over into sustained prosperity.

The City of Oswego was one of ten winners of the $10 million DRI grant in 2016, the first round of the program. The City of Oswego's DRI plan consists of twelve projects, eleven of which are well underway. The Oswego DRI is a model for other DRIs in the speed with which they have moved their projects and the way that the projects reinforce one another holistically and strategically.

The DRI supports Governor Cuomo’s award-winning Age-Friendly NY/Health Across All Policies Executive Order, which requires all state agencies to incorporate principles of age- and health-friendly communities into their programs. The DRI is creating livable, walkable, vibrant communities where people of all ages can live, work and play. Research consistently shows that these types of communities are attractive to both Millennials and Baby Boomers.