The Glens Falls area will receive more than
\n$5.3 million in economic and community development
\nfunding awarded through Round IV of
\nthe Regional Economic Development Council
\n(REDC) initiative.
\nState officials announced on Dec. 11 that
\n$709.2 million will be distributed statewide.<\/p>\n
The largest for the area is $1 million to
\nFinch Paper LLC. Officials said the money will
\ngo toward a $20-million modernization project
\nof the company’s Glens Falls mill to strengthen
\nits competitive position and help sustain jobs.<\/p>\n
The key areas for modernization include the
\nwood processing operation, pulp mill facility
\nand No. 4 paper machine, officials said.
\nFinch Paper President and CEO Deba
\nMukherjee said the investment in the modernization
\nproject “is an investment in our
\nbusiness, our 625 employees and our regional
\neconomy, and we can’t wait to get started. With
\nthe help of this investment, Finch Paper will
\nmove forward with a more than $20-million
\nmodernization of our mill that will strengthen
\nour competitive position and help sustain our
\njobs and broad regional economic impact. ”<\/p>\n
“The project will modernize key aspects of
\nour operations, improve our efficiencies and
\nproduct quality, and reduce our overall cost
\nstructure,” he said. “Our modernization will
\nfocus on three key areas of our manufacturing
\nprocess. We will completely redesign our
\nWoodyard for energy efficiency and better yield.
\nWe will add a new computerized control system
\nand make other upgrades to our Pulp Mill,
\nwhere wood chips are converted into pulp. We
\nwill also make significant efficiency and quality
\nimprovements to our No. 4 Paper Machine,
\nwhich is the largest of our four machines and
\naccounts for 45 percent of our mill’s production.
\nThese investments are in addition to the
\nregular capital spent yearly at our facility.”<\/p>\n
The Regional Councils were established
\nin 2011 to transform the state’s approach
\nto economic development from a top-down
\nmodel to one that is community-based and performance-driven. The initiative empowers
\ncommunity, business, and academic leaders, as
\nwell as members of the public in each region
\nof the state, to develop strategic plans specifically
\ntailored to their region’s unique strengths
\nand resources in order to create jobs, improve
\nquality of life and grow the economy.<\/p>\n
“Four years ago we decided to take a different
\napproach on economic development –
\nemphasizing cooperation and investing in local
\nassets instead of continuing the State’s old and
\nineffective top-down mentality,” Gov. Andrew
\nCuomo said. “That’s what the Regional Councils
\nare all about, and today is proof that they are
\ncontinuing to drive an economic renaissance
\nin every region of the state. Each council presented
\nbold ideas for how to create jobs and
\nnew opportunities in their communities, and I
\nam proud to work with all of them to continue
\nmoving New York forward.”<\/p>\n
“The work taking place in each region across
\nthe state is so important because it lays the
\ngroundwork that will continue to drive the
\neconomy – not just today and tomorrow, but
\nfor years to come,” Lieutenant Governor Robert
\nJ. Duffy, chairman of the Regional Economic
\nDevelopment Councils, said.<\/p>\n
Senate Co-Leader Dean Skelos said the
\ninvestments “will enable businesses to grow
\nand create new private sector jobs so young
\npeople can stay here and enjoy the careers of
\ntheir choice. The best hope for a bright future
\nfor every region of our great state begins and
\nends with the ability to strengthen our economy
\nand give everyone the opportunity to succeed.”<\/p>\n
The first three rounds of the Regional Council
\nprocess awarded more than $2 billion to
\nmore than 2,200 job creation and community
\ndevelopment projects across the state, supporting
\nthe creation or retention of more than
\n130,000 jobs, officials said.<\/p>\n
On April 28, Cuomo kicked off Round IV and
\nintroduced several new components to the initiative,
\nincluding developing regional Global NY strategies, promoting Veterans’ participation in
\nthe workforce, and supporting NY Rising Community
\nReconstruction plan projects.<\/p>\n
During Round IV, members from the 10 Regional
\nCouncils traveled to Albany to make inperson
\npresentations of their proposals to the
\nStrategic Implementation Assessment Team.<\/p>\n
Over the course of two days, the SIAT, which is
\ncomposed of State agency commissioners and
\npolicy experts, heard from each of the Regional
\nCouncils directly, reviewed the progress being
\nmade on projects that have previously received
\nstate funding, and assessed the regions’ strategic
\nplan implementations and proposals for
\nfunding in 2014.<\/p>\n
Other projects in the Glens Falls area
\ninclude:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Village of Lake George: Watershed Management
\nPriority Action Plan Implementation,
\n$535,250. The village will advance the Plan for
\nthe Future of Lake George. Projects include
