By CRAIG FREILICH

POTSDAM -- Clarkson University and the village are partnering to resurrect a stalled plan for improvement of Clarkson’s downtown buildings to be put to use by arts organizations, new businesses and for living space.

The partnership would also seek grants to provide for some other projects in the village including development of a Raquette River whitewater park and downtown streetscape improvements.

The university’s downtown buildings, older than the Hill Campus, have been eyed for rehabilitation and were part of a $26 million plan involving Omni Development Corp., but the company pulled out of the project last spring.

The plan called for rehabilitating Old Snell Hall into space for the St. Lawrence County Arts Council and the North Country Children’s Museum, space for business “incubation” and third floor apartments. Congdon Hall would be developed into fully operational office space and, on the upper floors, student housing.

In 2014 Omni was awarded a North Country Regional Economic Development Council grant of $1.2 million for the project. In 2015 the Albany-based developer sought $2.8 million more from the NCREDC but was unsuccessful.

Earlier this year Omni pulled out of the plan, without stating publicly why. And the $1.2 million already granted remains unused.

But Clarkson did not want to abandon the project.

“We’re not developers. We’re an institution of higher education,” said Matthew Draper, executive director of Clarkson University’s Shipley Center for Innovation. “So we’re relying on local partners.”

“We believe in the project, but we need help getting over the hump,” Draper said.

Now the plan is to apply again to NCREDC in time for the next round of annual Consolidated Funding Application state grants, which will be announced in December. The village is folding into its own downtown plans the Clarkson rehabilitation plan, by way of the university’s commercial arm, J.R. Weston, Inc., which runs the downtown book store and the Clarkson Inn.

“We feel we have a very strong foot to put forward to the state. It’s an opportunity to drive some significant impact” for the village and the university, Draper said.

He said the university’s board of trustees will have a chance to comment on the plan.

“The board hasn’t had a chance to say yes or no ... or what portion our board approves to put into the project,” but there will be a presentation to board members in time to meet the Friday application deadline.

The entire project, Draper estimates, will take $30 million to $40 million, including $4.9 million for the waterfront project.

Among the benefits of the project will be getting those two buildings out of the “tax-exempt” column and onto the tax rolls, and involving a lot of local businesses in the work.

“It will be a team project to have an opportunity to put a facelift on the village, but we can’t do it alone,” Draper said.