Tag: Government

Columbia County Living, News

Columbia County Awarded $5.3M in REDC Grants

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Columbia County received 20 individual awards totaling approximately $5.3 million from the state’s Regional Economic Development Council (REDC).

The awards ranged from $30,000 to nearly $2 million, going to a variety of initiatives such as arts programs, aging infrastructure development and Main Street revitalization.

One major award is for a new Shaker Museum for Columbia County. Shaker Museum Library will receive $1,569,000 from Empire State Development to renovate a large 19th century masonry building in downtown Chatham, into a state-of-the-art museum facility to house its library and object collection. It will provide flexible space for exhibitions, community programming, and educational activities.

Other Columbia County awards include $145,000 for studio restorations at Art Omi Inc., $950,139 for performance space restorations at Basilica Hudson, $750,000 for the city of Hudson’s stormwater system upgrades, $197,000 to the Friends of Clermont for renovations at Livingston Mansion.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the awards allocated across the state, a continuation of a program that has been instated since 2011.

The Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative is a key component of Governor Cuomo’s approach to State investment and economic development. In 2011, Governor Cuomo established 10 Regional Councils to develop long-term strategic plans for economic growth for their regions. The Councils are public-private partnerships made up of local experts and stakeholders from business, academia, local government, and non-governmental organizations. The Regional Councils have redefined the way New York invests in jobs and economic growth by putting in place a community-based, bottom up approach and establishing a competitive process for State resources.

After nine rounds of the REDC process, more than $6.9 billion has been awarded to more than 8,300 job creation and community development projects consistent with each region’s strategic plans, projecting to create and retain more than 240,000 jobs. For more information on the Regional Councils, visit www.regionalcouncils.ny.gov.

 

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News, Politics

State and Local Primary Elections, Sep 13

Voters in New York, that are affiliated with a political party, have several primary races to vote for. These Primary Elections give voters the chance to select candidates for state and local level offices (Governor, State Senator, State Assembly, County Clerk, Town Justice, etc.).

Though elections are typically held on Tuesdays, this year’s primary election was moved to Thursday, September 13, after Cuomo signed a bill to move the date back two days. The previously announced date—September 11—would not only conflict with the end of Rosh Hashanah, but would also present a conflict for those who may be commemorating the 17th anniversary of 9/11.

DATE/TIME:
State/Local primary election: Thursday, September 13

General election: Tuesday, November 6

LOCATIONS:
Visit the Columbia County Board of Elections site (here) for locations.

MORE:
www.elections.ny.gov

 

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Columbia County Living, News

Cuomo Awards $10 Million to Hudson for Downtown Revitalization

The city of Hudson is one of 10 winners in a statewide competition for $10 million downtown revitalization grants. This is the second year for the contest, which Governor Cuomo created to reinvigorate aging downtowns.

In a press event on Tuesday at Hudson’s Hudson Hall, Cuomo said the grants are awarded to communities that already are growing, show promise, evidence of community investment, and enlightened government.

Hudson Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton said that the money will support efforts to make the town more attractive to businesses and visitors while enhancing resident access to education, recreation and employment.

 

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Jeff McKinney is a Realtor in Columbia County, NY. Connect with him on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Pinterest.

Happenings

Library of Congress Coming to Pittsfield

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The Library of Congress’ mobile museum, “Gateway to Knowledge”, will be setting up in Pittsfield in time for the city’s Third Thursday celebration from 5 to 9pm tomorrow.

This mobile museum is housed in an 18-wheeler that expands to three times its width. Inside the truck, visitors will find museum-style exhibits and multimedia displays, including facsimiles of many of the Library’s most prized treasures. Those facsimiles include the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, the 1507 Waldseemüller Map (the first document to use the word “America”), the 1455 Gutenberg Bible, the 1962 drawings for the comic book that introduced Spider-Man to the world and  Walt Whitman’s poem “Leaves of Grass.”

You can find the “Gateway to Knowledge” truck  parked at Park Square in front of Bank Row. The exhibit will open tomorrow for Third Thursday at 5pm and close at 9pm. It will remain in town Friday and Saturday and will be open from 10am to 6pm on both days. The exhibit is free.

News

Budget Troubles And Interesting Solutions for Chatham

The Columbia Paper ran an interesting article yesterday looking at the budget concerns of Chatham Village. In the article titled, How low can we go?, Parry Teasdale (writer, Columbia Paper), looks at the looming $70,000 deficit that the village is facing, what caused the current financial situation and how some villagers think they might deal with this deficit. One of the more interesting solutions posed was to ask the tax-exempt property holders of the village, which occupy roughly 38% of the land, to help out by contributing to the village.

Chatham isn’t alone in facing these financial issues and many of our towns and villages are in the same boat. Teasdale’s article is an interesting read and definitely worth reading in full. You can read the article now by visiting ColumbiaPaper.com or pick up a copy of the paper.

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