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SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND REVEAL WESTERN NY LOCAL PROJECTS WILL RECEIVE OVER $22 MILLION IN SOON-TO-PASS BIPARTISAN OMNIBUS SPENDING BILL; INCLUDES FUNDING FOR REPAIRING DUNKIRK & BARCELONA HARBOR, RURAL BROADBAND, UPGRADING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE, & BOLSTERING LOCAL HEALTHCARE

Critical Funding From Senators Will Create Jobs, Replace Aging Water Infrastructure, Bridge The Digital Divide, & Boost Local Healthcare  

Schumer, Gillibrand: Fed Funding Will Pave The Way For Long Overdue Investment in Essential Western NY Projects

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that critical Western NY based projects will receive over $22 million in funding from the recently revealed bipartisan omnibus spending package for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. The senators said that these Western NY projects include:

  • Over $7 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge and study-design breakwater improvements including:
    • $1,150,000 for the Barcelona Harbor.
    • $5,930,000 for the Dunkirk Harbor.
    • $1,000,000 for the Cattaraugus Creek Harbor.
  • $515,685 for the Royalton-Hartland School District to construct an outdoor learning lab.
  • $1,000,000 for the University at Buffalo to upgrade UB’s Center for Computational Research.
  • $500,000 to the Town of Amherst for capital improvements to the Emergency Operations Center.
  • $2,000,000 going to the Village of Mayville to replace a contaminated wells.
  • $3,877,500 to deploy a wireless broadband network across Niagara and Orleans Counties.
  • $2,000,000 for the Lockport Memorial Hospital Campus of Mount St. Mary’s Hospital to purchase new equipment.
  • $2,000,000 to the Town of Cherry Creek to upgrade the Water Pollution Control Facility.
  • $3,500,000 for the Village of Portville to make critical upgrades to its Water and Sewer Treatment Facility. 
  • $89,000 to the Town of North Collins to finish the construction of its community center.

“From Dunkirk Harbor to Lockport Memorial Hospital these projects will address some of the most critical infrastructure, public health, and community needs across Western New York,” said Senator Schumer. “This funding means jobs, new community centers, flood prevention, bridging the digital divide, cutting edge research, and so much more. I am proud to have secured this significant investment of over $22 million and I will always fight to ensure Western New York gets the federal support it needs.”

“I am proud to have worked to secure more than $22 million in funding to build a brighter future for Western New York and address some of the region’s most pressing problems,” said Senator Gillibrand.  “From supporting work to improve broadband to upgrading and strengthening local infrastructure to investing in health care, education and economic opportunities, this funding will lay the groundwork for the future of Western New York. I’ll always keep fighting in the Senate to bring federal dollars back home.”

Both senators delivered big for these ongoing community led projects throughout Western New York. 

The over $7 million Schumer and Gillibrand secured for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will help address many of the problems at the Barcelona, Dunkirk, and Cattaraugus Creek Harbors after years of record high water levels and sediment build up which has made it so watercraft cannot enter some areas of the harbors and jeopardized the vibrant summer tourism season.

The $515,685 the senators secured for the Royalton-Hartland School District will be used to construct a new outdoor learning lab, which is part of their Regional Agricultural Center of Excellence. This will provide hundreds of students and community members with relevant skills and training to pursue sustainable careers in the evolving local agriculture industry.

The $1,000,000 for the University at Buffalo will be used to upgrade UB’s Center for Computational Research, a leading national high performance computer center, to expand its drug discovery efforts.

The Town of Amherst will receive $500,000 for capital improvements and equipment to upgrade communications equipment and other personnel facilities at the Amherst Community Policing and Training Center. The senators said that this will be the final piece of the puzzle to establishing a fully functional Emergency Operations Center at the former Harley-Davidson dealership on Bailey Avenue.

The $2,000,000 for the Village of Mayville will construct a new water well, replacing existing contaminated wells ensuring that residents have access to safe clean water. Mayville, which in the 1990’s was routinely rated as the home of some of New York’s best drinking water, has faced problems following accidental contamination of its drinking water infrastructure. This will enable the village to revitalize the water system and once again reliably deliver safe and clean water to its residents.

The $3,877,500 for Niagara and Orleans County will provide high-speed, reliable, and affordable Internet access to 22 towns, 9 villages, 15 school districts, and 1 hospital. The coverage area would provide service to approximately over 4,000 homes and businesses, greatly improving internet access in the region. The senators said that the pandemic has highlighted how essential reliable internet access is for work, school, healthcare and more, and that this funding will finally allow this underserved region to start to receive the full reliable internet coverage it needs and deserves.

Mount St. Mary’s Hospital’s campus in Lockport is slated to receive $2,000,000 to purchase capital equipment for the new hospital building, replacing the aging facility known to most as Eastern Niagara Hospital.

The $2,000,000 for the Town of Cherry Creek will fund a critical wastewater collection project will make vital upgrade the town’s Water Pollution Control Facility and the sanitary sewer collection system to meet new regulations standards.

The Village of Portville will be allocated $3,500,000 for long-needed repairs and modernizations to it’s water and sewer treatment facility. 

Finally, the $89,000 for the Town of North Collins will be the lynchpin for the completion of the Marion J. Fricano Park Recreation Building. This includes finishing the work on it’s plumbing, electrical, lighting, heating, interior wall partitions, restrooms, kitchen and the final restoration of the exterior grounds.

 

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