O’Mara and Palmesano: Area municipalities awarded Water Infrastructure Improvement grants for regional projects

Corning, N.Y., October 10—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats) and Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I-Corning) welcome today’s announcement that municipalities throughout Steuben, Schuyler, and Tompkins counties are among the localities statewide selected to share $255 million as part of the latest round of grant funding under the New York’s “Water Infrastructure Improvement Act.”

In a joint statement, O’Mara and Palmesano said, "It continues to be important that the state is taking steps to distribute this vital funding as quickly as possible to help localities across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions, and statewide, undertake critical water infrastructure improvement projects. We are hopeful that ongoing state assistance will prove successful in helping localities complete vital projects including sewer and pipeline repairs. We're also hopeful that it can represent a long-term model for how the state-local partnership can be strengthened for the good of local environments, local economies, and local property taxpayers by helping municipalities meet critical infrastructure needs while remaining within the property tax cap."

O’Mara, Chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, was instrumental in the establishment of the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act in 2015.  As part of the latest round of funding under the Act, grants were announced today for the following Steuben County municipalities:

> Village of Wayland, $3,000,000;

>Village of Addison, $1,056,129;

> Town of Erwin, $277,003; and

> Village Painted Post, $253,912.

Additionally, the village of Odessa in Schuyler County is receiving $691,375 and the village of Trumansburg in Tompkins County is receiving $1,625,000.

This year’s state budget includes the state’s largest-ever one-time investment, $2.6 billion, to address water quality challenges statewide.

Read today's full announcement HERE.