Medina will try again for $10 million state downtown revitalization grant
Courtesy of Village of Medina, DRI application: The Village of Medina wants to improve public access to the Medina Waterfalls by constructing an elevated platform from the towpath. That project was part of Medina’s application for $10 million in DRI funding.
MEDINA – Gov. Andrew Cuomo is making $10 million available again to 10 downtown districts around the state.
Medina has tried for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, but has been denied. Last year it was a finalist but missed out on the grant to Seneca Falls.
Medina Mayor Michael Sidari said Medina will try again for the funding.
“Absolutely we definitely are,” Sidari said today. “We’ll see what else we can do to make it a better plan.”
Sidari said the Medina team working on the project will look at the winning applications from other communities in recent years.
The new application will likely be due in June. The governor announced Seneca Falls as the winner last Nov. 6.
Medina has hired Bergmann Associates to help with the application.
The state has been approving $10 million annually for a downtown in each of the 10 regions of the state. NY considers Medina and Orleans County to be in the Finger Lakes region/
This will be the fifth round of the DRI, where communities submit applications and the state decides the winner. Previous $10 million grant winners in the Finger Lakes region include the City of Geneva in 2016, the City of Batavia in 2017, the Village of Penn Yan in 2018 and Seneca Falls last year.
Medina put together an application last year with projects that that would have improved the downtown business district, the waterfront by the canal, created public access by the water falls, expanded housing opportunities, and added tourism amenities and attractions.
The governor’s budget also includes about $750 million to fund projects identified by the Regional Economic Development Councils. That program is now in its 10thyear.
“Our targeted economic development approach is working all across the State, creating new jobs, revitalizing communities and boosting local economies,” Governor Cuomo said. “This significant investment will be used to fund more rounds of the successful Downtown Revitalization Initiative and Regional Economic Development Councils and continue our State’s unprecedented growth.”
