PORT JERVIS – Every year since the state began doling out $10 million annually to a municipality in the Hudson Valley, the City of Port Jervis has submitted an application.
It has yet to be chosen for a Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant, but this year, Mayor Kelly Decker is more hopeful than ever.
“Even though we are a small city, we are growing, we are inviting people in, both manufacturers, businesses, and residents as well, and making it a better place overall for all of us in the DRI, a $10 million grant would be fantastic for some. It would be both municipal, but also private. They want to see you work with private investors as we are doing that every day,” he said.
New businesses are cropping up in the business district and a boutique hotel is under construction for the city on the Delaware River that is known for its whitewater rafting, hiking and biking trails, railroad museum, and eateries, and the mayor said a state DRI grant would be a major shot in the arm for the city.
When the statewide DRI program began, the City of Middletown was the first in the Mid-Hudson Valley to receive a grant.
