Story by Amelie Ducrot, Erica Arroyo, Leah Bishop, Abbey Paul, Nolan Weik, and Avery Barrett
UPDATE: Just after this article was written, the City of Cortland announced yet another delay. Main Street will not be fully repaved until spring. That’s when it will finally become a two-way street, as planned.
Construction on Main Street in Cortland has been the topic of discussion for many locals for years. Beginning back in March 2023, the revitalization of Main Street has created a massive hiccup in everyday travel for residents of Cortland, as well as the vast number of SUNY Cortland students that use Main Street every day. Throughout these almost two years, sidewalks have been closed off and businesses have struggled to remain relevant as their storefronts get overshadowed by large construction vehicles and equipment. To further investigate the impact this construction has had on both businesses and residents alike, students from SUNY Cortland’s Introduction to Media Literacy class have taken it upon themselves to collect the community’s thoughts on the matter.
Leslie Wineburg, is, along with her husband Steve Wineburg, co-owner of Bernard’s, a highly popular custom clothing store located on Main Street. Wineburg said she moved to the area in the late 1970s when Main Street was two ways and booming with business. Having been in Cortland long before the construction began, Wineburg has complicated feelings regarding the project.
“Before the construction started, they discovered deep vaults underneath Main Street that posed as a danger and had to be filled in,” said Weinberg. “This issue set the project off from the very beginning.”
Bernard’s has remained successful throughout the construction, which Wineburg credits to their one-of-a-kind products.
“Our business is a little different than other ones around town because we’re in walking distance of the college,” said Wineberg. “Students don’t need to worry about parking, which makes us much more accessible considering the products we offer.”
But don’t be fooled. Though college students may commute largely by foot around Main Street, the construction that runs through the streets of the town of Cortland, New York, is no question quite inconvenient and even in most cases, a burden to the students of SUNY Cortland. The road closures and sounds of equipment around campus can be very bothersome to many students, especially when navigating this small town, which is not very familiar to those who aren’t residents of Cortland County year-round.
Second-year students Katie Riley and Emily Ruiz said they both weren’t bothered by the looks or sounds of the on-campus construction at freshmen open house and orientation back in 2023. They never anticipated the burdens it would bring in the long run while trying to adapt to the town of Cortland as a whole.
“Any time I have to leave campus for something, I hate driving on the roads because they are so rough,” said Riley. “It doesn’t affect my life as a student, but it’s irritating to drive on the streets.”
Riley emphasizes her frustrations with the construction on the streets in the town. As someone who is not local or a resident of Cortland County, it has been a struggle to navigate the town in an efficient manner.
“It’s difficult to travel around Groton because there is construction everywhere. I have had to go to a different store because the one I was trying to get to had construction blocking it.”
Groton Avenue is a main road that many students are familiar with that runs alongside the SUNY Cortland campus, and Ruiz shares her concerns with the inconvenience it brings her when trying to travel to local stores around the town.
Overall, even though the construction may not directly impact these students’ daily lives, it sure does affect the efficiency and convenience of their lives as students here at SUNY Cortland. It also may alter their attitudes when thinking about the town they live in for eight months of the year.
In addition, Laura Smith, a senior at SUNY Cortland, has experienced firsthand the impact of ongoing construction projects in the area. As a two-year resident off-campus, she has had to navigate detours, noise, and other inconveniences associated with the prolonged building work. Many students at SUNY Cortland are expressing frustration over ongoing construction projects that have disrupted their daily lives.
“The construction has really changed the way we go about our daily lives,” said Smith. Smith lives off-campus on Graham Ave, with her four other housemates. “It’s frustrating dealing with the noise and detours, especially when I’m trying to get to work or run errands. The prolonged timeline is a concern, too; it feels like it’s dragging on forever.”
“I think the farthest back I can remember there being construction was March 2023,” said Smith. “I’m sure it’s been going on even longer than that. Sometimes it feels more disruptive than beneficial. I just hope they finish soon so we can get back to normal.”
When asked about the potential end date for the construction, Smith expressed pessimism. “Because of how it’s been the past couple years, I can’t say I’m too confident that the construction will end soon. It’s been so long at this point, and also I feel like I don’t see much progress throughout the months either. It just feels like I’m living in a project.”
A housemate of Smith also voiced concerns about the impact of the construction on the overall atmosphere of Cortland. Sarah Heim, also a senior, has now lived off campus for two years.
