Thanks to $800,000 in federal grants, the City of Poughkeepsie is currently planning a number of community improvements for next year. According to city administrator Marc Nelson, the money will be put toward sidewalk repair, maintenance of critical infrastructure, and the demolition of dilapidated buildings within the city. Removal of old and damaged structures will free up property for possible redevelopment, which is always welcome news in a time when competition for real estate is so high!
The $800,000 for Poughkeepsie is part of a larger, $5.3 million package of grants being split between the City of Poughkeepsie, the City of Newburgh, and Orange County. All the funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through its Community Development Block Grants, Emergency Solutions Grant Program, and the HOME program.
The demolition work will be done as part of Mayor Rob Rolison's anti-blight initiative, with possible targets including fire-damaged, vacant, and abandoned structures. Regardless of the specific plans which are decided upon by the city, no work will take place until at least January when the funds will become available.
Source: "City of Poughkeepsie eyes community improvement with $800,000 funding"
