WASHINGTON, D.C. — The village of Potsdam and city of Ogdensburg, as well as Lewis County, were among five projects that have been awarded North Border Regional Commission funds this year, totaling more than $2 million, U.S. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik announced in a news release Monday.
The village of Potsdam received an award of $279,968 to invest in new infrastructure developments essential to encouraging economic growth in the village.
“The Village of Potsdam is delighted to have been selected as a Northern Border Regional Commission grantee for the construction of the ‘Brooks Street’ a new connector street proposed for downtown Potsdam,” village Mayor Reinhold J. Tischler said in the release. “Investment of federal funds will help construct a new 2-way street including sidewalks, street lighting and transit improvements. The project will directly support the commercial revitalization of a blighted area of downtown that is poised for redevelopment through the NYS Downtown Revitalization Initiative.
“The Village offers its thanks to Congresswoman Stefanik for her support of our downtown redevelopment efforts and the Brooks Street project in particular,” he added.
The city of Ogdensburg received an award of $1 million for updates to critical equipment, including pumps, controls, system communications, electrical, as well as heating and ventilating and plumbing systems.
“This is wonderful news for the city of Ogdensburg since without this sizeable grant we would have been hard pressed to find a way to pay for this important part of the pump station project,” Mayor Jeffrey M. Skelly said in the release. “I really want to thank Congresswoman Stefanik for her hard work and help in allowing us to continue this much needed infrastructure upgrade in Ogdensburg.”
Lewis County received an award of $263,053 to support access to affordable, reliable and high-speed broadband to more than 1,000 homes and businesses in the village of Copenhagen and the surrounding rural communities.
“Lewis County is excited to hear we were successful with our NBRC grant of $263,000. This grant will allow us to proceed with phase one of our Broadband Expansion Project, which in summary, will greatly enhance coverage in the Copenhagen and Denmark area,” Larry Dolhof, chairman of the Lewis County Board of Legislators, said in the release. “This is a critical piece of our overall plan, and we are extremely grateful for Congresswoman Stefanik’s help in procuring this award for Lewis County.”
Also receiving funds were the Lake Champlain-Lake George Regional Planning Board ($160,000 to support greater access to workforce housing in the region) and the village of Tupper Lake in Franklin County ($500,000 for critical infrastructure upgrades to support jobs, housing, local businesses and economic development).
“These funds from the Northern Border Regional Commission have made a significant impact in our communities along the Canadian border,” Ms. Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, said in the release. “I am proud to announce that taxpayer dollars will be returned back to the district in the form of these important grants. I have seen firsthand the success of these projects that will help improve valuable infrastructure, access to broadband, and economic development. I will continue to advocate for Northern Border Regional Commission funding that has greatly benefited our North Country communities.”
