“The residents and businesses, as well as the city itself, are taking full advantage of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative as the projects submitted for this small city is one of the largest the state has seen,” Port Jervis Mayor Kelly Decker told The Epoch Times on July 27.
“It certainly shows the need that we have here to make the city a better place but also the investment that businesses are willing to make in our city.”
Mr. Decker serves as a co-chair on a local planning committee tasked with reviewing all applications, winnowing down the list, and giving final recommendations to the state.
The other co-chair is Kristine Young, president of Orange County Community College and co-chair of the Mid-Hudson Economic Development Council.
Seven projects were submitted by the City of Port Jervis, totaling $10 million in funding requests; the city plans funding matches in the amount of $609,000.
“The city is grateful for the opportunity to submit projects for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant,” Councilwoman Elizabeth Miller told The Epoch Times. “We made sure to be mindful about what match we could provide. We knew we needed to do what was best for our taxpayers and city finances.”
The top three projects favored by the city council are infrastructure improvements at Riverside Park, a new railroad crossing that links Riverside Park and downtown, and sidewalk replacements on Jersey Avenue, according to Ms. Miller.
Most submitted projects are considered redevelopments and public improvements, such as interior renovations, facade improvements, and new public restrooms.
Only two are categorized as new developments: a seven-story, mixed-use apartment building on Front Street and a four-story, 26-unit apartment on Jersey Avenue.
Cory Puopolo, a developer behind the Front Street project, told The Epoch Times that Port Jervis needed diverse housing and that a state grant would enable him to provide some apartment units at reduced prices.
He requested $3 million in grant money for the $5 million project, with the rest from the pockets of private investors.
Currently, Mr. Puopolo is building a seven-story hotel in downtown Port Jervis.
About 10 or so are small funding applications, which will be grouped together into a single project for future consideration.
In the coming months, local planning committee members will select final candidates out of submissions based on criteria such as goal alignment, project readiness, catalytic effect, cost-effectiveness, and level of public support.
“We want to encourage our residents, business owners, and visitors to be part of this process in helping the local planning committee so that the $10 million award is used to its fullest potential and in a way best fits the city,” Mr. Decker said.
Two public workshops are scheduled at 6 p.m. on Aug. 29 and Oct. 19 at Youth Community Center.
Several more local planning committee meetings are scheduled between August and early November, and public members are welcome to join; the committee is due to submit a final strategic investment plan to the state by the end of the year.
The rest of the committee members are former councilman Carl Hendrick, human resources professional Gwendolyn Glinton, health care professional Sophie Crawford-Russo, small-business owners Dejay Birch and Robert Bloomer, local developer Jim Blanton, Port Jervis Outdoor Club President Mike Ward, parish secretary Gina Torres, Port Jervis Salvation Army captain Scott Swires, engineer Joe Butto, life-long resident Penny Jones, and Conor Eckert from Orange County Partnership.
Started in 2016 under then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the Downtown Revitalization Initiative provides a $10 million grant to a municipal recipient from each of the 10 state regions each year; it can also be awarded to a joint application of two or three small communities that share a single vision.
In the Mid-Hudson region, Middletown was the inaugural recipient in 2016; Kingston, New Rochelle, Peekskill, Haverstraw, and Ossining have also received grants under the initiative.
