Earlier this year, the New York State Department of Conservation announced an award of $572,139 for the Village of Lansing through the Climate Smart Communities (CSC) program. The grant award will help support the Village in the construction of over 3,000 linear feet of sidewalk along Uptown and Craft Roads.

The Uptown and Craft Roads Sidewalk Connectivity Project application was drafted and submitted by Deputy Mayor Carolyn Greenwald with essential assistance from Kathleen Yen of the Board of Trustees and the CSC Task Force, Village Department of Public Works Supervisor John Courtney, Jerry Sheng from Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Mayor Ronny Hardaway, along with support from the Village of Lansing Board of Trustees.

The goal of this sidewalk project is to improve safety and connectivity in the Village of Lansing. The two new sidewalk extensions will connect the Lansing Trails and Gaslight Village neighborhoods to the existing network and to public amenities and necessities like bus stops, health and medical facilities, parks, and the Triphammer Marketplace. Creating new sidewalk facilities is expected to make it safer and more convenient to walk more, leading to fewer cars on the road and reduced emissions. The project also aligns with Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) goals.

As a participant in the state CSC program, the Village has taken a pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Goals of the program include decreasing energy use and emissions, reducing landfill waste from Village operations, and enhancing community resilience. Earlier in 2025, the state awarded the Village bronze certification which gave the Village an edge in the annual Consolidated Funding application for CSC-related funding.

With its eyes set on the next goal achieving the silver certification level, the Village is looking to add more members to its task force. Anyone interested in serving the Village or joining the task force can apply via the Village of Lansing website.

The statements in this press release do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of New York State. This project has been funded in part by the Climate Smart Communities Grant Program, Title 15 of the Environmental Protection Fund through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.