Prattsville plans for a new future
Prattsville residents are drafting a plan to rebuild following the devastation from Tropical Storm Irene. Sunday they took one step closer to fulfilling their vision. Innae Park has more.
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PRATTSVILLE, N.Y. -- There's no such thing as too many cooks spoiling the broth in Prattsville, as more than 100 people came together to cook up a plan to rebuild their town this weekend.
“Here’s a thing that puts all [residents’] hopes into one place,” said Margaret Irwin of River Street Planning and Development.
Prattsville resident Ben Hamilton said, “I think the design team did a great job of coming up with ideas. I'm pretty excited.”
Sunday night residents saw what could be their future, which included a recreation center, a river park trail, even an eco-heritage center. After a nightmare of disaster following Tropical Storm Irene, these plans are a dream come true.
“I never thought our town could look like this. So this is a big opportunity for us. This could change our town. It could easily double our population if we follow this plan,” said resident Paul Brody.
Irwin sees these proposals as a way to expand as well. “A green industry looking for a home might not look at Prattsville automatically,” she said. “But if they hear that they're doing green infrastructure, a riverwalk, sustainable development, high density neighborhoods, they've got green energy, they're going to say, ‘I’m going to look at Prattsville.'”
However, it's still going to be awhile before these visions become reality. Officials say they are in the planning stages now, and they will soon need to address how to procure funding for their ideas. Town Supervisor Kory O’Hara (D) said, “There's some things on there that you really dream about. Then there's some things that you can actually see done. So i think we're working toward a better town in the future, for sure.”
Hamilton agrees. “I hope there's help out there for us,” he said. “If you can help, come on down to Prattsville!”