Morning News Briefing
Written by WBTA STAFF on December 20, 2019
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo yesterday announced that more than $761 million in economic and community development funding has been awarded through Round IX of the Regional Economic Development Council initiative. Since its inception in 2011, over $6.9 billion has been awarded to more than 8,300 projects that are projected to create and retain more than 240,000 jobs statewide through the REDC process. Here’s more information on the local 2019 Regional Economic Development Council Awards, courtesy of The Batavian:
The local projects:
| City of Batavia | Advancing Batavia Opportunities | The City of Batavia will advance the redevelopment of City Centre and Harvester Center BOA strategic sites within the Batavia Opportunity Area by undertaking pre-development activities including preliminary engineering and architectural studies, legal services, real estate services, zoning updates, and marketing. | $193,500 |
| City of Batavia | Revitalize Downtown Batavia | The City will assist in the renovation of mixed-use buildings in the City’s Business Improvement District. | $300,000 |
| Genesee County | Genesee County 2040 Strategy | Genesee County will prepare an update to its outdated 1997 Comprehensive to provide a new direction for the future of Genesee County with a focus on economic development and community revitalization. The plan will be action-oriented and community-driven with an emphasis on priority county- wide revitalization projects complemented by an implementation strategy and performance measurements. | $40,000 |
| Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council | Seymour Place | The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council will make needed renovations and upgrades to maintain the fundamental beauty of its historical building while bringing the functionality of the building into the 21st century. | $72,500 |
| Town of Byron | Town of Byron Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements Study | The Town of Byron will complete an engineering report to evaluate disinfection alternatives at its wastewater treatment plant. | $30,000 |
| Town of Pavilion | Town of Pavilion Wastewater Treatment Plant Disinfection Study | The Town of Pavilion will complete an engineering report to evaluate disinfection alternatives at its wastewater treatment plant. | $30,000 |
| Village of Corfu | Village of Corfu Wastewater Treatment Plant Disinfection | The Village of Corfu will install effluent disinfection at the village’s wastewater treatment plant. This project will improve water quality by reducing pathogens in the treatment plant’s discharge. | $620,000 |
| Village of Elba | Village of Elba Wastewater Treatment Facility and Collection System Study | The Village of Elba will complete an engineering report to evaluate disinfection alternatives at its wastewater treatment facility. The report will also include recommended actions to reduce the inflow and infiltration in the sanitary sewer collection system. | $30,000 |
| Village of LeRoy | Village of LeRoy Sewer Inflow and Infiltration Study | The Village of LeRoy will complete an engineering report that provides a detailed sanitary sewer collection system capital improvement plan based on investigations of inflow and infiltration in the system. | $30,000 |
If you don’t have an E-Z Pass on your vehicle, you could be reaching deeper into your pocket to pay for tolls. It’s part of a proposed plan by the state Thruway Authority that would go into effect in 2021. If approved, drivers without an E-Z Pass would pay 30-percent more in tolls whether you live in New York State or not. Drivers with an out-of-state E-Z Pass would see a 15-percent increase. Public hearings will be held before a final decision on toll increases is made.
Officials at Genesee Community College are delighted to introduce two new administrators, both coming to GCC after dynamic terms of service at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo. Vice President of Development and External Affairs Justin Johnston and Director of Student Engagement and Inclusion, Miguel Baique began their appointments on Dec. 3 and Nov. 20, respectively.
The House of Representatives approved legislation yesterday to repeal part of the 2017 Republican tax law. The law put a cap on how much state and local tax you were allowed to deduct on your taxes. The cap was $10 thousand dollars but this new bill would take away that cap. The bill is not expected to pass in the Senate.
Over 150 people will soon be out of work after the Rochester Board of Education approves layoffs. Most of the cuts are set to affect teachers in the district. Superintendent Terry Dade says staff reductions are necessary to help deal with a multi-million-dollar budget shortfall. The original plan was for roughly 150 teachers to be let go, but grant money from the State Department of Education kept that from happening.
It looks like there’s no slowing down the spread of the flu across New York State. The latest data from the Department of Health says there were over 3200 confirmed cases of the virus during the week ending December 14th. That’s a 77- percent increase from the previous report. Over 500 New Yorkers were also hospitalized due to complications from the virus. Doctors continue to say getting vaccinated is the best way to keep you safe from the flu.
