COHOES, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Mayor of Cohoes Shawn Morse is gearing up for his State of the City address on Thursday after a year ending with a major fire in the heart of downtown.
Mayor Morse is going to focus on the revitalization of the city, how far they’ve come so far and what they plan to accomplish the rest of the year.
“As sad as it was, it told people hey look it we’ve been bent before, we just don’t break in Cohoes,” Mayor Morse said.
Mayor Morse feels the City of Cohoes is stronger after last year’s fire on Remsen Street and that they can only go up from here.
“Our Remsen Street is back to life and it’s vibrant.”
Even with the fire, 12 new businesses opened their doors on Remsen in 2017 and the city secured the $15 million needed to turn 787 into a boulevard to make it a safer place for pedestrians.
“There’s really a sense of sadness that it’s taken this long to address the problem.”
Work will start in early spring and construction on new residential apartments that he’ll announce called Remsen Street Place and Mosaic Village, which will in include the 1st floor for people with disabilities.
“This is going to be one of the first of its kind in the nation.”
He’ll also reveal plans to double the size of Canal Square Park with a stage designed by RPI and upgrade the sidewalks and streetscape on Remsen.
“When people come, it’s very inviting to them to be here. People don’t have to worry about tripping and falling.”
Overall, the mayor’s proud of where the city stands and looks forward to the future.
“It’s just really becoming a place that people want to go. It’s becoming a destination.”
The state of the city starts at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers.