By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

Just before the coronavirus pandemic hit Central New York, Onondaga County announced that the village of Baldwinsville was the first recipient of its Village Main Street Program. The county awarded B’ville $300,000 toward improving sidewalks, streetlights and storefronts of several businesses in the village along Genesee Street.

But the celebration was short-lived. Just weeks after the Feb. 27 announcement, area schools, municipalities and businesses were shuttered to the public in an effort to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The ensuing economic crash left some business owners like Shelley Hoffman unsure as to whether they could count on the Main Street grant money to give their establishments the facelifts they had planned. Hoffman and Tracey Schumacher Kline co-own 315 Realty Partners at 12 Oswego St., which also houses the Heart, Home & Community event space.

“In the beginning of the summer when COVID hit, a lot of us were hesitant to do the work on our building because where’s the money going to come from?” said Hoffman.

County Legislator Brian May assured Hoffman that the Main Street grants had been set aside before the pandemic, so she will be reimbursed for the improvements she is making to her property.

Hoffman’s plan for her property was to repaint the storefront with Kendall Charcoal from Benjamin Moore’s Historical Collection and make repairs to the rear of the building, including brick and mortar work, replacement of rotting wood, and restoration of the clock facing Baldwin Canal Square.

Brian King Contracting recently finished refreshing the façade of Hoffman’s building.

“The whole front of the building is a completely different building. It’s been fun to watch,” Hoffman said. “The amount of work he’s done in a week — it’s incredible, the transformation.”

Much work remains on the rear of Hoffman’s building, including the restoration or replacement of the clock. Hoffman is consulting with the original painter of the clock, John McFall, as to the best way to bring the timepiece back to its former glory.

“He’s part of that clock, so whether he helps me install it or he helps me fix it, I’d definitely like John to be a part of it,” Hoffman said.

The main challenge for the clock, Hoffman said, is finding a way to protect it from Central New York’s harsh weather.

“If I can maintain the character of that clock and find a way to protect it, that’s what I’ll do,” she said.

Among the other businesses slated for sprucing up under the Main Street program are Atlantic Seafood, The Deli at 12 W. Genesee St., Infinity Dance Academy, Noble’s Tire City and B’ville Sports Bowl.

At B’ville Sports Bowl, the previous blue-and-red paint job has been updated with a more modern neutral color scheme as well as new windows, doors and signage.

“Everything has been submitted to the county for Sports Bowl,” said Gregg Humphrey, code enforcement officer for the village of Baldwinsville.

Humphrey said the bowling alley generally closes during the summer anyway, and Gary Petersen — who owns the Sports Bowl and is a contractor — worked on the Sports Bowl as well as Atlantic Seafood. The eatery installed a new steel roof.

The other projects in the Main Street grant are in various stages of the planning process, Humphrey said.

“We’re still waiting on numbers from Noble’s so he can get a contractor started,” Humphrey said. “It looks like the building that The Deli’s in … is not going to be done until next year.”

Hoffman and Humphrey both attested to how busy contractors are this year.

“Brian [King] was able to start my job right away, but he’s working on weekends and nights,” Hoffman said.

“With people not going on vacation it seems people are spending that vacation money on pools, decks and other renovations,” Humphrey said. “A lot of people have been working from home. They’re seeing all the little things they don’t like and want to update.”

As more people make improvements to their homes and businesses, building materials are scarce. The pandemic also brought the production of lumber, aluminum and other materials to a halt, and the supply chain has been slow to recover.

“The price of building materials has gone way up,” Humphrey said. “A lot of parts and things like that are made in China, and China was shut down as well for part of this pandemic. There was a while where you would go to Walmart and it would just be bare shelves. There’s still a lot of things that are just gone.”

The pandemic and the contracting boom have delayed some of the Main Street improvements not just in Baldwinsville but across the county, Humphrey said.

“They wanted it done by this fall, but obviously COVID has put people in a bind,” he said. “Some of these businesses are just hurting from not being open for a while.”

Hoffman is hoping her renovations will be complete by winter.

“I would hope my building would be done before the snow flies,” she said.