Dryden aims to lay 1.7 miles of new sidewalks in 2026

Portions of the village and town of Dryden will soon have sidewalks to access different parts of the area.

Village officials, with assistance from town representatives, applied for funding through the federal government’s Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) to install new sidewalks.

In return, the village received $5.12 million in TAP grant funding. The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) furthered the process of the application in order for the village to receive the funds.

“The village went after the grant because somebody had to be the lead,” Village Mayor Mike Murphy said. “We’re very fortunate that the town of Dryden joined us.”

According to a map of the proposed project, the new sidewalks will stretch 1.71 miles throughout the village and the town. More than 5,000 linear feet of sidewalk will be installed in the town, while the village will see over 4,300 linear feet of new walkways.

Murphy noted that the grant funding will also cover the installation of two remote-controlled light systems. The light systems, Murphy added, are similar to the crosswalk units on North Street next to the fire station and the corner of Union Street/Route 13 in the village.

The new light systems will be placed on North Street: one between Dollar General and Village Taqueria and Grill, and another near the Little Creek Mobile Home Park next to the Bright Day Laundromat.

“You push the button and both sides start flashing, as opposed to a constant yellow flashing light. It’s a rapid response,” Murphy said.

Pending a finalized agreement from state DOT officials, Murphy anticipates that the project will go out to bid for contractors by late 2025 or early 2026. Murphy added that he anticipates work to install the sidewalks will begin in spring 2026.

“I don’t foresee any sidewalk work before next year,” Murphy said. “It will take a long time to do all the [paper] work. It won’t be finalized probably until the fall, so the [winter] isn’t an ideal time to do the work.”

A newly released map details where sidewalks will be installed, including Route 13, Ellis Drive, Route 38, Mott Road, Enterprise Drive and North Street.

Murphy said the new sidewalks will be installed “back-and-forth” between the village and the town. 

Some of the sidewalks will be on both sides of Dryden High School, across from Tompkins Cortland County Community College, by the building on North Street that used to hold the Queen Diner, and behind Dedrick’s Farm Market, Murphy added.

A majority of the new sidewalks will be installed near the location of Ezra Village, a projected 749-unit apartment complex, to soon make its way into the Dryden area.

Ithaca-based developer Rocco Lucente has developed the apartment complex for the village. The Lucente family has created numerous apartment complexes, more recently the Village Solars apartments in Lansing. Developing major projects for over 40 years, the Lucente family has built the East Gate Apartments, Hanshaw Corners townhouses, Sanctuary Drive subdivision, Briarwood I subdivision and more.

Ezra Village, which is anticipated to cost over $70 million, will be located at the corner of Mott Road and North Street and will span 42 acres. The project will be spread out over a period of anywhere from 11 to 15 years, with about 72 units built in each of the project’s 10 phases.

Named after Ezra Cornell, co-founder of Cornell University, the proposed apartment complex ties into the university and the large number of village residents who work there.

“The people living there will be able to walk down to the center of the village or wherever. We will be providing those sidewalks,” Murphy said. “We went after the grant to make Ezra Village and the village of Dryden itself a desirable place.”

Once the project is set to break ground, Murphy said the village and the town will be able to measure elevation and align the sidewalks in the area.

“We have a lot of sidewalks in the village, so at some point we’d like to have more sidewalks. People like walking to get to different places,” Murphy said.

Dryden Dispatch appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In brief:

Dryden Little League to hold golf tournament May 18

The Dryden Little League will host a fundraising golf tournament at the Stonehedges Golf Course in Groton on May 18 to support youth baseball and softball.

The tournament, which will be a captain-and-crew format, begins at 8 a.m. The cost is $300 per team and includes 18 holes, greens fees, a cart and dinner after golfing.

The event also includes door prizes, gift bags, a putting contest, longest drive and closest to the pin contests and raffles for other prizes.

For more information or to request a registration form, send an email to mruse13@gmail.com.

Silent book club at the library on April 28

Southworth Library in Dryden will have its silent book club gathering at 6:30 p.m. on April 28.

The club allows people to choose a free book from the library’s pile to read and take home. Participants can also bring a book to the gathering.

The club is for ages 16 and older. To register, go to southworthlibrary.org.