Orleans County leaders work to bring new bank to Holley/Village seeks grant funds for revitalization efforts

The First Niagara Bank branch in Holley shut its doors last October as part of a consolidation by Key Bank, but Orleans County Legislator Ken DeRoller has been working for weeks in an effort to reach out to players in the marketplace in the hopes of bringing, “some kind of banking opportunity,” to the village.

Petitions in support of the effort have been available to sign at the Holley Village Hall, local businesses, and the Murray, Kendall and Clarendon Town Halls, and DeRoller told Village of Holley Trustees February 14 that the petitions will provide much-needed “leverage” in the drive to find a new tenant for the bank, which is located in the Public Square in Holley.

Holley Village Clerk Deborah Schiavone said the petition sheets have been filling up fast.  “There has been a really good response,” she said.

DeRoller explained to trustees that the size of the bank building is large by today’s standards and that the building might be suitable for multiple uses.

He said there are two parties currently showing interest in purchasing the property. The Key Bank lease ends in September.

Prior to the bank’s closing last fall, local stakeholders including officials from the towns of Murray, Clarendon, Kendall, the Village of Holley, the Holley Central and Kendall Central School Districts, the Holley Community Free Library and the Holley Joint Fire District met in an effort to convince Key Bank not to close the branch.  That effort failed and municipalities have since moved their accounts elsewhere.

DeRoller said last month he felt there is an opportunity to have banking services in the village, whether it be full service or an ATM.  The former First Niagara branch has all that is needed for full-service banking, including safety deposit boxes, but DeRoller noted that, “banking has changed.”

He has been encouraging community members to sign the petition and to make use of the service if a new bank is found.

In other business February 14, trustees voted to authorize Mayor Brian Sorochty to submit an application to the Brownfield Opportunity Areas (BOA) Program for a Step Two grant.

The village is hoping to obtain a nearly $200,000 grant that would help with the creation of a concept plan and market study for areas in the village that are underutilized or affected by negative environmental impacts.

The village has formed a steering committee which assisted in the preparation of a scope of work as part of the grant application.  This is step two in a process towards revitalizing portions of the village.

The village completed step one of the process several years ago and identified strategic sites around the village which might possibly be targeted for inclusion in a revitalization strategy.

Those properties include, but are not limited to, the former Diaz Chemical site; 51 State Street; the former Save-A-Lot grocery store which closed recently;  89 Public Square; and the old Holley High School in the village.

The grant is a 90/10 matching grant, meaning the village would have to cover 10 percent of the cost.

Mayor Sorochty has said the study would help targeted properties receive tax credits making them more attractive to developers.