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Sleepy Hollow will not have to contribute matching funds to the grants.
“Grants are becoming harder and harder to find these days,” Sleepy Hollow Village Administrator Anthony Giaccio said during Tuesday's Board of Trustees meeting when announcing the grants.
Giaccio said village officials worked hard to match the goals of the village with available grants. Several organizations, including the Public Safety Committee and the Downtown Revitalization committee, helped the village secure grant funds.
The first grant provides $219,950 to replace a traffic signal at the corner of Beekman Avenue and Washington Street. The signal is located at a busy intersection and is inadequate, especially for pedestrians, Giaccio said. The grant is funded through the Safe Routes to Schools Grant program.
A second grant totaling $59,720 will help Sleepy Hollow market its Halloween events. Village officals plan to work with local groups like the Chamber of Commerce, the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and Historic Hudson Valley to promote tourism and stimulate the local economy. The grant is funded through the Mid-Hudson Regional Council grant program.
Sleepy Hollow trustees thanked village officials for putting the grants together, saying they would benefit the village greatly. Trustee Bruce Campbell noted the village decided not to fund Halloween events four years ago, which was when volunteers decided to raise sponsorships.
“It's grown in each of the last three years,” he said. “The village I think is very well positioned to take advantage of this grant.”
Trustee Karin Wompa agreed, saying the Halloween grant would benefit the entire area.
“Halloween is such a significant part of this region, all the way from Irvington to the Blaze in Croton,” she said. “It's such a perfect fit.”
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