by Jason Emerson

editor

The latest round of regional state grants was announced Dec. 18, and municipalities in Fayetteville, East Syracuse and DeWitt, as well as businesses in DeWitt and Jamesville were among the award winners in the Central New York region.

The region received $88.2 million through the latest round of the Regional Economic Development Council Award and was labelled a “top performer” this year.

Established in 2011, the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative empowers communities, business and academic leaders, as well as members of the public in each region of the state, to develop strategic plans specifically tailored to their region’s unique strengths and resources to create jobs, improve quality of life and grow the economy.

Two of the biggest award recipients are located in DeWitt and Jamesville.

PPC Broadband, Inc., received two grants totaling over $11 million to create a 500,000 square foot manufacturing facility in DeWitt to expand existing operations, including reshoring portions of its manufacturing operations. PPC Broadband makes connectors used in broadband networks.

SAF GLAS, LLC, will receive $8 million from Empire State Development and will invest approximately $59 million to relocate its Florida manufacturing and research and development operations for EnergyGlass to Jamesville. The project will include the purchase of land and existing facility, renovations and new construction, purchase and installation of machinery and equipment.

The company brings an innovative new patented glass technology that transforms residential and commercial building windows into vertical “solar farms” and allows these structures to reuse generated electricity and become self-sufficient and off the grid.

On the municipal side, the town of DeWitt received $100,435 to implement several stormwater best management practices along Richwood Drive, a neighborhood that has had problems with flooding and standing water during heavy rains. Porous pavement, culverts, infiltration basins, street trees and water storage areas will be constructed to alleviate ponding of water. Stormwater educational materials and rain barrels will be distributed to residents in an effort to further reduce the amount of stormwater runoff in the area.

The town of DeWitt was also part of a $100,000 grant received by the City of Syracuse in collaboration with Le Moyne College to undertake a public planning process to develop a Neighborhood Plan targeting the areas immediately adjacent to the campus. The goal in developing the plan is to continue to support the growth of Le Moyne College while fostering the integration of the campus with the community.

The village of East Syracuse received $150,000 to restore an area of streambank along Ley Creek between West Manlius Street and James Street using multiple best management practices. The project will improve water quality by reducing sediment and nutrients entering Ley Creek from streambank erosion and runoff.

The village of Fayetteville received $522,000 to construct streambank and riparian buffer improvements at multiple locations along approximately 1,000 feet of Limestone Creek. The project will improve water quality by reducing sediment entering the creek from runoff and streambank erosion and reduce phosphorus that may lead to downstream harmful algal blooms.

During Round VIII of the REDC awards, the Strategic Implementation Assessment Team (SIAT), which is composed of state agency commissioners and members of the New York State Legislature, traveled to Rome, Rochester and White Plains to receive presentations on this year’s proposals from each of the ten Regional Councils directly and assessed the implementation of the regions’ strategic plans.

In 2018, all 10 REDCs competed for designation as a “Top Performer.” Five Top Performers will receive up to $20 million in additional Empire State Development grant funding to support priority projects, with the remaining five regions receiving up to $10 million. Additionally, each region is eligible for up to $75 million in additional Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits to help attract and grow businesses in the region.

After eight rounds of the REDC process, more than $6.1 billion has been awarded to more than 7,300 job creation and community development projects consistent with each region’s strategic plans, projecting to create and retain more than 230,000 jobs, according to the governor’s office.

For more information on the Regional Councils, visit regionalcouncils.ny.gov.