Residents urged to attend public hearing and write support letters

The Village of Holley will again seek approximately $400,000 in community development block grant funding from the New York State Governor's Office for Small Cities (GOSC), as last year's submission was not funded. Grant funds will be used to help replace sanitary sewer and water lines along New York State Route 31, in conjunction with the New York State Department of Transportation's (DOT) Route 31 realignment project.

The GOSC requires citizen participation and support for any project submitted to the Small Cities grant program. The Village of Holley has scheduled two public hearings for residents, business managers/owners, nonprofit organization representatives, and other public officials to exchange information and ask questions about the project.

The first public hearing about the project was held on March 6. The second public hearing will be held on Wednesday, March 21, at 7 p.m. at the Village of Holley offices.

Because the GOSC is looking for high participation in the public hearing process, Holley Mayor Lewis Passarell is asking for a good turnout at these meetings. The mayor is also asking residents, business owners/managers, nonprofit organization representatives, and other county and state public officials to send him letters that express their support for this public facilities project.

Letters may be directed to Mayor Lewis Passarell, Village of Holley, 72 Public Square, Holley, NY 14470. The mayor asks that all letters supporting this public facility project be submitted to him by April 14. Questions regarding the project, public hearings, and/or the letters may be directed to either Gail Sevor or Peter Dreher, village trustees.

The GOSC is more likely to fund public facility projects that have high numbers of these support letters. Surveys completed in 2000 by Holley residents with the assistance of J. O'Connell and Associates, demonstrated the Village's need for this water and sewer reconstruction project, and eligibility for these federal community development block grant funds.

The total project cost will be over $1 million. Taxpayer dollars will be saved if funding can be secured to allow the public facility project to go forward in conjunction with NYSDOT realignment work. Because the maximum grant from the Small Cities Program for villages such as Holley is $400,000, funding will also be sought from other sources, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development Program.