Albany, NY – Amidst a competitive field of contestants throughout the Mid-Hudson region, 13 initiatives across Sullivan County proved winners in the eyes of New York State this week, winning a combined $5,570,433 in state grants through the 2017 Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) process.
“What great news for Sullivan County! This is the highest number of projects we’ve ever had gain funding through the CFA program,” noted Legislature Chairman Luis Alvarez.
“Thanks to diligent efforts by our Division of Planning and Environmental Management in helping cultivate a diverse array of projects to submit to the CFA reviewers, we scored a range of funding awards which will not only improve infrastructure but enhance tourism and economic development,” said County Manager Josh Potosek.
“For several of these projects, this isn’t the sole funding stream but will augment existing revenue sources,” pointed out District 9 Legislator Alan Sorensen, who chairs the Planning & Environmental Management Committee. “I’m particularly excited about the $300,000 for the Village of Monticello, which we’ll be able to leverage for more projects in the County seat’s downtown, and the $77,500 to study the feasibility of composting organics taken in by our Department of Solid Waste.”
Announced on Wednesday, these are the projects which will move forward with this important state funding:
• $1.6 million to restore the historic Antrim Lodge in Roscoe, re-establishing the legendary lodging establishment as a premier country inn with event and conference space
• $900,000 to build and develop Seminary Hill Ciders in Callicoon, combining a cidery and tasting room in an orchard overlooking the Delaware River
• $748,900 to make needed improvements to the White Sulphur Springs Water District infrastructure within the Town of Liberty
• $689,063 to complete a three-day festival in 2019 at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel
• $624,750 to construct an enclosed salt and sand shed at the site of the new Town of Highland Highway Department garage in Eldred, replacing one next to a Class A trout stream
• $393,995 to replace an old salt storage shed with a new one, moving it away from private wells and the Callicoon Creek, for the Town of Delaware Highway Department in Hortonville
• $300,000 to revitalize Broadway in the Village of Monticello, with assistance by Sullivan County to renovate mixed-use buildings in the downtown core
• $110,500 to upgrade the Town of Fallsburg’s Loch Sheldrake Wastewater Treatment Plant by reducing pollutants entering the Neversink River
• $77,500 to hire an engineering firm to conduct an organics composting feasibility study for the Sullivan County Department of Solid Waste, to better manage organics waste
• $37,500 to study shared services amongst the Roscoe, Livingston Manor and Downsville school districts, specifically in the business, facilities and special education offices
• $30,000 to complete an engineering report on inflow and infiltration issues impacting the Town of Fallsburg’s wastewater treatment plant in Mountaindale
• $30,000 to complete an engineering report on relocating Callicoon’s wastewater treatment plant outside of a flood zone
• $28,225 to prepare for marking various historic features of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, and for Bethel Woods Center for the Arts to create a scenic overlook of the site
Planning Commissioner Freda Eisenberg thanked the Sullivan County Funding Corporation for making grantwriters available to assist with CFA applications, and she notes that their services remain available. For more information, contact the Planning Division at 845-807-0527.