Governor Kathy Hochul today announced 12 federal grant awards totaling $5.8 million for economic and community development projects within New York’s twenty-eight county Northern Border Region. This year, 55 final applications were submitted and reviewed by New York for Northern Border Regional Commission, with funding requests totaling over $35 million.
“The awards announced today will be critical tools to support economic growth by focusing on critical infrastructure improvements throughout the region, while helping us build back a stronger New York,” Governor Hochul said. “My administration continues to be laser focused on building for the future, and these investments highlight the importance of a strong federal, state and local partnership to continue supporting and strengthening the region’s economy and moving New York State forward.”
The awarded projects were evaluated through a competitive process for their potential economic impact, the regional need for the project, the level of coordination with existing plans and regional activities, and their consistency with the priorities of the NBRC program. These projects will leverage an additional $11.5 million in funding and support additional private investment across the region.
Town of Schroon – Essex County
The Town of Schroon was awarded $853,440 for wastewater infrastructure to support local businesses and residences on Main Street. The project will include the replacement of an existing clay pipe sewer to support existing businesses, jobs and future economic growth, and will help protect natural resources.
Town of Fayette – Seneca County
The Town of Fayette will receive $1,000,000 to install over 11 miles of sewer force main to approximately 330 parcels, which will 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 – St. Lawrence County
The Village of Canton was awarded $1,000,000 to design and construct a new secondary water source to increase capacity and accommodate economic growth.
Adirondack Mountain Club – Essex County
The Adirondack Mountain Club will receive $303,960 to renovate the former Cascade Cross Country Ski Center to make the 200-acre property available to the public for skiing and other outdoor activities, as well as to increase capacity by adding a fully accessible, year-round world-class outdoor education and visitor information center.
Village of Nelliston – Montgomery County
The Village will receive $50,000 in NBRC funds toward the rehabilitation of an existing sewer main within Village, which will enhance environmental health as well as promote future development and job growth.
Historic Saranac Lake – Franklin County
Historic Saranac was awarded $350,000 to assist with the rehabilitation of 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.
St. Lawrence County IDA – St. Lawrence County
The IDA will receive $494,400 to rehabilitate the industrial track and bridge over the Oswegatchie River. 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 – Franklin County
This project was awarded $675,452 to improve wastewater and drinking water services for Paul Smith’s College by replacing sanitary sewer lines and drinking water distribution pipes. These improvements are necessary to sustain the health and well-being of the college community and to support increased enrollment and revenue, job retention and creation, and to serve the needs of the North Country community.
Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce – Clinton County
The Chamber was awarded $285,600 to develop a comprehensive welding training program to train 50 individuals and to prepare them to enter the workforce. 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.
Griffiss Local Development Corporation – Oneida County
This project was awarded $353,360 to expand rail yard capacity within Griffiss Business & Technology Park by approximately 16 railcars, which will provide greater flexibility to serve existing Park tenants.
Warren County – Warren County
Warren County will receive $160,000 to 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 – Schenectady County
The Town of Glenville was awarded $273,788 to extend a water main, which will complete a hydraulic loop to meet increasing demand for improved water capacity and water pressure at the Glenville Business and Technology Park.
The NBRC is a regional economic development partnership between federal, state, and local government. The Commission is composed of the governors of the New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, and a federal co-chair, who is appointed by the President of the United States. Each year Congress appropriates funds for Commission programs. In 2022, across the four-state region there were 136 applications submitted requesting over $69 million, with $332 million in leveraged/match funds.
The following counties comprise the Northern Border region of New York State: Cayuga, Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Orleans, Oswego, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Seneca, Sullivan, Warren, Washington, Wayne, and Yates. Local governments and not-for-profit organizations in New York’s NBRC counties are eligible to apply for these competitive grants.
The Department of State works with the NBRC and regional planning organizations to solicit project applications. To be eligible for grant consideration, projects must fall within one of the following categories:
- Transportation infrastructure;
- Basic public infrastructure;
- Telecommunications infrastructure;
- Employment-related education, entrepreneurship, technology, and business development;
- Basic health care and other public services to assist economically distressed areas;
- Resource conservation, tourism, recreation, and preservation of open space for economic development; and
- Development of renewable and alternative energy sources.
Applications are eligible to be funded for up to $1,000,000 for infrastructure projects and $350,000 for other projects. NBRC grants awarded within distressed counties require a 20 percent local match, while the required match in transitional counties is 50 percent.
