Dobbs Ferry Receives $4.5 Million From NY Forward Program

Dear Dobbs Ferry Community,

I am writing with some very exciting news. Today, the Village of Dobbs Ferry was awarded $4.5 million through NY Forward, a New York State grant program with the mission to “invigorate and enliven downtowns in New York’s smaller and rural communities.” I joined Trustees Knell, Rosenberg and Galen, along with our Village Administrator Rob Yamuder and other members of our Village staff, in Poughkeepsie today to receive the award from New York Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley. 

Our application, which was submitted in November, included several possible projects that the grant may support. These include bringing the historic Pickwick Theater back into public use as a performance space; upgrading parks, public spaces and sidewalks between the Dobbs Ferry Metro-North station and downtown; and improving the experience of visiting downtown Dobbs Ferry through upgraded pedestrian thoroughfares and public spaces, lighting and outdoor art. Following the announcement of the award, the Village and State will collaborate to refine the list and scope of projects that will ultimately receive NY Forward funding over an approximately nine-month period through a collaborative process that involves significant public input.

This award recognizes the work of dozens of volunteers and staff over thousands of hours working to transform Dobbs Ferry’s downtown into the vibrant hub we know it can be, while honoring the tight-knit character we all treasure about this community. We are so grateful to everyone who has been part of our Downtown Committees, attended a meeting, filled out a survey, stopped at the Ferry Festa tables, or snt an email about ways the downtown could better reflect our needs and our hopes. This grant will help the Village realize the things you have asked for; this was truly a community-driven project.

We want to express our deepest gratitude to Governor Hochul, Secretary Mosley, the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council, and the rest of the NY Forward team for recognizing Dobbs Ferry’s longstanding commitment to downtown revitalization with this award. We also want to thank the many volunteers, staff, business owners and others who contributed to this application, and to the volunteer filmmakers who helped us tell our story. We are also grateful for the ongoing support of our elected officials, including U.S. Representative George Latimer, NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, NYS Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, and Westchester County Legislator David Imamura.

By better connecting our Metro-North station to our downtown, creating new opportunities for visual and performing arts to flourish, and upgrading parks, pedestrian thoroughfares, and public spaces along the train-to-downtown corridor, we’ll make Dobbs Ferry an even more vibrant place to live, work and visit. NY Forward’s support will catalyze this next phase of our work and help us bring this vision to life. We will keep the community up to date on opportunities to weigh in and progress on implementing this grant. 

With gratitude, 

Vincent Rossillo, Mayor