Sen. Chuck Schumer gathered with Riverhead Town officials in the town square this morning to celebrate the $24.12 million federal grant the town was awarded last month through the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Schumer, the Democratic majority leader in the U.S. Senate, sent a letter to the U.S. DOT supporting Riverhead’s grant application for the RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) discretionary grant program. After applying for five years, Riverhead received the grant this year to help fund a 504-space parking garage downtown, improve the downtown’s streetscapes and implement flood mitigation measures on the Peconic riverfront.
Schumer said the grant is not just a lift to Riverhead’s downtown, but a “rocket thrust.”
“We want to revitalize the downtown. We know it needed to lift. Everyone here has done great work to make it thrive, attract people, tourism, business,” Schumer said. The season is good this year, but with a little extra help, things could transform. So this is a new day, a new era for Riverhead…”
“It will never be the same again,” he said.
Schumer said the RAISE grant is aimed at helping smaller downtowns like Riverhead’s. “The infrastructure law was the fuel that powered and supercharged this renaissance, the Riverhead renaissance, that we’re talking about here today,” he said.
The grant is not just a win for Riverhead, Schumer said, but the whole of Long Island.
“We pay a lot of federal tax dollars and then we’re getting some of those dollars back,” Schumer said. “So this funding is an investment. A lot of benefits are going to come in the future.”
Supervisor Tim Hubbard thanked Schumer for his help securing the grant.
“This RAISE grant that we were awarded is the single largest grant ever in the Town of Riverhead’s history.” Hubbard said. “And this grant would not have been possible without the assistance and hard work of Senator Chuck Schumer.”
“The work that the senator has done broke all levels, all barriers,” Hubbard said. “There is no Republican, there is no Democrat. This was a bipartisan deal that was put together with the help of the Department of Transportation and it was spearheaded by Senator Schumer. This makes our vision for our town come to a reality.”
Hubbard also thanked Riverhead’s Community Development Department for writing the grant.
Sean Kenna, president of the Riverhead Business Improvement District Management Association, said the funding is “essential” to continuing to transform downtown Riverhead, where he owns two businesses. “I want to make sure we understand that this is a big moment in Riverhead,” he said.
“Because of the influx of the federal funds flowing into our town through the raise award, I know we will quickly see Riverhead become an even more amazing place in the near future,” said Jerry DiCecco, owner of Jerry and The Mermaid.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
