As part of his vision for a New Suburbia, Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi was joined by Deputy County Executive for Economic Development Patrick Duggan on Tuesday, May 17 to commend Mayor Ernest J. Strada and the Village of Westbury for their revitalization efforts in downtown Westbury. At this time, the county presented the village with a plaque congratulating them for their downtown revitalization efforts.

"Mayor Strada has led the village in a remarkable renaissance that is a model for New Suburbia," stated Suozzi. "We want to show residents and our representatives in Washington that the $17.5 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) that Nassau County receives annually, is key to facilitating revitalization projects in downtowns both economically and aesthetically."

Addressing the president's desire to completely eliminate the grant program, the county executive made clear his support for the CDBG program. "It is important to Nassau County and its numerous towns and villages that funding for the CDBG program remains strong," he said.

Mayor Strada, in acknowledging the potential cuts to the program, said, "The threat of a reduction of these funds or discontinuance of the funding by the federal government will be a major blow to not just the Village of Westbury, but to many local municipalities who are struggling in a fragile economy." He added,

"County Executive Suozzi has been extremely instrumental in the success of our Downtown Revitalization Program. The commitment of Tom Suozzi and his vision, along with Nassau County's allocation of Community Development Block Grant funds have been vital and a major element in the success of the program."

Nassau County OHIA administers Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds for most municipalities located in Nassau County. CDBG funds are used for economic development, public services, public improvements and housing rehabilitation projects in communities throughout the United States. This year, Nassau County has received $17.5 million in CDBG funds from HUD, a reduction of nearly $1 million from 2004. The program has recently come under attack from the president and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), citing a lack of performance measures being collected by local administrators of the program.

Westbury's downtown revitalization is part of the village's Master Plan and smart growth revitalization efforts. According to Village Clerk/Administrator Thomas Savino, the next step is to market the downtown in an effort to attract suitable businesses to come into the area. "Our Smart Growth Committee has put together a plan that will go before the board," Savino said. "We will then go out and market the types of businesses we want to attract. Now is the time to do it before the condos open. We have to be ready."