It”™s the city Eliot Spitzer called one of the worst in regard to violent crime in New York during his first State of the State address back in 2006. Like some other things the former governor didn”™t get quite right, Poughkeepsie”™s status was one of them ”“ if anything, the city is rising with determination as a destination and a place for permanent relocation for business and residents.
No one will deny the city”™s seen hard times, but the city is working to make itself stronger ”“ and it”™s going to get it right, say city stakeholders. When Main Street was blocked off to become a walking thoroughfare, business suffered. Boarded storefronts and questionable people hanging on street corners were a common sight. But like so many places along the Hudson, the price of housing, the ability to get more for your money and better education brought more and more people north to the mid-Hudson. Poughkeepsie is beginning to see a light at the end of a long tunnel.
Mayor John Tkazyik, celebrating his first year in office, wants Poughkeepsie to be a place people want to live, work and stay, not run away, when 5 o”™clock comes around.  The downtown area”™s growth has spurred a quasi-revolution of new business along Main Street, its two-way status restored five years ago. Now, storefronts are filling up again, “and Luckey Platt just leased out 15,000 square feet of its first floor to Social Security,” Tkazyik says proudly. “It has taken us a long time to get it to where we want it to be, but the developers have already leased about 15 apartments out. It”™s a beautiful building … and now it is going to be yet another anchor for downtown, where people can live and work.”
Empire Zone availability has enabled the city to attract business, which is key to the city”™s work force. Other funding for retailers in the city that want to upgrade facades is available through the Community Development Block Grant program, “and it doesn”™t have to be on Main Street ”“ it can be any store as long as its within the city limits,” Tkazyik said.  There is $7,500 available for small-business owners to attract street level retail. Another program has the city matching up to $3 per square foot for monthly rentals that continue for three years, leveling off after three years when the new business is firmly established. An economic development grant fund offers low cost loans for low-to-moderate income residents, with a maximum of $50,000 available at or below prime for up to 15 years. The goal, says Tkazyik, is to encourage people to buy city properties, fix them up, eventually becoming stakeholders in the city and its future.
“We”™re just sending out a request for proposals for the Booth Hose Firehouse on the 500 block of Main Street. It”™s an old historic building that has been empty since the city put in a new public safety building. It”™s city-owned, and the asking price for the 3-story, 1907 firehouse is a minimum of $125,000.
“It has a lot of potential, and the city wants to work with prospective buyers,” the mayor said. “If people want to know what”™s available out there, they can visit www.cityofpoughkeepsie,com, and go to property development to see all the city-owned properties for sale. We”™d like to sell them all … and build a tax base for the community.”
The Bonura family believes in Poughkeepsie. With the late Cosimo DiBrizzi, Joe Bonura bought the dilapidated downtown hotel and turned it into the Poughkeepsie Grand, beginning a mini-revolution on Main Street. Last year, the Bonuras gave the Grand a major face lift, redoing its entire entrance, bar and dining section and concierge desk, as well as refitting each room with new baths, furniture and flat-screen TVs.
“Right now, we”™re redoing all the ballrooms and hallway carpeting on the upper floors,” said Joe Bonura,Jr., who with his dad, Joe Sr., has not only made the commitment to the city with this multimillion-dollar renovation but plans to expand its current  waterfront restaurant and catering hall, the Grandview.  With $40 million in improvements, including a new hotel, restaurants, retail and a boardwalk on the south side of the property, it is yet another destination for the growing downtown area.
“This is not the right time to start building … we are doing the underground infrastructure, which is going to cost about a million (dollars),” Bonura Jr. said. “The city”™s cleanup contractor is behind schedule, so we are not going to be able to build this season. We”™ll probably start the actual construction in 2010.”
Worried about the label the city received from Sptizer?
 “Are you kidding?” laughed Bonura Jr. “Poughkeepsie is not a place we”™re afraid to invest in. It”™s a great city.”
Tkayzik says he”™s looking forward to a productive 2009.
“Yes, I think we have to take this new year one day at a time, make conservative decisions and be prepared for hard times. The city budget was close to a four percent increase, roughly $69 million. We didn”™t have to lay off anyone or raise water, sewer or bus fare. We did cut $1.3 million in spending.” And the never-ending goal, says the mayor, is to attract new business to the city. At the top of the list? A supermarket, one which the city has been without for years.
“The last significant proposal the city had, had been back in 2002 … it”™s time for us to seriously encourage a supermarket to come in here. There is certainly the population to sustain it, and people will use it, there”™s no doubt about that. We have a two-term limit here ”“ I have three years left in my first term ”“ and I hope that within my time as mayor to see a supermarket open in the heart of the city for our residents. If I can accomplish that, I”™ll feel like I made a real contribution to our residents.”
