The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Albany County has been softened by American Rescue Plan Act funding.
According to figures from the Capital District Regional Planning Commission, Albany County in total received $167.54 million, with Albany County receiving nearly $60 million and the municipalities getting the rest.
The funding was split into two years, the first year being used exclusively for recovery of loss, revenue in wages, and sales tax receipts.
In May 2023 the county began accepting applications for the redevelopment of vacant, abandoned or blighted commercial and industrial properties, as well as for the recovery and promotion of the arts, culture and tourism sector in the county.
Luke Rogers, Economic Development Coordinator in the county executive’s office, says the second round of applications includes nonprofits and public health community projects with available grants supporting behavioral health, substance abuse and telehealth; affordable housing and housing support as well as youth and senior services.
“There's two categories of funding, Rogers explained. "For the recovery grants it is nonprofits only, and they had to be in existence prior to the beginning of the pandemic, that's a federal mandate. For the community development grants, which are for the new initiatives, you did not have to be in existence prior to COVID-19. And you can be a nonprofit or a for profit entity, but we are going to give preference to the nonprofit applications that we receive.”
$1.5 million in round two funding will go to financial recovery for non-profits hurt by the COVID pandemic, with $6.8 million being directed to new community development initiatives.
Albany County Historical Association Executive Director Kathryn Kosto, says the entity's $80,000 ARPA grant is going towards a visitor and education center at Ten Broeck Mansion, which has seen a surge in attendance.
“What we applied for it was funding to make our walkways and the Ten Broeck mansion gardens ADA accessible and also to help fund an exhibit to study the rich and diverse history and culture of Albany County," said Kosto. "I'm pleased to share that we have a project underway to reconstruct the 18th century Ten Broeck carriage barn, and that carriage barn on the exterior will look like a historic building. And on the interior it will be a modern space with ADA accessible restrooms, an education room and an exhibit space. And as the Albany County Historical Society, we are really obligated to represent that full history of Albany County. And so to that end, we are going to have a permanent exhibit in that space, which will show Albany County's rich and diverse history. So it's sort of a two part grant, the majority of the funds will be used for the walkways, and a part of the grant will be used for the exhibit.”
The City of Watervliet received $100,000 in ARPA funding to complete a new cultural center, a project that had been dragging on for three years, in what previously was the old Dutch Reformed church behind the Senior Center, next to City Hall. Mayor Charles Patricelli: “The bell tower needed to be replaced, it was deteriorated beyond, you know, beyond repair. We needed a heating system, handicap, accessibility for the bathrooms and for getting in and out of the building, and some electrical work, and naturally, some roof work at the same time. So the building was purchased many, many years ago, but it lay pretty much idle. The museum was using the one part of the church building, but the church itself was pretty much ignored for many, many years. So what we did is we said, either we, you know, we do something, fish or cut bait, and we went at it,” said Patricelli."
Officials say the ARPA process has run smoothly. Applications for ARPA funding are accessible online and can be picked up at the County Office Building on State Street. County Comptroller Sue Rizzo is a Democrat:
“My biggest concern is I want to make sure that people know they need to fill out these applications. I can encourage this so much. I know we think we put it out to every resource between the press and the website, and, you know, trying to talk to the legislators, but I find people still don't know anything about it, which is shocking to me, because a lot of people do apply. And so we need to get the word out more,” Rizzo said.
Rizzo points out that ARPA funds must be obligated no later than December 31, 2024, and fully expended by December 31, 2026. If not, the money must be returned to the United States Treasury.
The city of Albany was allocated $85.28 million, dwarfing funds distributed to any other municipality in the county.
In 2021 Democratic Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan proposed allocating $25 million in ARPA money to fund a limited number of "highly impactful programs," creating "the Albany For All initiative."
Sheehan says the city gave the money directly to Capitalize Albany Corporation, and to the three BIDS (business improvement districts) for them to then administer programs.
“And the nice thing about the ARPA funding is that it came with very few strings attached," said Sheehan. "So it allows for a lot more flexibility than some money that we've received through the federal government and the state government, which often has barriers in place that make it hard for small businesses, and the sole proprietor businesses, to really, you know, go through the red tape of making it worth their while to apply for those funds. And so we have seen businesses of all sizes, and from all areas and all of our business districts apply for that funding, and the feedback has been phenomenal. I've had business owners stop me and say, ‘You made it so easy, I was able to access the money that I needed, the application process was easy.’ And so, you know, I would encourage anyone who is interested, any small business who thinks that they may be able to benefit from the funds to go to the city website, and, you know, or Google ‘ARPA funding in Albany,’ there are many ways to direct people to the resources that they need.”
Among the largest grants announced: $3.79 million for Habitat for Humanity Capital District. Christine Schudde is Habitat's Executive Director.
“We applied with the goal of building 100 new homes within the city of Albany, all to be sold at affordable prices to first time homeowners. So it was a long application process," Schudde said. "There were several rounds of written application. There was interviews about the application and our goals and our expenditures. And we were thrilled to be awarded $3.79 million. We are nine houses into the 100. So far, that's just the ones that Habitat for Humanity has built. So we've finished nine houses in Albany's Sheridan hollow neighborhood, we have six more under construction in Albany's Arbor Hill neighborhood, and we have another 10 to 15 in pre development, which means that we are actively getting building permits and getting everything ready to start construction within the next few months.”
Schudde says this is the largest single grant that the organization has ever received.