New York State Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez said, “The Northern Border Regional Commission has established itself as a critical funding partner to communities across New York’s upstate regions. This year’s applications provided a comprehensive list of projects and we are excited to fund this list of important projects. The Department of State will continue to work with our regional partners and local governments to identify new opportunities to strengthen our communities and want to thank our Congressional delegation for their continued support for this program.”
Senator Chuck Schumer said, “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, the largest investment in New York ever by the NBRC. 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. 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.”
North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas said, “The continued growth of our region’s cluster of transportation equipment manufacturers is an exciting part of the state’s emergence in the world of clean transportation, but requires new and enhanced skills to grasp the opportunities at hand. This funding will address the crucial need for specialized welding skills for Alstom and several other North Country manufacturers, working in partnership with the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing at Clinton Community College. Governor Hochul understands the green transportation cluster we have created, and we thank her for her support of this funding from the Northern Border Regional Commission. Her office and the staff at the New York Department of State were very helpful throughout the process. Onward and upward!”
Franklin County Chairman Don Dabiew said, “This investment in the creation of a museum campus as well as the preservation of historical landmarks such as the Trudeau Building will ensure that the the legacy and rich history of Saranac Lake is preserved for generations to come. This support is essential for the continual economic prosperity of the region and we thank Governor Hochul and the Northern Border Regional Commission for investing our residents and overall prosperity of our community.”
St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency CEO Patrick Kelly said, “Investing in the rail spur providing access to Dunn Paper will improve the economic outlook and employment prospects for the community. We thank Governor Hochul, the Northern Border Regional Commission, and our state and federal agencies and representatives for prioritizing regional infrastructure projects such as this one that have the potential to promote growth and increase the competitiveness of this region of the state.”
Seneca County Manager Mitch Rowe said, “Seneca County is grateful to all our partners in moving this important project forward. Our lakes are among our greatest assets and mean so much to our ever growing tourism sector.”
Town of Warrensburg Supervisor and Chairman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors Kevin Geraghty said, “Warren County is very thankful for this funding from the Northern Border Regional Commission, which will which will help connect the communities of Lake George, Glens Falls and Hudson Falls to the Empire State through the Trail Multi-use Trail Modernization and Linkage Initiative. The funding will provide support for our regional economy by modernizing tourism infrastructure and increasing opportunities for our residents and visitors.”
Town of Schroon Supervisor Meg Wood said, “For over a century, residents of the Town of Schroon have worked to preserve the water quality of Schroon Lake and its watershed. We have done our best to keep our 50 year old waste water system up to date and plan for future needs. The grant we received from NYS and the NBRC will be a major help in bringing a portion of our Main Street sewer infrastructure into compliance with today’s standards. The grant will alleviate the projected increase to the cost burden already carried by our downtown residents and businesses. Our Town extends its thanks to Governor Hochul and the NBRC.”
Town of Fayette Supervisor Jeffrey Trout said, “This investment will ensure the health of Seneca Lake, foster job creation, and bolster quality of life in Fayette and the eastern Finger Lakes. This commitment is essential not only for our current agritourism business expansion but also for planned projects on Seneca Lake to come to fruition. I am grateful for the foresight of the Fayette Town Board in prioritizing infrastructure, to the Seneca County Board of Supervisors for the leadership in protecting our lakes, to Governor Hochul for her commitment to economic development and environmental stewardship, to Senator Helming and Assemblyman Gallahan for their commitment to the region, and especially to the Northern Border Regional Commission for their strategic approach to supporting community development in the region.”
Town of Glenville Supervisor Christopher A. Koetzle said, “This is an important grant which will help the town retain and add more businesses in our town and help to add more jobs. The Glenville Business and Technology Park is an important asset to the town and the region and this grant will help to eliminate water pressure issues there, modernize the essential water infrastructure and promote economic development. This is great news for the manufactures in the park who are an important part of our economic engine and for the town in general,”
Village of Canton Mayor Michael Dalton said, “This generous grant to the Village of Canton will help modernize water infrastructure by helping build a secondary water source to accommodate economic growth in the Village. We thank Governor Hochul and the Northern Border Regional Commission for making sure the Village of Canton has the necessary resources to update its infrastructure which is vital to our residents and future growth in our village.”
New York’s Northern Border Regional Commission is administered within the DOS Division of Local Government Services. For more information on programs administered by the Department of State’s Division of Local Government Services, go to https://www.dos.ny.gov/lg/. Follow DOS on Twitter at @NYSDOS or Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/NewYorkDepartmentOfState/.
