OXFORD – The Village of Oxford is taking steps that could lead to a big payoff to improve the village’s downtown business area.

With an end goal of acquiring money through the New York Main Street grant program, Oxford officials are reaching out to residents living within the downtown business district. Residents in the business district are being asked to complete a 6-10 question survey relating to the demographics of their household and their estimated income for the coming year.

The purpose, explained Oxford Mayor Terry Stark, is for the village to meet eligibility requirements to apply for Main Street Program funding.

“There are only about 70 households that this survey targets within a two-block area of downtown,” Stark said, stressing the need to gather information from residents in order to prove eligibility for the Main Street Program. “We’re not looking at tax records. We’re just getting an estimate of how much someone might make in the coming year.”

The Main Street Program, steered by the state Department of Homes and Community Renewal, provides financial resources and technical assistance to communities to strengthen economic vitality. Throughout the state, Main Street funds are administered to units of local government, business improvement districts or not-for-profit organizations to preserve historic downtowns or mixed-use neighborhoods and commercial districts.