FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 28, 2021
Read the Governor’s Announcement here.
VILLAGE OF TANNERSVILLE AWARDED $10 MILLION REDC GRANT
Governor Hochul Awards a 2021 Capital Region Downtown Revitalization Initiative Award to the Smallest Municipality in the Program’s History
LG Brian Benjamin presents a check for $10M to Village of Tannersville. From L to R: Hunter Foundation Board Chair Amy Scheibe, Assemblyman Chris Tague, State Senator Michelle Hinchey, Tannersville Mayor Dr. Lee McGunnigle, Lt Governor Brian Benjamin, Hunter Foundation Executive Director Sean Mahoney, Village Trustee Leigh McGunnigle, Hunter Foundation Operations Director Holly Velez
Tannersville, NY – Governor Kathy Hochul announced the 2021 Capital Region Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) Grant to the Village of Tannersville. Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin was in Tannersville today to announce the award. The annual $10 million award is “a cornerstone of the State’s economic development program, transforms downtown neighborhoods into vibrant centers that offer a high quality of life and are magnets for redevelopment, business, job creation, and economic and housing diversity.”
Led by the Hunter Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit economic development organization based in Tannersville, the Painted Village in the Sky DRI Proposal encompasses 14 projects with a total value of over $66 million, leveraging up to $43 million of private and philanthropic dollars. According to the proposal, DRI projects would more than double the Village’s job base and once all projects are at full employment would create $16.5 million in additional economic output annually.
“The DRI award to Tannersville will bring transformational change to our area residents and to the hundreds of thousands of visitors we welcome every year. As the smallest community to ever be awarded this coveted award, we are forever indebted to the State of New York and Governor Kathy Hochul for their generosity and foresight. The Governor continues to show her commitment to investing in rural communities across the state and we’re looking forward to partnering with the State of New York to prove a successful model for other upstate communities in the future.” – Sean Mahoney, Executive Director, Hunter Foundation Inc.
Together the Hunter Foundation, The Royce Family Fund, and the Village of Tannersville have proven their deep commitment and skilled leverage of philanthropic dollars to support projects in the region.
Proponents note the impressive cooperation the region has seen between private, public, and philanthropic organizations collectively investing over $126 million in recent and upcoming projects, with assistance from the REDC DRI Award, proposed projects will be accelerated including but not limited to: affordable & workforce housing; festival grounds; Orpheum Theater upgrades, a mountain bike center & adaptive trails; a community center; expanded childcare center; a complete streets initiative; and a Kaaterskill Clove shuttle.
Through the proposal, the Hunter Foundation and the Village of Tannersville expressed intent and readiness with multiple shovel-ready projects creating an opportunity to catalyze considerable growth and stabilize the community for local families while infusing dollars into projects nearing completion.
Moving forward, the Hunter Foundation will work the Village of Tannersville, the NYS Departments of State, and in close partnership with Empire State Development, NYS Homes and Community Renewal, and the community through a series of engagement workshops to help prioritize and implement the proposed projects.