CUOMO AND GLICKMAN ANNOUNCE REMAINING RECIPIENTS OF $172 MILLION IN HUD AND USDA AID TO REVITALIZE NEW YORK COMMUNITIES

Statements from New York's Congressional Delegation

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo and Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today completed the announcement of recipients of $172 million in assistance to small communities along New York's Canal Corridor and elsewhere upstate. The assistance is designed to spark economic growth, job creation, increased tourism, housing construction and infrastructure improvements.

Appearing at news conferences in Rome and Green Island, Cuomo and USDA Rural Development State Director for New York James Bays (representing Glickman) detailed the remaining recipients of $90 million in HUD assistance and $82 million in USDA funding to projects along the 524-mile Canal Corridor and elsewhere upstate. Cuomo and Glickman held news conferences in Lockport and Oswego on Thursday to announce some of the assistance in western and central New York.

HUD and USDA today announced assistance to the following New York counties:

COUNTY	HUD	USDA	TOTAL
Albany	$700,000	$947,000	$1.6 million
Chenango	$725,000	NONE	$725,000
Columbia	$1.2 million	$13.5 million	$14.7 million
Delaware	$2.2 million	NONE	$2.2 million
Erie	NONE	$1.7 million	$1.7 million
Greene	$1 million	$1.6 million	$2.6 million
Herkimer	$3.8 million	$3.8 million	$7.6 million
Madison	$3.7 million	$3.5 million	$7.2 million
Montgomery	$800,000	$1.8 million	$2.6 million
Oneida	NONE	$3.6 million	$3.6 million
Onondaga	NONE	$1.1 million	$1.1 million
Orange	$1.1 million	NONE	$1.1 million
Otsego	$600,000	NONE	$600,000
Rensselaer	$5 million	$935,000	$5.9 million
Saratoga	$745,000	$2 million	$2.8 million
Schenectady	$600,000	$2.6 million	$3.2 million
Schuyler	NONE	$2 million	$2 million
Sullivan	$2.7 million	NONE	$2.7 million
Tompkins	$6 million	$1.1 million	$7.1 million
Ulster	$9 million	$5.4 million	$14.5 million
Washington	$575,000	$992,000	$1.6 million
Warren	$800,000	$234,000	$1 million
Yates	NONE	$5.3 million	$5.3 million

More Details on HUD and USDA Aid

HUD's $90 million in grants is expected to create and preserve about 2,000 jobs and spark additional investment of more than $88 million in communities and businesses receiving the HUD assistance.

The funding comes on top of $131 million in HUD assistance announced by Cuomo in August of last year to Canal Corridor communities. USDA has already provided $57 million to Canal Corridor communities this year, and released the remaining $25 million Thursday and today to bring its total assistance to Canal Corridor communities to $82 million this year.

"The Canal Corridor Initiative is transforming New York by bringing new life to the Erie Canal and its connecting waterways," Cuomo said. "We've built a successful partnership between local communities, businesses and the federal government that is creating thousands of new jobs and will turn the Canal into a world-class tourist destination. Because of our efforts, the Canal that brought prosperity to New York in the 19th century will bring a new prosperity in the 21st century."

"These funds will help raise the quality of life in upstate New York, create jobs and transform the Canal Corridor into a vibrant center of commerce," Glickman said. "This major allocation of federal resources underscores the Clinton-Gore Administration's commitment to a new tide of prosperity along the Canal Corridor. Our goal is to create economically healthy communities along the Canal with an environment that will attract business and tourism, create jobs and generate economic activity that benefits the entire region."

In a related development, Congressman John LaFalce said he has introduced legislation to establish the New York Canal National Heritage Corridor as an affiliated unit of the National Park System. The designation would allow the National Park Service to provide assistance to increase tourism in the Canal region without infringing on the autonomy of local governments and private property owners. HUD is working closely with Senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Alfonse D'Amato, along with Congressmen LaFalce and James Walsh and other members of New York's Congressional delegation, on related legislative efforts to establish a Heritage Corridor.

