North Country benefits from Northern Border Regional Commission funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. | Following strong bipartisan-support, Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) funding has secured $10,858,128.00 for 12 projects in the North Country and upstate New York, four of them in the Clinton, Essex, Hamilton, Warren, and Washington county area, with $1,401,242.00 awarded locally. The funding addresses a diverse range of critical-need issues like child care, workforce housing, infrastructure repair, support of individuals with disabilities, high-speed internet access, and main streets initiatives. Near-simultaneous announcements issued Aug. 23 from the offices of Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik elicited praise from North Country leaders. "We worked with former Congressman John McHugh some years ago on the creation of the NBRC as a source of flexible support for North Country projects, and thanks to our Washington friends today, it is really helping in a variety of ways," said Garry Douglas, president of the North Country Chamber of Commerce. "The four projects funded in our area are all important and touch on the critical needs of workforce, housing, childcare and tourism-related infrastructure. We thank Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for the funding boost in the Infrastructure Bill and for their continued support for economic and community development enhancements in our region. Onward and upward!" LOCAL RECIPIENTS Clinton County Chapter NYSARC The Clinton County Chapter NYSARC was awarded $452,672.00 to expand workforce recruitment and retention activities for professional/paraprofessional. The project will ensure service continuity and quality of care essential for the communities of individuals with developmental disabilities. Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance In Essex County, the Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance was awarded $248,570.00 to renovate a vacant 10,000-square-foot building into a public child care center within walking distance of the Ticonderoga downtown area and parks. Currently, the town only has 16 child care slots for more than 300 children under the age of 6. The project will create 50 new child care slots for children from infancy through 5 years. "Ti-Alliance and the entire Ticonderoga community are deeply grateful to our representatives, regional leaders, employers and community members that have worked together for almost two years to bring public child care to our community," said Donna Wotton, executive director for the Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance. "It is an essential underpinning of a healthy local economy, a challenge to families and employers, and most importantly, a necessity to early childhood learning for our children. We are so excited to be moving this project forward and so thankful to NBRC and our champions in office that fought for this project." Fort Ticonderoga Association Also in Essex County, the Fort Ticonderoga Association will use $200,000.00 for a project to replace approximately 820 linear feet of water line that services the Ticonderoga peninsula. The pipe is the only connection between the town water line and the peninsula, which includes Fort Ticonderoga, a Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) boat launch and facilities, an Amtrak train station and the Fort Ticonderoga Ferry dock. Lake Champlain-Lake George Regional Planning Board Covering communities in Clinton, Essex, Hamilton, Warren, and Washington county, the Lake Champlain-Lake George Regional Planning Board will use its $500,000.00 grant to establish a Revolving Loan Fund for purchase/rehabilitation of long-term rentals within five counties, increasing affordability of long-term rentals for the year-round workforce within the Adirondack Park. Projects will be focused in hamlets and developed areas, and constrained to units that house year-round workforce, increasing business' ability to attract workforce for the creation/retention of jobs within the region. The fund will provide at least four loans in the disbursement phase, renovating four buildings, creating approximately 12 units, and leveraging private investment. "We are elated that the Northern Border Regional Commission and New York State have continued to support our efforts around workforce housing," said Beth Gilles, director of the Lake Champlain–Lake George Regional Planning Board. "The Regional Planning Board's Workforce Housing Revolving Loan Fund will be the first of its kind in the region, and we look forward to developing a program to address the lack of obtainable, affordable long-term rentals for our year-round workforce."

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North Country benefits from Northern Border Regional Commission funding

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