Brewster Selected as Opportunity Area
The Village of Brewster has been selected as an Opportunity Area, which officials hope will open it up to additional funding opportunities, county officials announced Wednesday.
The village was chosen by the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council, one of several regional councils formed by the state to identify areas in need of and opportunities for economic assistance.
“This is wonderful news,” County Executive MaryEllen Odell. “The Village of Brewster was in competition with several other villages in our region. Being chosen as an Opportunity Area will go a long way in helping Brewster village officials reach their goals to revitalize the Main Street area.”
Criteria for Opportunity Area selection included poverty rates, home ownership rates and income levels. The designation will not automatically grant the village any funding but officials believe it will give Brewster a boost when applying for state grants.
“I was quite optimistic that Brewster would be selected,” Putnam Economic Development Corporation President Meghan Taylor said in a press release. “It was a good fit. The Village certainly met the Council’s criteria for its applicants. I really am very excited about the direction in which Brewster is heading. Being chosen as an Opportunity Area is going to help their revitalization process along quite nicely.”
Brewster had been one of seven municipalities, including three villages, in the region applying for the designation and the only one in Putnam County.
