Interview: Boonville Mayor Judith Dellerba and Village Grants Administrator Lisa Kaiding provide critical clarifications over NY Forward grant

BOONVILLE- There is a lot of misunderstanding about the NY Forward grant application that was shared on Facebook. That's according to the latest statement released from the Boonville Village Offices.

"Please - do not assume anything," the statement reads.

"The grant application is a process, and a necessary part of the application was to gather information from local businesses in our village. Everything mentioned in the application is a plus for Boonville - our community is growing in impressive ways! Let’s grow together, not divided."

Listen to our latest on-air segment from Monday, February 26, 2024 with Mayor Judith Dellerba and Village Grants Administrator Lisa Kaiding:

One of the biggest misconceptions amidst public curiosity regarding the $4.5 million NY Forward award revolves around a list of businesses and organizations, which were listed in the application. 

According to Mayor Judith Dellerba and Village Grants Administrator Lisa Kaiding, the figures above were gauged to measure interested for expansion throughout Boonville. 

None of the figures listed in the application reflect a total that has been awarded. In other words, no one has received anything, yet.

Again, village officials emphasize the first steps involve organizing various committees and meeting with state officials.

Once that is accomplished, the next step will be opening the gates for interested businesses to apply.

"There will be an application presented to the public in the next few months for all interested businesses and entities to apply for a portion of the wonderful grant the village has obtained for all of us," the latest village statement reads.

"The applications will be available - there will be a date for them to be returned by - the committee will review and score each application with Dept of State members and the consultant. Then, the highest scoring applications will be included in a document called a Strategic Plan prepared by the consultant and submitted to the state."

Village officials plan to follow up with another important update as the initial steps are completed.

Village of Boonville, NY image.