Economic development funding was announced for the 10 Regional Economic Development Councils across New York today. Along with the $750 million in regular finding, three regions each received half a billion dollars. As WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports, the northern part of the state missed out on the top awards and officials there hope it doesn’t compromise a key initiative for the region.
This was the fifth year the state distributed grants to the Regional Economic Development Councils. The North Country region has received more than $338 million dollars since the governor began the competitive economic development councils in 2011. But at the ceremony Thursday in Albany, it failed to win the half billion in Upstate Revitalization Initiative – or URI - funds and was awarded $85.1 million.
115th Assembly District Representative Janet Duprey is pragmatic about not receiving the larger award. “Nobody wins it all the time and we have to remember that if it wasn’t for the governor starting this program and allowing our local regions to select their own priorities to pick out what projects they want state funding to go to we wouldn’t be in the great position we’re in, and have been in for now five years. So we certainly don’t want to lose sight of that.”
Plattsburgh Mayor James Calnon says while folks are somewhat disappointed, $85 million is a substantial investment. “When you look at $85.1 million how can anybody be sad about that? The governor indicated in his speech that in addition to that he’s going to ask the Legislature to award our region and the other two that didn’t get one of the top awards an additional $50 million in next year’s budget. That brings us to you know $135 million. How could we be too sad about that? My biggest concern is Laurentian remains a little uncertain.”
Laurentian is an aerospace developer that announced with much fanfare in 2006 plans to site in Plattsburgh a state-of-the-art maintenance facility for wide body aircraft that could bring a thousand jobs to the area. But the stuttering economy prevented plans from moving forward. The North Country’s bid for the half billion dollar award included a $50 million investment to move the $241 million project forward.
Plattsburgh North Country Chamber of Commerce President and CEO and co-chair of the North Country Regional Economic Development Council Garry Douglas says the project may now hinge on the additional $50 million the governor promised to the regions that did not receive the URI money. “That was the first project that the governor’s office discussed with us after the announcements and they made very clear that that certainly is at the top of the list for the North Country in terms of what they would envision the supplemental funding to be in the budget to cover. Note that the $130 million when you put that $50 million together with the 85 it actually is more than the $126 million in total URI funding we were requesting for year one.”
Former Congressman Bill Owens is a member of the Regional Economic Development Council’s subcommittee on agriculture and clean energy. “I think all of us were disappointed. However somewhat like when the base closed you can’t dwell on that disappointment. You have to move on to the next step and try and figure out what other opportunities are out there and how we can solve this problem of funding for Laurentian.”
The North Country is the largest geographically among the 10 regional economic development councils.
