National Grid has awarded a $100,000 economic development grant to the City of Olean to support the third phase of the city’s streetscape renovation, Walkable Olean. The company provided the funding through its Urban Center Commercial District Revitalization program. Available through the company’s suite of economic development programs, the Urban Center Commercial District Revitalization program assists municipalities that are undertaking major revitalization projects.  

“The City of Olean truly appreciates National Grid’s generosity,” said City of Olean Mayor Bill Aiello. “The company has been an excellent partner throughout our community’s revitalization process. National Grid’s commitment and dedication to Olean is worth noting as their support of our projects is constant and unwavering.”

“National Grid has supported various initiatives in Olean, including a $100,000 economic development grant in 2019 for the second phase of the Walkable Olean project,” said National Grid Regional Director Ken Kujawa. “We also worked with the city to convert 1,300 streetlights to energy-efficient LEDs, which result in long-term cost savings.”

In October, the city completed the second phase of Walkable Olean. The project involved reconstruction and restoration of public infrastructure and improvements to the downtown area. This included the construction of a refuge island on Main Street (intersections of Main & North Barry Streets) with a corresponding “road diet” (Main and Front Streets), bike lanes, new sidewalks, lighting and signals to service future housing and commercial development.           

The third phase includes a new eight-foot multi use path on the north side of East State Street, curb extensions, new crossing markings, curb ramps, a roundabout at the intersection with Barry Street and a median extension between Union and Barry Streets. The shared-use path will include trail-level lighting and illuminated bollards to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.  The project also should ease traffic entering the downtown corridor from the east and provide safe walking connections from downtown to nearby neighborhoods, as well as an improved pedestrian walkway between downtown attractions and the city's stadium and recreation districts.

National Grid’s economic development grant program aligns with the company’s Project C initiative. This community commitment was designed to be a collaborative effort with customers and those in the communities that the company serves to positively impact sustainability, neighborhood and community investment, and workforce development.           

Among the National Grid economic development grants that were awarded in 2021 included one series of more than $1.3 million and another of more than $1.1 million.  Since 2003, National Grid’s 18 economic development programs have provided more than $125 million in assistance, helping to create or retain more than 60,000 jobs and supporting almost $10 billion in private and public investment across upstate New York. More information about National Grid’s suite of programs is available at www.shovelready.com. 

Additionally, National Grid provides economic development support during the pandemic through its Manufacturing Productivity Program. The program fast tracks economic development requests to assist businesses that transitioned their facilities to produce critical medical equipment and supplies needed to fight COVID-19. The company also has committed resources and funding to assist families and customers who were impacted by the pandemic.