JAMESTOWN – Another phase in the allocation of 2015 Empire State Development funding is now complete.
On Monday Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi was one of several individuals who attended a Regional Economic Development Summit in Buffalo to review grant applications for various economic development projects in the region. Also in attendance was Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Teresi tells WRFA the meeting involved prioritizing all of the proposed projects on a 20-point grading system and then passing that list on to Albany. He said the local projects that were on the list – including funding for the creation of the National Comedy Center, the renovation of the Lillian V. Ney Renaissance Center to accommodate a downtown micro-brewery and restaurant, and a feasibility study for an excursion train service – all received high grades.
However, he also said that was only the first part of the grading process, with 80 percent of the decision-making still to take place in Albany. As a result there’s no guarantee any of the projects will receive all, or even some, of the funding they have requested in their applications.
State economic development officials will review the list of projects and corresponding grades in the coming weeks and will likely announce who will receive the funding in late November or early December. A total of $709 million in funding is expected to be awarded this year across New York State.
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