ORANGE COUNTY, N.Y.—Gov. Kathy Hochul took a walking tour of Middletown’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) area on Aug. 11, accompanied by Mayor Joseph DeStefano and Common Council President J. Miguel Rodrigues.
On North Street, the governor visited several shops and eateries, including Dayes Coffee Roasters, The Taco Factory, and Mister Croissant Bakery & Cafe.
The owner of Mister Croissant Bakery, Rakesh Nayak, told NTD that her visit was a huge surprise for him and his staff, and that Hochul said the pastries were works of art.
“It boosted the whole morale of our team,” he said.
“As soon as she came, she was like, ‘Your bakery is very popular, even in my office.’ . . . We explained how this business is impactful for Middletown as well. And she asked me why I chose Middletown. I said Middletown was up and coming. There were a lot of opportunities. And I saw there was a need for a bakery. And I said this is the right time and the right place to open a bakery cafe.”
Nayak has been operating Mister Croissant for more than a year and has plans to open an Italian bakery nearby.
DeStefano, who joined Hochul on the tour, told The Epoch Times what the governor thought of the changes that have taken place in the downtown area since the implementation of the DRI in 2016.
“I think she was impressed by the results of both the public improvements and the private improvements. Impressed by the private investment that has been made in our downtown, leveraging that $10 million [DRI investment], and the tens of millions of dollars of public improvements, and the way the city has been maintaining those public improvements of the public space.”
DeStefano said he'd like to maintain close ties with the governor and hopes the state will continue to fund Middletown’s efforts to grow.
“I’m a [Hochul] supporter. I’m an advocate for good government, and I think she’s demonstrated over the past four years that she is top shelf. So we’re going to continue our partnership, hopefully, moving forward.”
“We have other parts of the city that we’re looking for additional funding. I think when the governor sees firsthand the communities that they partner with, that they give state money to, have the results that we had here in Middletown, I think there’s an interest to continue that partnership moving forward.”
The DRI wrapped up this year in June. The roughly $9.7 million state grant helped fund five major projects and seventeen storefront improvements. The funding was used to create the Erie Way Park, a new retail space at the Woolworth Building, now called the Rail Trail Commons, better parking lots and landscaping, and new street lighting.
In addition, $1 million was distributed to 17 stores as part of the Façade and Storefront Signage Improvement Program, with the goal of creating nicer storefronts in the downtown area.