PRESS RELEASE

12/27/07

The Greater Warsaw Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that through the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation, Division of Housing and Community Renewal and the New York Main Street Grant Program it has awarded funding for revitalization to seven building owners in the Village of Warsaw’s Commercial District.  They are:  David DiMatteo, 87 North Main Street; Gino and Laurie Casseri, Laurie’s Restaurant, 46 North Main Street; Rusty and Stacey Breton, Attica Development & Management for their building at 95 North Main Street; Edward Hulme, Inc, 17 East Buffalo Street; Bridget Barnes, Healing Hands Massage & Spa, 46 West Buffalo Street; Nick Gitsis, the Silver Lake Restaurant, 105 West Buffalo Street; and the Masonic Temple Association for their building at 75 South Main Street.

The New York Main Street Program Guidelines define the program purpose “to provide financial and technical resources to help communities with their efforts to preserve and revitalize mixed-use (commercial/civic and residential) main street/downtown business districts.”  “The local NYMS Program must be carried out in a concentrated target area (generally no more than three contiguous blocks) that has experienced sustained physical deterioration, decay, neglect or disinvestment…”  Warsaw’s target area is Main Street north to Court Street, south to the Oatka Creek and Buffalo Street east to Short Street, west to the Oatka Creek.

The proposed revitalization is the improvement of the facade, interior or in some cases both of the awarded properties.  The awarding of these funds is the result of many months of review, discussions, meetings and deliberations.  The applicants’ projects had to be reviewed by the New York State Main Street Program’s local administrative panel as well as State agencies.

Applications are now being accepted for the second round of funding.  The deadline for receipt of those applications is February 15, 2008.  The application forms and criteria for eligibility for this program can be found at two websites: www.warsawchamber.com and www.warsawhistory.org and can be downloaded.  The application and guideline packets are also available at the Village and Town of Warsaw offices and the Warsaw Public Library.  If you have further questions please feel free to contact the Greater Warsaw Chamber of Commerce NYMS Program’s building improvements coordinator, Rebecca Ryan by e-mail at: BeckyJeanRyan@aol.com or phone: (585) 786-2523.