SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE $5.8 MILLION FOR PROJECTS ACROSS THE NORTH COUNTRY AND UPSTATE NEW YORK THROUGH THE NORTHERN BORDER REGIONAL COMMISSION; AFTER DELIVERING HISTORIC FUNDING FOR NBRC, NEW YORK RECEIVES IT’S LARGEST INVESTMENT EVER TO CREATE GOOD-PAYING JOBS, REBUILD INFRASTRUCTURE, BOOST TOURISM, AND ACCELERATE ECONOMIC RECOVERY
After Senators Delivered Increase In Funding For NBRC Compared To Previous Years, Upstate NY Receives Largest NBRC Annual Investment To Date
Projects Will Fix Aging North Country Infrastructure, Train Workers For In-Demand Careers, Boost Outdoor Recreation, Increase Tourism And More
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $5.8 million in federal funding for twelve projects across the North Country and Upstate New York through the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC). Schumer and Gillibrand said this represents the NBRC’s largest annual investment in New York to date, thanks to the increase in funding they were able to secure for the NBRC in the Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations bill. The senators said these projects will help address critical needs across the region, including fixing aging infrastructure, training workers for good-paying jobs, increasing tourism, and accelerating the economic recovery of Main Streets across Upstate New York.
“From Plattsburgh to Canton and beyond, I am proud to help deliver this $5.8 million job creating federal investment through the Northern Border Regional Commission. This funding will upgrade the North Country’s infrastructure, train workers for in-demand careers, increase tourism and help breathe new life into our main streets to accelerate Upstate New York’s economic revitalization,” said Senator Schumer. “This boost in investment for North Country and Upstate New York projects through the NBRC is a direct result of the increased funding I fought for in the annual budget, and even more investment will be on its way with the additional surge of funding to the NBRC I included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Law. This federal support is also why I am fighting to reauthorize and expand the NBRC to deliver further federal resources to address some of the North Country’s and Upstate NY’s most pressing challenges from job creation and small business investment to healthcare and broadband so the region has what it needs to prosper.”
“I’m proud to help deliver this largest-ever annual investment from the Northern Border Regional Commission to Upstate New York,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This funding will help communities across Upstate rebuild their infrastructure, provide critical job training in in-demand fields, and revitalize our tourism industry. I have long fought to bring federal investment to the North Country and Upstate New York, and I’ll keep fighting to make sure our communities have the resources they need to thrive.”
A full list of awarded project can be found below:
|
Recipient
|
NBRC Award Amount
|
Project Description |
|
Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce
|
$285,600.00
|
The project will develop a comprehensive welding training program to train 50 individuals and prepare them to enter the workforce as a welder. Upon completion, trainees will have the skills required to obtain a welding job at any North Country manufacturing operation. This pool of trained welders will help support both the short-time workforce needs and long-term workforce needs of our manufacturers during this workforce shortage. The training will be housed at Clinton Community College's Institute for Advanced Manufacturing. |
|
Town of Schroon
|
$853,440.00
|
The project will improve wastewater conveyance to local businesses and residences on Main Street along Schroon Lake. This includes the replacement of an existing vitrified clay pipe sewer to support existing businesses and jobs and future economic growth, protect natural resources, and ensure SPDES Permit compliance. |
|
Town of Fayette
|
$1,000,000.00
|
The sewer project will install over 11 miles of force main to approximately 330 parcels to connect the town’s district to the Village of Waterloo Sanitary Sewer System. The new system will serve properties on Seneca Lake and reduce septic system discharge to the Lake. |
|
Village of Canton
|
$1,000,000.00
|
The proposed project will design and construct a new secondary water source to address a compliance issue relating to capacity. The project will add new infrastructure and increase water capacity by approximately 26% to accommodate future growth. |
|
Adirondack Mountain Club
|
$303,960.00 |
The project will enable the Adirondack Mountain Club to renovate the former Cascade Cross Country Ski Center to help visitors and residents connect with the many and varied natural assets of the Adirondacks. Funding will make the 200-acre property available to the public for skiing and other outdoor activities, as well as increase capacity by adding a fully accessible, year-round world-class outdoor education and visitor information center. |
