(Sherburne, NY – Dec. 8, 2014) Nearly a year after Gov. Cuomo announced that Save the Sherburne Inn Restoration Project (SSIRP) had been awarded a $500,000 economic development grant through the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, SSIRP finally has an executed State contract and can now begin the work of restoring the historic Sherburne Inn that has been vacant for more than a decade.
Kathleen Yasas, president of the SSIRP Board of Directors, said, “We were very excited when we got the news of the grant award in December 2013, but had no idea it would take this long to get a signed contract from the State. It’s been frustrating, to say the least. However, we’re putting that frustration behind us now that we can begin to move forward with the initial steps of the restoration.”
Until the contract was signed by the Attorney General and the State Comptroller, no work could begin.
Preservation Architects Crawford and Stearns of Syracuse have been creating the bid package that will include specs for the exterior restoration work. This phase of the restoration includes refurbishing windows, repairing wooden columns and railings, repairs to the brickwork and mortar, removing architectural features that were not part of the original 1917 building, recreating architectural features that were removed, repairing the stone work on the porch, and repairing external stairs and walkways. Plans also include the addition of a ramp to bring the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act mandates.
A request for proposals will be published in area newspapers, after which submitted proposals will be reviewed by Crawford and Stearns and the SSIRP Board of Directors.Contractors will be chosen based on specific expertise and knowledge of historic preservation methods and materials. All exterior work must also be approved by the New York State Historic Preservation Office.
Conceptualized as an economic driver for the Village and Town of Sherburne, Chenango County, the Southern Tier, and New York State, SSIRP plans to reopen The Inn with sleeping rooms, event space, conference space, a farm-to-table restaurant and bar, a tavern, and retail space. Temporary and permanent part- and full-time jobs will be created both during the restoration and after The Inn has been re-opened.
The project coincides with several of the focal points of the State’s economic development priorities: downtown revitalization, historic preservation, tourism, and local agriculture. The 2013 grant was part of $81.9 million awarded to the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council. Of the 87 projects funded in the Southern Tier, only 22 received more funding than SSIRP. A total of 8 funded projects are located in Chenango County.
For more information on The Sherburne Inn and SSIRP, visit thesherburneinn.org. SSIRP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.