SCHUMER DELIVERS NEARLY $1.8 MILLION IN NEW FED FUNDING TO HELP CITY OF SHERRILL MODERNIZE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT NEW DEVELOPMENT AND LEGACY MANUFACTURING AT SILVER CITY INDUSTRIAL PARK IN ONEIDA COUNTY
After Securing $300,000+ From U.S. Economic Development Administration in 2020, Schumer Pushed For More To Cover Increased Project Costs And Has Now Secured Over $2M In Total Fed Investment
Senator Says Millions In Fed $$ To Upgrade Sherrill’s Electrical Infrastructure Is Key To Unlocking New Shovel-Ready Sites, Attracting New Commercial Development & Supporting New Growth At Legacy Manufacturing Companies In Oneida County
Schumer: Fed $$ Will Help Oneida County Power Commercial & Manufacturing Growth
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced he is delivering $1,797,780 in new federal funding to help the City of Sherrill modernize the substation and electrical infrastructure servicing the Silver City Industrial Park, bringing the total federal investment to $2,103,780. The senator explained these critical infrastructure upgrades will help Oneida County and Mohawk Valley EDGE attract new businesses and jobs while continuing to support the growth and prosperity of legacy manufacturers like Sherrill Manufacturing and Briggs & Stratton.
“Bringing new companies to Oneida County starts with ensuring that Silver City Industrial Park is shovel-ready. I’m proud to deliver nearly $1.8 million in new federal funding to upgrade critical electrical infrastructure in the City of Sherrill so we can fuel new commercial investments and catalyze new growth at legacy manufacturing companies in the Mohawk Valley,” said Senator Schumer. “Across Upstate New York, we are seeing a resurgence in manufacturing with Micron’s historic $100+ billion investment in Clay and Wolfspeed’s investment in Marcy thanks to my bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law. The time to prepare for even more investment is now. This federal funding is an essential piece of the puzzle needed to modernize Sherrill’s electrical infrastructure so Silver City can be shovel-ready for businesses to move in and set up shop and legacy manufacturers can continue to grow and prosper in our community.”
Schumer previously helped secure $306,000 for the City of Sherrill’s Project Powerslam in 2020. Unfortunately, the estimated cost of the project more than quadrupled due to the increased cost of construction and labor in recent years, forcing the City to press pause on the project and seek additional funding. The senator pushed the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) for additional federal investment to make up the shortfall and get the project back on track. Schumer said this multi-million dollar strategic investment from the EDA will finally allow the City to upgrade its 50+-year-old “South” substation to provide more reliable, resilient power to Sherill’s business and residential community for decades to come and help pave the way for planned expansion at Silver City Industrial Park. As part of the agreement, the City of Sherrill will contribute approximately $500,000 in matching funds.
The upgraded electrical infrastructure will help provide the reliable power needed for continued growth at legacy manufacturing companies, specifically Sherrill Manufacturing, which is the only American manufacturer of flatware, and Briggs and Stratton, which is a lawn and garden equipment manufacturer. These companies have already brought millions in investments and hundreds of jobs to Oneida County, and the City of Sherrill hopes continued investment in its critical infrastructure will set the stage for these companies to keep growing and for new companies to locate alongside them.
“On behalf of the City of Sherrill, I would like to extend our sincerest thanks to Senator Chuck Schumer for his unwavering support and tireless advocacy in securing millions in Economic Development Administration funding for the City of Sherrill. Alongside the Senator, I would also like to thank the incredible team at Mohawk Valley EDGE for their hard work and commitment throughout the grant process. This funding will play a pivotal role in upgrading our electric distribution substation, supporting not only the long-term sustainability of our power grid but also fostering continued growth and jobs in our region,” said Brandon Lovett, Sherill City Manager. “Thanks to extraordinary collaboration between the Senator, the incredible team at Mohawk Valley EDGE, and the Sherrill community, we are closer than ever before growth and advancement at the Silver City Industrial Park. This project will provide critical infrastructure to support recent growth at existing businesses from Briggs & Stratton to Sherrill Manufacturing, while also paving the way for new investment and economic development in the years to come.”
"Sherrill has seen tremendous industrial development success with companies like Sherrill Manufacturing, Upstate Stone, and Briggs & Stratton expanding in the Silver City Industrial Park, drawing significant attention to the area as a prime location for manufacturers," said Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. "Thanks to Senator Schumer’s leadership in securing this funding, we can modernize the city’s electrical infrastructure to further support our legacy manufacturers and fuel new investment. The benefit of municipal power in Sherrill is already a major incentive in an otherwise high-cost energy environment, and these upgrades will enhance reliability and capacity, ensuring the city remains a competitive and attractive hub for industry in Oneida County."
“We at Sherrill Manufacturing and Liberty Tabletop are excited to hear about further investment to improve the infrastructure within the Silver City Industrial Park. As our business continues to grow, updated and reliable infrastructure is critical to our success as the only manufacturer of flatware in the United States,” said Matthew A. Roberts, President and Co-Founder, Sherrill Manufacturing Inc. and Liberty Tabletop. “We would like to once again thank Senator Schumer for his dedication to assisting both legacy and new business in the Mohawk Valley and across New York State. His hard work and partnership will help to ensure that Sherrill, NY can truly continue to be the Silver City.”
Schumer has a long history of fighting for economic development in Oneida County and the Mohawk Valley. Last year, Schumer secured $500,000 for Brownfield’s Community-wide Assessment for MV EDGE to safely clean up and sustainably reuse contaminated properties across Oneida County and to position underused properties like the former St. Luke’s Campus for redevelopment. Last September, Schumer delivered nearly $13 million from his Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Oneida Indian Nation to install 50+ new electric fast charging stations in the Mohawk Valley. Last October, Schumer announced a $750 million federal investment in Wolfspeed from his bipartisan Chips & Science Law that will accelerate the company’s ongoing Mohawk Valley expansion and hiring of hundreds of good-paying jobs. In 2023, Schumer delivered $2 million to Mohawk Valley Community College to help create a new semiconductor and advanced manufacturing training center to give the Mohawk Valley workforce the skills and training they need to be prepared for future investment in economic development.
In December of last year, Schumer also announced that he successfully included in the reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration the bipartisan ONSHORE Act to surge more EDA resources into shovel-ready site development. Schumer was able to steer this reauthorization into law at the end of last year. Schumer’s provision creates a new grant program to support site development or expansion projects for manufacturing industries critical to national or economic security, all of which are modeled on the ONSHORE Act. Through this program, EDA will assist with site and utility readiness, workforce development, distribution, and logistics, to prepare strategic mega sites and regionally impactful sites across places like Upstate NY for new industrial investment. The EDA funding will place an emphasis on building up the workforce through training and other support as a key priority for attracting and scaling new employers at these industrial sites, providing new federal resources for the pressing priority of workforce development.
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