Ritchie Delivers $100,000 For Town of Gouverneur

State Senator Patty Ritchie has delivered $100,000 in state funding to help the Town of Gouverneur purchase a new excavator, allowing it to complete projects more safely, as well as more efficiently and helping to save taxpayer dollars at the same time.

The town has been using its backhoe for projects such as digging ditches, culverts and repairing water and sewer lines. The town’s backhoe is not designed for those types of projects, especially considering the mud they must work in. With the funding, the town was able to purchase a 2019 Kubota Excavator, which is more equipped to handle the conditions presented when completing these types of projects.

“Small towns across the state often times struggle to make ends meet and cannot afford the right equipment for the jobs they need to complete,” said Senator Ritchie. “This new excavator will allow the town to work more safely and efficiently, in turn save taxpayer dollars.”

“We can now tackle these kind of infrastructure problems without worrying if we have the right equipment and most importantly, making sure our people are safe while working,” Town of Gouverneur Councilman Eldon Conklin said. “We would never have been able to find the money to pay for this excavator without help from Senator Ritchie.  It means a lot to know she is working for us, our employees and our taxpayers.”

Conklin estimates the town’s backhoe will see five more years added to its useful life, thanks to it no longer being utilized for projects it is not designed for.

(In the above photo, Senator Ritchie is seen with Town of Gouverneur Councilman Eldon Conklin as she gets a first-hand look at the new excavator)