Have you heard the big news?
The ultimate goals are to create an active downtown, enhance accessibility and walk-ability for residents and visitors, provide flexible space for cultural events, provide amenities to enhance downtown living, and rejuvenate economic development along Main Street.
As a result of many, many months of hard work by the Webster Economic Development Alliance (WEDA) and lots of community input, the Village of Webster has been selected by Governor Kathy Hochul as one of just two Finger Lakes communities to receive a portion of the grants being awarded through the NY Forward community revitalization program. The Village of Webster and the Town of Macedon will each receive $4.5 million as this year’s Finger Lakes region NY Forward winners.
As part of the competition process, the Village worked with the Town of Webster, Webster Central School District and the Business Improvement District (BID) to submit an application outlining the village’s vision to improve the downtown business district. During the process, WEDA provided tons of opportunities for community input to gather resident opinions on what the grant money should be used for. If you attended one of these events, you may remember large maps with sticky notes you could place on the areas you thought should be improved.
Officially, the WEDA explains that “the Village of Webster’s downtown revitalization project seeks to create a thriving Main Street which seamlessly blends modern sustainability with the historic character of our community.” More specifically, a few of the projects under consideration are things like improving Veterans Park (including replacing the gazebo with a larger band shell), creating a flexible event space behind the firehouse, and various streetscape improvements in the center of the village.
The next steps will begin with the creation of a Local Planning Committee, consisting of municipal representatives, community leaders and other stakeholders, supported by a team of private sector experts and state planners. The committee will identify projects that most align with the community’s vision and are poised for implementation. There will be many opportunities for community input before the final projects are selected for funding, so stay tuned for those.
Upon accepting the award, WEDA Executive Director Matt Chatfield said,
The Village and the Webster Economic Development Alliance are prepared, energized, and steadfast in their desire to bolster growth and investment in our downtown business district. With the support of the NY Forward Program we are now ready to launch the next phase of our prosperous future, to be accomplished through coordination, partnership and dedication from the entire community – leadership, local business, and citizens. We are thankful for the generous support of Governor Hochul and the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council, as we work together in the spirit of cooperation to make Webster a community of choice in Upstate New York.
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(posted 2/27/2024)
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