|
Village of Nelliston
|
$50,000.00
|
The proposed project will rehabilitate approximately 15,000 linear feet of existing sewer main within Village to enhance environmental health as well as promote future development and job growth. |
|
Historic Saranac Lake
|
$350,000.00
|
The project will rehabilitate the historic Trudeau Building in Saranac Lake to create an accessible history museum campus in the downtown that will create jobs and drive economic development in the Adirondack North Country. |
|
St. Lawrence County IDA
|
$494,400.00
|
The project will rehabilitate the industrial track and bridge over the Oswegatchie River that have been inactive since defects were discovered in 2009. Funding will restore reliable, direct rail service to the Dunn Paper Mill in Natural Dam and allow for further industrial development of parcels in the Town of Gouverneur. |
|
Paul Smith's College
|
$675,452.00
|
The project will improve wastewater and drinking water services for Paul Smith’s College by replacing over 1,000 lineal feet of sanitary sewer lines to improve waste transmission to the wastewater treatment plant and 11,325 lineal feet of drinking water distribution pipes. These improvements are necessary to sustain the health and wellbeing of the college community and support increased enrollment and revenue, job retention and creation, and serve the needs of the north country community. |
|
Griffiss Local Development Corporation
|
$353,360.00
|
The project will expand rail yard capacity within Griffiss Business & Technology Park by approximately 16 railcars to provide greater flexibility to serve existing Park tenants. |
|
Warren County
|
$160,000.00
|
Warren County will develop an improvement plan for the Warren County Bikeway and Feeder Canal Trail that serve as the connections between the Empire State Trail and Lake George as well as the various downtowns in between. The plan will provide Warren County and municipal partners with an actionable plan for making investments in the multi-use trail network. |
|
Town of Glenville
|
$273,788.00 |
The Town of Glenville will extend a water main to complete a hydraulic loop to meet increasing demand for improved water capacity, and water pressure at the Glenville Business and Technology Park. The enhanced water service will have a regional economic impact and support current and future manufacturing processes and office facilities as well as enabling reliable fire protection with functional hydrants/sprinkler systems. |
From 2010-2021 the NBRC has invested in more than 60 projects, totaling over $23 million in federal funding for Upstate New York that has leveraged over $113 million in matching funds. Today’s announcement builds on this investment adding another 12 projects with $5.8 million in federal investment for Upstate New York and over $11.5 million in matching funds.
Schumer and Gillibrand have a long history of championing the Northern Border Regional Commission and its positive economic impacts on the North Country and Upstate New York. In addition to successfully increasing the agency’s annual appropriations in the Fiscal Year 2022 spending bill, they also successfully secured $150 million for the NBRC, over triple its funding from previous years, as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The senators are also pushing to reauthorize and expand the NBRC for at least another 10 years, introducing the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) Reauthorization Act of 2022 earlier this year. The bill would also increase the annual appropriation cap for the NBRC from $33 million to $50 million for the first 5 years, and to $60 million for the following 5 years. The bill also makes critical enhancements to the range of projects the NBRC is able to support including investing in childcare and health care needs, housing, combating substance use disorders from opioid and methamphetamine use, and strengthening climate resiliency projects.
Established in 2008, the NBRC is a federal-state partnership focused on the economic revitalization of communities across the Northern Border region, which includes New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The Commission is composed of the governors of the four Northern Border states and a federal co-chair, and provides financial and technical assistance to communities in the region to support entrepreneurs, improve water, broadband, and transportation infrastructure, and promote other initiatives to improve the region’s economy. The northern border region of New York State includes 28 counties: Cayuga, Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Orleans, Oswego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Sullivan, Washington, Warren, Wayne, and Yates.
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