Lexington Continues to Pursue Grant Money

By Michael Ryan

LEXINGTON - The first attempt did not succeed so Lexington will adhere to the old adage which says “try try again,” hoping to secure grant money for the revitalization of historic but aging buildings in the hamlet district.

Town council members, at a recent meeting, were revisited by James Monahan, chairman of the Monahan Development Company.

Monahan made himself known, last fall, encouraging the community to help apply for outside funding, serving as facilitators for a potential rebirth of the once-invigorated Lexington Hotel, along Route 13A.

That effort was not fruitful but the failure came as no surprise. Monahan had advised officials and Alan Weiss, the new owner of the Hotel, that Lexington got in on the tail end of the application process.

Monahan, however, also said it was not uncommon to fail on initial strivings for the money, using the information he submitted as a foundation to build an even stronger package.

The initial grant application included three sites, as follows:

—Monroe House (the former Lexington Hotel), a 21-room hotel with taproom and restaurant, was last operated in 2003. 

Weiss proposed a restoration of the existing structure, potentially relocating it across the street, out of the floodplain, and to redevelop it as a 16-room hotel, complete with new taproom and restaurant.

That property would be developed in tandem with the Barn, located on a 1.6 acre landlocked parcel across from the old Lexington Hotel.

Weiss further proposed redeveloping the hotel into a convention/events center, potentially with amenities such as a gym that could be made available to both hotel visitors and residents of the community.

—The former Lexington post office, at the juncture of Routes 13A and 42, currently on the same lot as the hotel. Weiss proposed to restore the building and to return it to commercial use.

Monahan, attending last week’s meeting via computer Zoom, presented an expanded concept, adding four nearby locations that could provide extra incentive for the grantors to award up to $2 million to Lexington.

If the dollars are awarded, they would be a portion of the total project cost which is estimated at $21,357,603, arriving in the form of reimbursement for work completed and inspected.

The seven combined locations are as follows (with the Restore NY Grant request portion in parenthesis):

—Event Barn, 3943 Route 42, stabilization and rehabilitation, installation of new windows, electrical, plumbing, flooring and interior finishes; addition of kitchen and restroom, parking and landscaping, to be utilized as an events facility (Restore NY Grant $80,000);

—Old Lexington Post Office, 17 Route 13A, stabilization of foundation, exterior restoration including siding, roof, high efficiency glazing of windows and thermal upgrades to building shell, to be utilized as a commercial/retail site (Restore NY Grant $100,000);

—Lexington Hotel, 17 Route 13A, relocation across the road, out of the flood plane, rehabilitation of the old hotel and addition of approximately 9,282 square feet, creating a total of 29 hotel rooms, taproom and restaurant, parking and landscaping ($1,499,350);

—Lexington House, 3879, Route 42, repair and stabilization of building foundations and exterior porch structures, structural reinforcement of main building’s framing and interior floor decks in preparation for future full restoration as a mixed use (hotel/hostel) hospitality facility ($200,000);

—Morse Inn (Farmhouse), 3876, Route 42, full exterior and interior historic restoration and retrofit as a hotel/conference facility ($55,000);

—Ensemble Studio Theater, 37 Morse Road, stabilization, structural reinforcement and restoration to its prior use as a flexible, multi-function venue, performance and recreational space to support Lexington Arts & Science and the Lexington community ($40,000);

—The Mission, 3974, Route 42, exterior repair of roof and siding, new windows with high efficiency glazing and ADA access, to be utilized as headquarters for RiseNations ($25,650).

There is no certainty Lexington will see the $2 million, but Monahan was optimistic about the chances, given the overall solid condition of the structures and potential positive impacts on the town and region.

“You have a unique standing inventory of buildings that are fine for reuse, and we have identified several buildings that fit the criteria for the grant, representing a very workable model,” Monahan said.

“We have fine-tuned the original grant into a winnable grant. The more you diversify the project the better opportunity for getting the attention of” decision-makers at the Restore NY program.

Monahan said the application needs to be filed with the State of New York before the end of May, setting in motion what will likely be a months-long wait to hear who has been selected amongst a very competitive field.

“We didn’t get anything the first found which was not unexpected, but there is a trend of people coming back to the Catskills and a resurgence in many small communities just like Lexington,” Monahan said.