Eleven Bath economic development projects will share in a total $4.5 million in state funding as part of 35 Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward projects funded in the Southern Tier May 14.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the funding Thursday with projects in Bath and the Village of Dryden each receiving $4.5 million through NY Forward, and 17 projects in City of Binghamton awarded a total of $10 million through the DRI.
“I am thrilled that the Southern Tier is set to break ground on nearly three dozen new projects, funded by the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and New York Forward programs,” Hochul said. “By investing in our Southern Tier, we create more liveable and affordable communities where New York families can thrive.”
Bath Village Mayor Mike Sweet said the village is thankful for the New York State Forward Program. The village won the award in February 2025 and community members then worked to develop impactful projects.
“A big thanks to the committee that spent countless hours pulling all this information together for the grant,” Sweet said. “Obviously congratulations to all the winners. I think it’s exciting. We are finally going to start seeing dollars flow in that will have a significant effect on additional visible changes that people will see for themselves, whether they live in Bath or are just visiting the community. Bath is moving in the right direction.”
Bath NY Forward projects
Here’s the projects benefiting from NY Forward funding:
DRI and NY Forward communities developed Strategic Implementation Plans, which create a vision for the future of their downtown area and identify and recommend a slate of complementary, transformative and implementable projects that support that vision.
The SIPs are guided by a Local Planning Committee comprised of local and regional leaders, stakeholders and community representatives, with the assistance of an assigned consultant and DOS staff, all of whom conduct extensive community outreach and engagement when determining projects.
The projects selected for funding from the SIP were identified as having the greatest potential to jumpstart revitalization and generate new opportunities for long-term growth.
This article originally appeared on The Leader: 11 Bath projects receive funding from $4.5 million NY Forward award
Reporting by Jeff Smith, Corning Leader / The Leader
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