National Grid Awards $25,000 Economic Development Grant for Cohoes Harmony House Marketplace

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National Grid Regional Executive William Flaherty, Account Manager Sue Nealon, Co-Owners of Harmony House Marketplace Diane Conroy-LaCivita, Jane LaCivitaclemente and Mayor of Cohoes John McDonald.

ALBANY, NY (09/09/2010)(readMedia)-- National Grid in upstate New York today presented a $25,000 Main Street Grant to the Harmony House Marketplace in its continuing support of the local communities and businesses it serves. The grant will be used to partially offset the cost for the construction of gas and electric facilities to the new residential and commercial space in the historic Cohoes downtown area.

"Investments such as this help small businesses grow and communities remain strong," said William Flaherty, National Grid regional executive. "In these challenging economic times, it is important to support projects that attract and sustain small businesses and develop social and community gathering places for cities such as Cohoes."

The support from National Grid and the City of Cohoes helped influence developer and co-owner, Diane Conroy-LaCivita, to choose the historic downtown site that was formerly the home of Deitcher's Wallpaper Co.

"Mayor John McDonald of Cohoes and National Grid were major supporters of this project from the beginning," said Conroy-LaCivita. "During the past two years, this site has been completely restored into mixed use property and is now occupied with residents and retail businesses like The Wine Cellar, R&G Cheesemakers, Sticky Fingers Gourmet Apples and The Bake Shop."

The National Grid Main Street Grant helped fund new gas and electric meters as well as three new heating and cooling systems.

Mayor McDonald said, "I am appreciative of the support the National Grid Main Street Grant provides to small businesses such as Harmony HouseMarketplace here in downtown Cohoes. It is support such as this along with public investment from the Main Street Grant Program of New York State and Community Development Block Grant program that we have utilized in the past that compliments the private investment put forth by Diane Conroy-LaCivita and her business partners."

National Grid's Main Street Grant program provides funding to assist communities in promoting "smart growth" and private sector investment in central business districts and commercial corridors that help their competitive viability, attract investment, and capitalize on their distinct development potential, like the Harmony House Marketplace site in the City of Cohoes.

This National Grid grant is part of the company's comprehensive economic development plan for upstate New York. For more information and program descriptions, visit National Grid's Economic Development website at: http://www.shovelready.com/

National Grid is an international energy delivery company. In the U.S., National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, and manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island. National Grid also owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation that provides power to over one million LIPA customers.

Photo Cutline: From Left: National Grid Regional Executive William Flaherty, National Grid Account Manager Sue Nealon, Co-Owners of Harmony House Marketplace Diane Conroy-LaCivita, Jane LaCivitaclemente and Mayor of Cohoes John McDonald.

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