MASSENA -- The Village Board of Trustees on Tuesday hired Strategic Development Specialists, LLC for $42,000 for a year of grant-writing and consulting services.

The board picked the company from four who had responded to a request for proposals.

“I felt very comfortable with all the proposals submitted, however, after doing our due diligence, the Board of Trustees felt that Strategic Development Specialists was best suited to meet our current needs,” Mayor Tim Currier said. “I expect that this will be a significant step forward for this community, in terms of economic development and infrastructure improvements.”

An online search for the company yielded no results. The only hit is a brief listing on nycorporatelist.com for a Strategic Development Specialists, LLC. It says the company was registered in August 2012 and is based in Sandy Creek, just north of Pulaski.

Currier said the company will be tasked with:

• Consultation with the mayor, other village officials, department heads, staff and community partners, to ascertain funding needs, prioritize projects and review opportunities

• Research of funding opportunities and coordinating them with the projects and priorities of the village

• Preparation and submittal of grant funding applications and follow through with these applications every step of the way

• Follow up and assistance with the administration of grants and funding

Hiring the company is part of an economic development plan Currier announced last month. It involves the village hiring a full-time grant writing firm while the town from its casino compact money pays the village’s $15,000 contribution to the Massena Business Development Corporation.