news

WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko cheered the news that all 10 of the Capital Region Community Projects he has pressed for months to include in the federal budget have just been advanced out of the House as part of the Fiscal Year 2022 budget. This slate of projects supporting water infrastructure, clean energy innovation, public health and more would deliver a combined $14,447,500 in federal funding to the region.

“We have seen time and again that bold investments in our communities are powerful drivers in creating new, good-paying jobs and boosting economic growth,” Congressman Tonko said. “Our Capital Region is home to countless promising projects that will benefit not only our residents, but have a lasting impact on the health, competitiveness and prosperity of our state and nation for years to come. I pushed hard to bring these needed federal dollars home, and thank the dedication of our local leaders and community members who have been working with me every step of the way to get these projects across the finish line.”

The advance of his full slate of “Community Projects” denotes another success in Tonko’s ongoing push to bring federal dollars back to the Capital Region. Community leaders of every project joined in thanking Tonko for his work in Congress and celebrating the inclusion of their projects in the Appropriations text earlier this month.

Tonko also recently announced his successful inclusion of all five of his proposed local transportation infrastructure projects in the INVEST in America Act, which advanced out of the House earlier this month.

The 10 Capital Region projects Tonko has been pushing to fund include:

• $3,000,000 to the City of Cohoes to install floating solar panels on the Cohoes reservoir and serve as a model for communities across the nation in building smart, clean energy systems that also drive down consumer costs.
• $3,000,000 to the City of Amsterdam for design and engineering of a pedestrian connector and the multimodal station.
• $2,000,000 to the City of Amsterdam for a community center project to revitalize the neighborhood and create a welcome space for educational programs, art classes, cooking classes, recreation, and organized sporting events.
• $1,687,500 to the Town of Westerlo to bring broadband internet access to hundreds of underserved households.
• $1,000,000 for the University at Albany to support the purchase of RNA research equipment that would better enable the region and state to address COVID as well as help advance new treatments for many other diseases including Myotonic dystrophy, Alzheimer’s disease and more.
• $960,000 to the Town of Rotterdam to support improvements to their wastewater treatment plant to bring it up to modern standards.
• $800,000 to the City of Mechanicville for their water reliability project to replace miles of old water mains currently serving thousands of Capital Region residents and businesses.
• $750,000 to Capital Roots to expand the Urban Grow Center that provides affordable, quality fresh food to the residents across the Capital Region.
• $750,000 for Schenectady Family Health Services, Inc. Hometown Health Dental Clinic to expand their dental clinic which provides critical services to families in the region, an expansion that is even more urgently needed after the announcement of the closing of Ellis hospital’s dental clinic, which has led Hometown Health to nearly double the number of Capital Region patients they serve.
• $500,000 to Albany County for the Sheriff’s Homeless Improvement Program (SHIP) that provides a safe space for individuals most in need to access food, shelter, job development opportunities, mental health and addiction services and more.

###