The town of Cornwall has been on the cusp of significant economic growth for years. It just needed some help getting there.

"To get visitors and tourists from West Point, from Storm King Art Center, from the Woodbury Commons, from the hiking trails, down to our restaurants or retail shops, into our bed and breakfasts," explained Town Supervisor Josh Wojehowski.

What You Need To Know

  • 6 regions in upstate New York received at least $16.75 million in state funds from the Downtown Revitalization Intiative or NY Forward

  • These grant funds are meant to drive economic development in cities, towns and villages

  • 7 projects in Cornwall received a total of $4.5 million

Critical state dollars are on the way to Cornwall and nearly two dozen municipalities across upstate New York. The communities were awarded grants through either the Downtown Revitalization Initiative or New York Forward, with funds that can be used for a variety of projects, such as restoring historic buildings or improving infrastructure with the hope of driving economic development.

State officials say the initial public investment often leads to further private investment.

"And that says to others we should consider we haven't really thought about expanding, or we didn't really think about having a second location," said New York Deputy Secretary of State Kisha Santiago. "But there's something really exciting happening in this community. It seems like it has, you know, all the residents backing and maybe we should set up our second store, our second location restaurant there."

The Mid-Hudson, Capital, Mohawk Valley, Southern Tier, Central and Western New York regions recently received $10 million in DRI funds each.

Wojehowski says that for a community like Cornwall, the funds could make a lasting difference.

"We have all of these great things happening around us, all these major attractions and all the scenic beauty, and we really have an opportunity to do something great," he said.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been corrected to reflect accurate DRI funding totals and to distinguish between the DRI and New York Forward.