Consider it an early Christmas present from Albany. On Tuesday, four north-county projects received $4.75 million in funding through the Restore New York Communities Initiative.

Each one has a historical tie to the municipality where it is located. Those initiatives include the White Inn in Fredonia, the former Welch building in Westfield, and the senior housing for the former Silver Creek High School. Also, the city of Dunkirk will receive funds to develop Central Avenue.

State Sen. George Borrello hailed the news for the village he once represented as a county legislator, noting the grant will “help fund the transformation of the abandoned Silver Creek School into affordable housing for area seniors. This is an effort I’ve championed for more than a decade. Even as previous efforts fell through, I never gave up on the potential of this project and have remained engaged in the efforts to bring it to fruition.”

Just as important are the other three, that could bring additional downtown traffic to each entity. That is something that is sorely missing far too often — and reflects in a downturn in the area’s economy.

Whatever support comes from Albany — in any form — needs to be embraced.