Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Athens Mayor Stephan Bradicich June 12, sought village board approval to move forward with a Brownfield Opportunity Area program. The brownfield area would include waterfront properties from the Peckham plan to the Elko plant, the mayor said. Through the Brownfield Opportunity Area Program, the New York Department of State provides financial and technical assistance to municipalities and community-based organizations. The funding awarded can be used to support revitalization and implementation strategies for areas impacted by brownfield sites. The village of Catskill has benefited from this program, Bradicich said. “They are a Brownfield Opportunity Area from the railroad bridge to the Point,” he said. The grant application deadline is at the end of July, which necessitated the board's approval last week. Delaware Engineer will prepare the application for the village of Athens. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.