The Port Byron Hotel developer is making a public plea for help after a pair of investors backed out of the project last week.

The project hailed as a key piece to the village's revitalization effort is lined up to get $289,000 in state grant money, but only with private backing of about $125,000.

A contractor is ready to begin work as soon as the funding is nailed down. However, the proposed bar, restaurant and lodge will dissolve if the match isn't met within a week, developer Gary Cole said Monday.

"I feel the project is very viable, but without these investors, I don't think I can afford to do it myself," said Cole, who has invested about $60,000 in the historic building since he bought it in 2004.

Anyone interested in the project can call (315) 626-6582 to get more information on plans or take a tour of the building, he said.

For more on this story, read Tuesday's edition of The Citizen.