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Governor Cuomo Awards Revitalization Grant To Plattsburgh

Governor Andrew Cuomo was in Plattsburgh today to announce that the city has been awarded $10 million in downtown revitalization funds.
Governor Cuomo launched a $100 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative in April.  Unveiled in January in his State of the State address as one of the signature proposals of his 2016 agenda, the program invests $10 million in one community in each of the 10 Regional Economic Development Council regions.

In late May, Plattsburgh officials submitted their revitalization plan to the North Country Regional Economic Development Council.  

Governor Cuomo was at the Strand Theatre to announce that Plattsburgh was the regional winner of the $10 million redevelopment funds.   “There's a resurgence and a renaissance in downtown areas. And you put in a plan to develop the city center which is the next step in your downtown revitalization. We just toured it on the way in. You have the Saranac River. You have Lake Champlain. You have all sorts of cute stores that have opened up on their own. You have young people. You have a sense of vibrancy and energy that is in the air that you can feel. And you say you want to expand that and you applied for a $10 million grant to give you the economic resources to expand it and grow it and keep that economy growing. And I'm here today to tell you congratulations you won that ten million dollar grant and you deserve it.”

Mayor James Calnon says Plattsburgh’s economy today has tremendous opportunity to continue growing jobs and investment.  “If you look at what it would take to accomplish the vision you’re talking about many times the ten million dollars. However having that as the foundation means that you can attract other investment at a much higher rate. And so I think that this is really it really is just going to make it happen make it happen quicker. I'm just thrilled.”

Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor Michael Cashman says the revitalization funds will impact the entire region, not just the center city area.   “There is a cross pollination that occurs between our two Plattsburghs. Plattsburgh is a place. City and town are municipal structures for governance. And I'm really excited to see what happens over the course of the next several months and years as downtown continues to capture the energy not only for the city but the entire region. It's going to do us all very well.”

Assemblywoman Janet Duprey says the revitalization grant will enhance economic growth throughout the North County.  “The Downtown Revitalization Initiative is a testament to both the changing landscape of the twenty first century and the vital role of our downtowns in shaping this region's growth. Plattsburgh is a perfect fit because we are already on the verge of explosive growth. When Plattsburgh’s downtown thrives the entire region thrives.”

According to the mayor, between now and January the state will provide assistance to refine the general vision of the project.  It’s anticipated that implementation of the plan could start around the beginning of 2017.
 

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