By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- Business Development Corporation director Tom Sullivan told the Board of Trustees on Monday night that some areas of downtown could be getting a facelift as early as the spring through the state’s Main Street grant program.

“Of the ten that have been sent in, nine have been given clearance” from the state Office of Historic Preservation, he told the board. Since July, three projects were taken out of consideration for grant funding.

He did not mention any names of those applying for a piece of the $250,000 Massena is slated to receive, but earlier in the year said that they would be named when work is ready to begin. The BDC is eligible for 7.5 percent of the grant as grant administrator.

“We’ll probably see some façade improvements on some of the properties in the spring,” according to Sullivan.

Once the state gives the go-ahead, the applicant has to come back to the BDC with two estimates from contractors.

Once work begins, Sullivan said the BDC keeps tabs “on an on-going basis.”

According to Albany, eligible projects for a Main Street Grant must be either a building renovation or streetscape enhancement. The project must also be located in what the state defines as an eligible target area, meaning there is a significant degree of deterioration and decay and at least 50 percent of the residents are low-income, or the area is designated eligible by a state or federal government.