TRANSFORMATIVE OPPORTUNITIES
The NY Forward Award of $4.5M will continue the momentum of investment in the Village of Sherman by leveraging $8,942,000 in transformational projects. These feasible projects being actively pursued fit the character and vision of the Sherman community. The NY Forward Award will leverage funding to bring the projects to fruition sooner, with more creativity and quality, having a robust impact and injection of capital spurring further investment.
The charming downtown business district will be bookended by redeveloping two large vacant industrial buildings for the purpose of serving family and community needs. The anchor project on the east end, We Rock the Spectrum – Sherman, will draw families from around the region to the unique sensory gym for children of all ages and abilities. At the west end, Sherman’s Community Center will provide communal space for all the public, a proposed coffee shop, and hostel for visitors. Together these make Sherman a family-orientated and family-supported community while invigorating the local economy. They are connected by Main Street and the trail along French Creek with two parks. Improvements to the trail and installation of an Autism nature trail, bridge, and additional amenities will attract residents and regional tourism. Renovations to the library and museum will make them accessible and inviting. This is punctuated by the development of multi-family housing and conversion of unused mixed-use buildings. All of which will transform the Village into a walkable and bikeable community. It will expand recreational, cultural, and supporting amenities. It will grow small business on Main Street. It will provide a green, healthy, family-orientated community in which to live and visit that is resilient to economic and climate challenges.
The Village of Sherman will be a model for small rural communities advancing the NY Forward initiatives, particularly in placemaking with smart implementation planning of the parks, multi-use trails, public art, museum, library, community center, and children’s sensory gymnasium, collectively having a big impact on the local, Chautauqua, and WNY region economies. The proposed projects are sustainable and proven economic stimulus, as found in numerous economic impact studies performed around Trail Towns, and the market indicators of children’s activity and play centers, a growing multi-billion-dollar industry.
