Catskill Museum backers push to be included in Ellenville-Wawarsing $10 million DRI application

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Casino museum rendering

WAWARSING – Catskill Museum Inc., a 501c3 non-profit, made their second pitch for a piece of the state’s $10 million in Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding that Ellenville is planning to apply for, to help fund their 42,000 square-foot museum, entertainment venue, bungalow and comedy hall of fame, chronicling the rich comedic history of the Borscht Belt and the once-thriving resort and entertainment mecca that was the Catskills.

Thursday evening, Catskill Museum Inc. appealed to the Wawarsing Town Board, after having pitched to the Village of Ellenville only a few days before to receive $2 million of the potential $10 million in DRI funding for their estimated $50 million project.

President of the Catskill Museum Inc. Committee Jack Godfrey, who was from the area when his family had owned and operated the Maple Leaf Inn, one of the thriving resorts in the Borscht Belt at the time, said he has been trying to bring this project to fruition for approximately 20 years. 

He estimates the museum could bring in a potential 100,000 visitors per year and generate approximately $1 million in revenue per 75,000 visitors on ticket sales alone, not including revenue from various entertainment they would plan to host there. They also maintain it would employ between 30 and 40 employees.

Jack Godfrey

The museum, although doubling as an entertainment venue, would not have retail or eateries on site. Godfrey said this is specifically so visitors will patronize the local businesses in the surrounding areas. He said creating an economic multiplier for Ellenville and surrounding municipalities is the main objective for this endeavor.  “That is the specific reason to bring the museum,” said Godfrey. “It’s a two-fold process: one, obviously to preserve the history of the Catskills; but, most importantly, it is an economic catalyst for the village. That’s the idea – spurring development – bringing jobs, indirect jobs, bringing new restaurants, cafes, bringing a new hotel to the village. When you’re generating 75-100,000 visitors a year, you’re going to spur economic growth,” he said.

The request is for 20 percent of the potential DRI grant and that is a very small portion of the total project cost that would have to be raised, Wawarsing Town Supervisor Terry Houck said although he is hopeful for the project to work, he is skeptical, having not been presented with a solid means of procuring the additional $48 million from Catskill Museum Inc.  “I don’t know if they have a full plan. Some of those questions were asked and one gentleman asked, ‘Where are your funding sources,’ so, a lot of things are great ideas; but, if you don’t have a funding source,” said Houck. “I’m kind of concerned about $10 million and $2 million going to this because I don’t know. In the village I’ve gone to two meetings and I’ve talked to Mayor (Jeffrey) Kaplan and the board members, and I don’t believe they have a specific plan,” he said.

Godfrey said they do have financial backers, but they are reluctant because there is not enough public support for the project at this point. 

He said the next step in the process for them will be to present Village of Ellenville Mayor Kaplan a detailed plan of how they would use the $2 million of DRI funds and believes the village would vote in a few weeks on whether, or not, to include them in the application.

No DRI application has been drafted at this point and the responsibility of each municipality in the application is still yet to be determined.




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