The new grant is one project among 20 in upstate counties to divvy up $130 million for water and sewer projects around the state.
The projects in three other Essex county towns won stimulus funding on June 4, 2009, and the Town of Keene has won $3.2 million in Rural Development grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture last week.
These projects will not only create jobs, they will help keep New York’s waters clean without the need to raise local property taxes, Paterson said in a statement.
This, the second round of Clean Water monies, completes the stimulus grant awards regionally from the $432 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds received by New York.
The announcement yesterday was for the full allocation of non-New York City project awards, Matthew J. Millea, acting president of Environmental Facilities Corp. (Environmental Facilities), said in a telephone interview.
Environmental Facilities is the state agency that monitors and oversees the low-interest loans and grants for municipal water and sewer infrastructure.
Millea told the regional leaders at Local Government Day in March 2009 the Facilities Corp. had received more than $11 billion in project requests for stimulus money.
Essex was awarded a hardship loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund of $3.7 million plus principle forgiveness grant of $4 million.
The town has voted on June 5, 2009 to borrow $1 million of the loan funds offered. The remaining $2.5 million needed for the sewer plant is expected to come as a Department of Agriculture grant.
Previously, the town had received $1 million toward the project under Governor George Pataki, and had $500,000 from bond act monies given several years ago.
On top of yesterday’s announcement from EFC, it’s very encouraging to know that, hopefully, we’ll get the remaining 2.5 million from USDA Rural Development and be able to actually construct the collection and treatment facility we’ve been trying to build for 55 years, Town Supervisor Ron Jackson said.
Jackson has thanked leaders on both sides of Lake Champlain for their efforts naming former Governor George Pataki, state Senator Betty Little, Tom Berry from Sen. James Jeffords office in Vermont, Bob Paquin from Sen. Patrick Leahy’s office, Congressman John McHugh and Susan Merrill from former Sen. Hillary Clinton’s office.
The one we have to give the most credit to is (Assemblywoman) Teresa Sayward, Jackson said.
With so few residents comprising each town, costs associated with wastewater treatment and overall water quality maintenance is overwhelming for our small communities.
