By CRAIG FREILICH

Potsdam and Canton are in the process of compiling their applications for one $10 million prize to a North Country municipality under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative.

Those applications have to be submitted by tomorrow morning to the New York Department of State by way of the North Country Regional Economic Development Council. Under the governor’s strategy, one $10 million grant will go to one city, village or town in each of the 10 regional council areas.

In the North Country, in addition to Potsdam and Canton, an application is expected from Watertown, and Tupper Lake, Malone and Saranac Lake were all interested in applying, according to Potsdam Planning and Development Director Fred Hanss.

“We’re assembling a list of exhibits and including excerpts from the village Comprehensive Plan and from the Waterfront Revitalization” in addition to the 8,000 words allowed to answer all eight questions on the application, Hanss said.

Canton Director of Economic Development Lee Rodriguez said the village’s application, also due Friday, is focusing on the downtown area and the Grasse River Corridor projects the village has been working on.

Potsdam’s application includes plans for a downtown streetscape developments on Constitution, Depot and Willow streets, onto Market Street up to Elm and Main streets.

“That would be $3 million right there,” Hanss said. “It would transform the look of downtown and be more friendly for pedestrians and bicyclists with a much more attractive streetscape” with fresh sidewalks, curbs, plantings, banners and “pedestrian-oriented wayfinding signage.”

That signage will figure into another part of the village’s plan, a marketing and branding strategy that will include considerations of possible logos and a sign color palette.

The application will include a couple of sections of downtown “not previously considered part of downtown in previous applications” for state “downtown” funds, Hanss said. “We’re extending the design to include the block of Maple Street from Trinity Church to Clarkson Avenue, and also the Clarkson University downtown campus.” He said they are including a plan to renovate Clarkson’s now-empty Damon Hall for startup company LC Drives.

Hanss said he believes the decision-making on these grants will be fast-tracked.

A sub-committee of the NCREDC will meet in June to review al the applications from the North Country and make a recommendation.

The governor is expected to announce the awards quickly enough that awardees can get to work “perhaps as soon as early July,” Hanss said.

“If we’re successful, the village will put together a working group with a planning team from the state for funding decisions. If the village is selected, that’s when the real work begins,” Hanss said.