As 2021 draws to a close, the village of Bergen can look back on a year of successes, while looking forward to new improvements.
This week, mayor Anna Marie Barclay reflected back on some of the positive advancements made in the village this year, the most notable being the buildings on Main Street which were restored with a Main Street grant which Barclay applied for and received two years ago.
As a result of the façade restoration, four new businesses have opened on Main Street – Pivot Acupuncture owned by Barclay’s son and daughter-in-law Derek and Lainy Barclay, TK Flooring, a laundromat, and Alvamar Healthy Foods.
Barclay would like to have a Main Street open house, perhaps in the spring when Covid is not a concern.
The village has recently redone several village streets with oil and stone, preserving them for another five years, the mayor said. They were able to carry over state money for road repair. Two small streets, Spring Street and Leroy Street are left to do, she said.
As part of the Federal American Rescue Plan, Bergen received $112,000, half of which is reserved for their stormwater, wastewater, and Covid mitigation issues.
“We wanted to come up with a plan for the most efficient way to use the money,” Barclay said. “Our proposal is to finish mapping our stormwater infrastructure. After that, we will use the funds left to update and repair our stormwater infrastructure. We have maintained our system but there is work that needs to be done.”
She added it has been 10 to 12 years since the stormwater infrastructure was mapped.
Now that people can be outside more, due to Covid, we plan to build a new restroom in Hickory Park.
“Our parks and trails and disc golf course are used extensively by our residents and those outside our village,” Barclay said. “The new restroom will have a utility section in the center, with the restrooms on each end. That will allow all the pipes to be in the center, making them inaccessible to vandals.”
Vandals were recently caught on camera tearing down and destroying a new fence village workers had just installed. They have been identified and dealt with by the Sheriff’s Department. The village has cameras in all their parks, the mayor said.
The last of the funds from the American Rescue Plan will be used for wastewater improvements.
“We’ve been wanting for a long time to have spare parts at our wastewater plant,” Barclay said. “This money will go toward the purchase of expensive supplies we need on hand.”
Barclay said they attended seminars and listen to webinars on how the money could be used.
Bergen didn’t receive a Genesee Valley Restoration/Rehabilitation grant, which the mayor applied for, but she is going to reapply, she said.
The money would be used for much-needed preservation work on the Tully Building, which houses the village offices. Barclay explained the building is made of Bergen brick and therefore is soft and porous. This allows water to come in through interior walls. They have secured an architect to design the painting scheme on the exterior. When the mural on the south wall was painted, the brick beneath that was sealed and preserved, Barclay said.
Another project the mayor is hoping to complete is paving the trail in Hickory Park because it is used extensively.
Since becoming mayor eight years ago, Barclay has secured $1.4 million in grants to improve the village. She said it would be late next spring or early summer before they will know if they receive the new grant she is re-applying for.
Top photo: Anna Marie Barclay, mayor of Bergen, stands in front of the American Legion building on Main Street, which is one which has completed façade restoration with a Main Street grant.
TK Flooring is a new business in Bergen which has taken advantage of a Main Street grant to improve its façade.
Brette-Ashley Wilcox Schmitt's photography studio was one of the first to have its façade restored. The building dates back to the mid-1800s.
