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On Thursday, Fulton Mayor Jim Rice spoke to Fulton Noon Rotarians about a number of projects happening across the city.
Rice spoke about the difference between public perception and what is happening behind the scenes. “There are a lot of dominoes lining up,” he asserted. “And they are getting ready to fall.”
One example is the former CYO building on the east side of the city, next to Pizza Hut. “We can’t do anything to that building without having an LWRP [Local Waterfront Revitalization Program] in place.” His administration has been busy doing just that, and now the program is up and running.
Of course, no Fulton update would be complete without an update on the site of the former Nestle chocolate factory. Here, Mayor Rice passed out multi-page pamphlets outlining an ambitious, imaginative town center project. “This is key to reimagining the city,” Rice told the assembled group of Rotarians.
The site’s Building 30 is nearing readiness to be torn down after a lengthy remediation and environmental review process. “Cogs are moving, not sitting idle,” Rice reassured the Rotarians.
In the pipeline for the site are many plans for mixed-use spaces, including a business-class hotel, a mixed-income apartment building, retail space, and a new public park aimed at improving the city’s walkability and recreational opportunities.
Aside from site remediation and development, the city is also looking at its sidewalks—long a topic of contention among residents. “We’ve applied for funding to build new and connect existing sidewalks on the east side near the Nestle site, going from Aldi to [S.] 7th Street, with new sidewalks around Building 30,” Rice said. The Fulton Kiwanis Club wrote a letter of support for the proposal.
The mayor described how past mayoral administrations in Fulton have not been as proactive in researching and applying for grants to help address gaps in its funding. “But that’s our way forward,” Rice said. To that end, the city applied for five grants through New York State’s Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) portal and received two grant awards.
A major theme in the mayor’s presentation was the importance of collaboration among key stakeholders and service clubs in Fulton. Rice spoke about the city working with the YMCA to upgrade its pool, a partnership which arose because the city does not have the resources to staff and maintain a public pool. He also touched on the role of the Oswego County Land Bank and Habitat for Humanity in revitalizing vacant properties, new partnerships with Oswego County Workforce to improve staff training and retention for city workers, and the city’s more active approach to grant funding. Rice also mentioned that Fulton is working on being more vocal and speaking up on vital opportunities, such as those related to Micron. “We don’t want to be missed.”
We at iHeart Oswego look forward to seeing these and many other strategic projects come to fruition for the City of Fulton.
For those interested in learning more about Rotary, contact information is available on the Rotary website. Fulton Noon Rotary meets at 12:00pm on the first three Thursdays of the month at the Tavern on the Lock in Fulton.
