Mohawk Valley, Adirondacks development groups get federal money

PHOTOGRAPHER: Stephen Williams

Regional planning organizations in the Mohawk Valley and the eastern Adirondacks will each be getting $70,000 in federal funding for strategic economic development planning, U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer said.

Schumer, D-N.Y., announced funding for planning in six upstate regions, all of which have struggled over the years to maintain their employment bases. One grant is going to the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District, whose members include Fulton, Montgomery, Schoharie, Herkimer, Otsego and Oneida counties. Another grant is going to the Lake Champlain-Lake George Regional Planning and Development Board, whose members include Warren, Washington, Hamilton, Essex and Clinton counties.

Both recipient organizations were set up in the 1960s to assist local communities in pursuing federal economic development money and regional initiatives. They are separate from the state’s regional council system for awarding economic development grants to specific projects.

Other regional planning organizations to get federal money, Schumer said, are in Central New York, the Finger Lakes and the eastern and western portions of the Southern Tier. The money is to go toward the development of comprehensive regional economic development strategies to encourage private investment and job creation.

“Having a clear strategic vision for creating jobs and attracting private investment is key to strengthening regional economies around the state,” Schumer said. “This federal funding will help economic development experts in the Mohawk Valley, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Adirondacks develop the type of comprehensive strategy that can provide a real shot in the arm to the regional economy.”

The funding is coming from the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.