CAZENOVIA — Cazenovia Central School District (CCSD) was recently awarded $25,000 in state funding to support a shared highway garage and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure feasibility study.
The funding, which was awarded through the Local Government Efficiency Grant program (LGEG), will be used by the school district, the Towns of Nelson and Cazenovia, and the Village of Cazenovia to undertake a $50,000 study to investigate opportunities to consolidate bus and highway garage infrastructure and resources. The study will also examine the feasibility of shared EV charging infrastructure.
The grant requires a minimum local match of $25,000. The district match is $15,625, and the three municipalities are each contributing $3,125.
The annual competitive LGEG provides funding to counties and municipalities across the state to fund projects that reduce government costs through consolidations, shared services, or internal efficiencies.
“We are trying to be as friendly to our taxpayers as possible,” said CCSD Superintendent Christopher DiFulvio.
The grant application was prepared on behalf of CCSD by the Cazenovia Area Community Development Association (CACDA) last July.
According to DiFulvio, CCSD served as the official applicant at the suggestion of CACDA Executive Director Lauren Lines, who reached out about the program and suggested that the district might qualify.
“School districts and governments across the state will all need to invest in infrastructure to allow for electric charging,” said Lines. “In small rural areas, it may be more efficient to share resources rather than replicate the same very expensive infrastructure in each municipality. If the study finds there are efficiencies, this model could be replicated in other parts of the state.”
According to Lines, the LGEG is a reimbursement program.
“We’ll need to hire a consultant, conduct the study, and then get reimbursed,” she said.
Lines added that, as of March 21, the study had not yet begun. Before action can be taken, the district must receive a grant contract from the Department of State, which administers the LGEG.
CCSD plans to continue its investigation into options for a new district-only bus garage/transportation facility while the feasibility study is ongoing, according to DiFulvio.
“We have to look at both,” he said.
CCSD was one of seven awardees that were selected among 20 applicants for the 2022 LGEG funding. Applications were submitted through the state’s Consolidated Funding Application process and graded on various criteria, including return on investment to taxpayers, project scale, scope, municipal readiness, public engagement, work plan and budget detail.
The award recipients were announced in a March 16 press release from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.
“Having served in local government for over a decade, I know what localities need to reduce costs and get projects over the finish line,” Hochul said in the press release. “These grants will help streamline local government projects and services — better serving New Yorkers by staying lean and efficient, while creating more prosperous communities across the state for years to come.”
For more information on LGEG or any other grant programs administered by the Division of Local Government Services within the Department of State, contact [email protected] or call 518 473-3355.
