The next public meeting of the 2022 Wellsville Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) will take place January 19, 2022, at 6pm in the David A. Howe Public Library. We are approaching the point where the rubber meets the road and anyone with a project idea or project plan should attend this meeting and be prepared to discuss it. Below are the details we will be looking for, however if you don’t have all of these, please attend and we can help you work through your project specifics.
- Project Name
- Project Location
- Names and Contact Information for Project Leads
- Scope of Project
- Status of Project (even if still in idea stage)
- Estimated Cost of Project
- Investors’ Names (even if it is only project leads)
- Investment Needed
There were a couple of concerns that came up after the last meeting that are addressed below, if you have other questions, we are happy to discuss at this next meeting.
Size of projects – Although the guidelines state “no DRI awards of less than $100,000 will be considered to ensure projects are of a significant size and scale to be truly transformative in nature”, don’t let this discourage you as there may be way to include the project in the DRI, or there may be other funding resources we could look to for smaller projects.
Will there be a DRI Round 6 in 2022? – Although there is no assurance that there will be a DRI Round 6, or that it will be offered in year 2022, there are several other funding vehicles we can explore once we know what projects are being considered by area residents, businesses, developers, or other interested parties. Whether or not the DRI comes to fruit, it is necessary to go through this exercise and start tracking projects so that we can begin looking for funding opportunities. The Wellsville Economic Development Board (WEDB) wants to help your project find funding and be successful. Come one, come all!
“Whether it is through the DRI or other funding initiatives, this process is necessary to organize our community needs and potential projects, and to connect dreams to opportunities and investment,”commented Mike Raptis, Chairman of the DRI Committee. “Even if you are unsure as to the nature of your project, we encourage you to attend this meeting.”
Wellsville is seeing economic advancement even during these challenging times. Several Main Street buildings have recently been purchased, we saw new business bloom in 2021, several stores had record sales during the holiday shopping season, and the Chamber has many new members. This bodes well for the region, and the WEDB encourages all opportunity seekers to take advantage of this momentum. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting and learning about your ideas and projects!