“I go on Groton all the time to just to get to my house, and it has not been nice to my car,” said Heim. “I’ve even had rocks kick up from under my tires and hit the side of my car, literally. I definitely also feel like the construction takes away from the little life in Cortland, especially to anyone visiting and potentially choosing to come here. It kind of makes it look ugly. Like I said, I just hope it ends soon.”
Some students have also made note of the impact of the construction on their mental health, citing increased “stress and anxiety, due to noise proximity, or even just about safety while driving these harsh, cobbly roads.” Others have noted that the construction has made it difficult to get around campus and has limited parking options.
Avery Daviero is a junior at SUNY Cortland. This is her second year living off-campus, and she hadn’t expected the inconveniences that she would face due to the construction going on.
“It was way worse last year,” said Daviero. “I had to take Groton Ave. to get to my house every day, and for most of the year it was a completely unpaved dirt road with huge potholes everywhere. I can’t believe they left it like that for so long, it was super unsafe.”
In addition to her prior experiences with this project, the participant was also asked about how it affects her day-to-day life currently. She expressed some of the difficulties that the construction has brought, specifically to Main Street.
“I go to Main Street multiple times a week, since I usually get my coffee at New York Bagel,” said Daviero. “But anyway, recently, although I know they are working on it, the street has been kind of an eye sore. Also, the construction has made parking more difficult on Main and it seems not ideal to have blocked off sidewalks, especially in places where you know kids (college students) are going out.”
While Daviero expressed her grievances about the project, she did also note that she believes the conversion of Main Street into a two-way street will be beneficial.
“I am relieved that Main is finally going to be two-way. It’s just inconvenient when you’re driving through and parking. I’ve always thought that things would be so much easier if it wasn’t a one way, so I’m glad they are doing that.”
SUNY Cortland is also home to over 600 student athletes, who travel almost every weekend to participate in games and tournaments. Many of these athletes live off campus and must travel through the town of Cortland to make strict practice and competition times.
Mickenzie Martins is a senior who plays on the SUNY Cortland women’s volleyball team. She has lived off-campus for two years and has strong opinions on the situation at hand. Martins says that the construction has derailed her life in many ways. She has had struggles with transportation in her daily life because of it.
“Of course, I live off campus on Tompkins, so I have to drive every day,” said Martins. “I have to take different ways if I want to hang out at friend’s houses and go around everything to get anywhere. I am late to practice sometimes because of it. It affects outside life because I can’t even go into town to get food because it is such a hassle.”
It has also affected her family members as well. Martins said that her father had popped a tire when visiting her. They had to go to the shop to get the tire replaced.
Martins says Cortland is beautiful but wonders who would want to come here when it’s all torn apart. Still, Martins has high hopes for what the construction can do for the area.
But why did all this construction begin in the first place?
Downtown Cortland was selected as the winner of the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative in Central New York. As a result in the heart of downtown Cortland, the sounds of construction echo through Main Street as crews work hard to reshape the area into a vibrant new space for the community.
After the City was awarded this Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) funding, multiple public meetings were held about what building improvement projects would be funded, but by then, the decision to convert Main Street to two-way had already been made.
SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum, Ph.D., is the second longest-serving president in the State University of New York system. He is on the local planning committee for the downtown revitalization initiative.
“Because the college is the largest employer [in Cortland],” Bitterbaum said. “And so, when they were together bringing different plans together, the president of the hospital, the president of SUNY Cortland, and other corporations. They actually had an outside agency when they were given the $10 million. They did most of the work.”
Bitterbaum detailed the diverse stakeholders present during the meetings.
“You had business leaders, you had political people, major employers, you had churches that were involved,” he said. “So, it had a broad slate of individuals that were commenting but it was actually an outside company that did most of the work for us.”
The decision to convert Main Street to two-way was made in 2017 when the Common Council voted to accept the recommendations of the “Main Street Two-Way Conversion Study.” The DRI funding application submitted that year said the two-way redesign report would be a “guiding document” moving forward.
This ambitious project is aimed at enhancing storefronts and creating inviting public spaces, generating both excitement and anxiety among local business owners, students, and residents.
While some see the promise of increased foot traffic and revitalization, others voice concerns about the short-term disruptions and accessibility issues.
The outlook of the finished construction paints a promising image of thriving businesses and a beautiful Main Street. The locals of Cortland look forward to the conclusion of this project in hopes that it will make the town easier to navigate in the near future.