\nquantifying the value of Lake George as an
\neconomic engine to the region and state and
\nstudying the effectiveness of the West Brook
\nstorm water management demonstration
\nproject.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Warren County will advance priorities from
\nthe First Wilderness Heritage Corridor Action
\nPlan to promote regional tourism development
\nin the Upper Hudson River and Adirondack
\nPark, $410,450. Projects include a feasibility
\nstudy of extending scenic rail service; conceptual
\nplans for access improvements in Chester
\nand Corinth; replacement of water lines and
\ncompletion of a feasibility study of a sewer
\ndistrict in North Creek; and design of the Stony
\nCreek community center.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Glens Falls Clendon Avenue Storm Sewer,
\n$30,000. Glens Falls will complete an engineering
\nreport to address storm sewer deficiencies
\nfrom Hudson Ave to the Lake Champlain
\nFeeder Canal.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Town of Bolton Veterans Park Improvements
\nPhase 2 South Dock Replacement,
\n$117,000. The town will reconstruct the South
\nDock in Veterans Memorial Park to prevent
\nice damage.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Town of Bolton Wastewater Treatment
\nImprovement Initiative, $30,000. The town will
\ncomplete an engineering report to evaluate its
\nwastewater treatment plant.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Village of Lake George will complete
\nan engineering report to evaluate the Village’s
\nwastewater treatment plant, $30,000.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Village of Lake George will complete
\nconceptual designs for streetscape enhancements
\nalong Canada Street corridor from Mc-
\nGillis Street south to the village line, building
\non earlier phases of corridor enhancement
\nprojects to the north along Canada Street,
\n$50,000.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Argyle Cheese Factory LLC Production
\nFacility, Argyle, expansion, lease and renovation
\nof an existing building, and the purchase
\nand installation of machinery and equipment
\nto expand production of yogurt and cheese,
\n$310,000.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Town of Fort Edward will design and
\nconstruct improvements to Bradley Park on
\nRogers Island, improving the only public access
\nalong a 40 mile stretch of the Hudson River,
\n$45,000. The project will include restoration
\nof the beach and picnic area, a canoe\/kayak
\nlaunch and a permeable parking lot.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Morcon, Inc. in Cambridge, New Facility
\nExpansion, $300,000. Expansion including
\nconstruction of a new facility and purchase
\nand installation of equipment to increase paper
\nmanufacturing.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Morcon, Inc. in Cambridge, New Facility
\nConstruction Expansion, including construction
\nof a new facility and purchase and
\ninstallation of equipment to increase paper
\nmanufacturing, $775,000.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Village of Hudson Falls will use
\n$500,000 in state CDBG funds to replace deteriorated
\nneighborhood water distribution lines
\nin a low\/mod income area. The total project
\ncost is $582,000 and includes $82,000 in local
\nfunding.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Village of Whitehall will use $600,000 in
\nstate CDBG funds to make improvements to its
\nsanitary sewer collection system in a targeted
\narea on the east side of the village. The total
\nproject cost is at $629,828 and includes $29,828
\nin local funds.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Washington County, This project will
\nimplement the integration of the County and
\nVillage Police Records Management (RMS)
\nand Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) Systems,
\n$400,641, allowing for quicker dispatching of
\nofficers, instantaneous sharing of information,
\nincreased officer safety, and more efficient use
\nof staff time. The project will operationalize
\nthe recommendations of a prior DOS LGE
\nstudy that identified options for increased efficiencies
\nby consolidating functions between
\nthe County Sheriff’s office and local Police
\nagencies.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Washington County Local Development
\nCorp. development of a SUNY Adirondack
\nRegional Education Center Strategic Development
\nPlan, $65,000. It will house non-credit and
\ncredit programming, courses, and services to
\nsupport agriculture, health care, and trades
\nindustries in Washington County.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Glens Falls area will receive more than $5.3 million in economic and community development funding awarded through Round IV of the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative. State officials announced on Dec. 11 that $709.2 million will be…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[66,76,118],"yoast_head":"\r\n