Village of Fort Plain announces date for first public forum on the NY Forward/DRI Program

Fort Plain, NY – A public forum will be held on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 6:00pm to solicit ideas from the community on potential projects for inclusion in a 2024 application for New York’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI)/NY Forward Program. The forum will be held at Village Hall located at 16 River Street, and all local residents are encouraged to attend and share their ideas.

The eighth round of the program was officially announced by Governor Kathy Hochul’s office on August 6.

It represents $200 million of funding to support a wide array of economic development projects focused on revitalizing New York State’s downtowns. Since it began in 2016, it has awarded over $1 billion in funding to 124 communities.

Fort Plain is perfectly positioned to benefit from the program

Owing to the richness of its history, its strong sense of community, and its recent record of renewed enthusiasm and investment, Fort Plain is perfectly positioned to benefit from this funding. While the Village has identified several transformative projects, community involvement is integral to this process. If funding is awarded, a local planning committee will be assembled, supported by a team from New York’s Department of State, to draft a strategic investment plan creating a blueprint for how the funds will be distributed. With the support of this community, the Village government hopes to usher in a new era of growth and development for Fort Plain’s Downtown.

Fort Plain residents are encouraged to participate in the Public Forum on August 27

The forum will be held on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 6:00pm and feature a brief presentation to provide additional details on the DRI program, and include an open discussion to help understand where the community would like to see funding allocated.

For those unable to attend, there will be other options for sharing ideas, as well as additional public events in the coming weeks and months.

The deadline for applying is Friday, October 18.

For more information, contact the Village of Fort Plain at (518) 993-4271, or the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District at (315) 866-4671.