Cuomo and Glickman signed an agreement at a Canal Corridor Conference in Johnstown, NY last December agreeing to work together to aid communities along the Canal Corridor, as part of the Canal Corridor Initiative. The initiative was begun by Cuomo when he served as an Assistant Secretary at HUD, with strong support from Senators Moynihan and D'Amato.

HUD's assistance is part of the Department's Small Cities Program, which assists communities with populations of less than 50,000. Many of the these small communities are along the Canal Corridor, and more than 4 million people live in surrounding counties.

The Canal Corridor Initiative is designed to put federal resources to work as part of a long-term and coordinated commitment to upstate New York. The locally driven initiative seeks to turn the Erie Canal and connecting waterways that make up the Canal Corridor into a major tourism destination that will spark economic development across upstate.

STATEMENTS FROM NEW YORK'S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION ON HUD AND USDA ASSISTANCE TO CANAL CORRIDOR AND OTHER UPSTATE COMMUNITIES

Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan: "Having traveled the entire length of the Erie Canal by boat, I can attest to its greatness. It made westward expansion possible and it is what made New York the Empire State. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is to be congratulated for working with the Department of Agriculture, the National Park Service, the state, and the many local communities along the river to restore and promote the canal, one of our nation's first significant arteries of commerce."

Senator Alfonse D'Amato: "The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Canal Corridor Initiative represents a creative and innovative partnership approach that has and will continue to revitalize the economy of this region. These funds will support job creation, affordable housing, tourism, environmental protection and commercial business, and help return the canal corridor to its historic role as an engine of economic growth for New York State."

Congressman Michael R. McNulty: "This is a demonstration of the benefits that can be derived when the federal government partners with local communities. This initiative will stimulate a variety of economic activities in our region including - among other things - job creation, housing, and commercial development."

Congressman Jerry Solomon: "The small cities and towns throughout this Canal Corridor were at the forefront of the industrial boom that swept through the northeast. This program will go a long way toward helping attract new businesses and vital new jobs that will revitalize their economies. And as a former town supervisor, I'm pleased that the help will come in the form of Community Development Block Grants so that communities can preserve home rule and local control over the specific projects they propose.

Congressman Sherwood Boehlert: "I have fought long and hard over the years to preserve the small Cities Community Development Block Grants program because of its importance to community redevelopment and the creation of new jobs. That's what it's all about - development and new jobs," said Boehlert.

Congressman Maurice Hinchey: "These grants will lead to job creation and business opportunities in Ulster County and assist with urgent infrastructure needs. The Community Development Block Grant program has been very successful in boosting regional economic development efforts."

Congressman John J. LaFalce: "The Erie Canal has an enormous potential to become a major tourist attraction in New York State. The Canal Corridor Initiative and these grant awards from HUD and USDA will enable communities surrounding the Canal to implement projects that will spur economic development, promote tourism, and create jobs along the Canal. This is an excellent program for New York State and I look forward to working with Secretary Cuomo and Secretary Glickman, and the communities in my district, to revitalize the Canal region."

Congressman Bill Paxon : "I am extremely pleased to see the Housing and Urban Development Secretary recognize the importance of the Erie Canal Corridor as an historic and economic asset in our region."

Congressman Jack Quinn: "This is necessary seed money that will assist in the revitalization and economic development of the Canal region. It will enable Canal communities to improve recreational activity along the system and help create a dominant tourist attraction in years to come."

Congressman James T. Walsh: "The Canal System remains a timeless asset of Central New York. Federal funding will help in the effort to focus America's attention on this outstanding monument to transportation genius. The effects on travel and tourism around the towns along the Canal will be substantial. At the same time we will safeguard for future generations one of the true historical wonders of our country."

Congressman John McHugh: "The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Small Cities Community Development Block Grant and the Department of Agriculture's rural development programs have been instrumental in addressing housing, public infrastructure and economic development needs in North Country. Since their creation, these programs have distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to communities throughout my 24th Congressional District. I welcome today's announcements and thank Secretaries Cuomo and Glickman and their departments for continuing these vital programs."

Content Archived: January 20, 2009