DEC Contact: Erica Ringewald (518) 402-8000 NYPA Contact: Maura Balaban (914) 718-6770 November 15, 2019
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JEFFERSON AND ST. LAWRENCE COUNTIES PLANNING COMMITTEE SHOWCASES 38 SHORELINE RESLIENCY PROJECTS AWARDED NEW YORK STATE “REDI” FUNDING38 Priority Projects Identified by Local Communities Awarded $60 Million to Strengthen Shoreline Protections and Increase Resiliency Across Jefferson and St. Lawrence Counties |
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New York Power Authority (NYPA) Senior Vice President Kimberly Harriman today showcased 38 shoreline resiliency projects in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties that are receiving an estimated $60 million in state funding through Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI). The projects were reviewed at a meeting of the Jefferson and St. Lawrence REDI Region Planning Committee, which includes local elected officials and other stakeholders.
“Building back better and smarter will help ensure that our shorelines are more resilient,” said Kimberly Harriman, Senior Vice President, Public and Regulatory Affairs at NYPA, who represented NYPA’s President and CEO Gil Quiniones, who serves as co-chair of the Jefferson/St. Lawrence REDI Regional Subcommittee, today in Alexandria Bay. “We, at NYPA, are pleased to be part of Governor Cuomo’s collaborative state and municipality resiliency and economic development efforts along the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario shorelines. These comprehensive projects will better prepare us for future high water situations and give community members and visitors alike more opportunities to enjoy our scenic North Country waterways and frequent local and regional businesses along the St. Lawrence and surrounding Lake Ontario.” As part of the state’s ongoing response to record flooding that hit the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River shoreline communities this past summer, Governor Cuomo created the REDI Commission, a multi-agency team tasked with studying sustainable solutions to strengthen infrastructure and mitigate impacts from future flooding along the shorelines of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, while bolstering the region's local economies. Projects include: ST. LAWRENCE
JEFFERSON
In both St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties, nearly $25 million will replace docks with floating docks, relocate infrastructure, install shoreline stabilization and more at publicly owned regional docks and boat launches in Alexandria, Clayton, Hammond, Lyme, Orleans, Alexandria Bay, Cape Vincent, Dexter, Sackets Harbor, Waddington and Ogdensburg. Additional details and Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties REDI project profiles are available here.Through REDI, the State has committed up to $300 million to rebuild the shoreline, as well as improve resiliency in flood-prone regions along Lake Ontario. The REDI Commission allocated $20 million for homeowner assistance, $30 million to improve the resiliency of businesses, and $15 million toward a regional dredging effort that will benefit each of the eight counties. NYPA is assisting the regional dredging initiative. The remaining balance, $235 million, has been allocated toward local and regional projects that advance and exemplify the REDI mission. The REDI Commission will hold an implementation conference in Albany on November 20. The conference will provide REDI funding recipients with information about project implementation, including permitting and environmental reviews, as well as an opportunity to meet with relevant state agencies to ensure REDI projects are implemented as soon as possible. NOTE: Photo of meeting attached |
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