Five projects in Amsterdam, NY were awarded funding as part of a state-wide announcement made yesterday by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The announcement unveiled a total of $2.25 billion in funding for economic development projects in NY State through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative (RECDC) and the Upstate Revitalization Initiative (URI.)
The Amsterdam Industrial Development Agency (AIDA) received two grants. The first was $3 million grant to help AGT Services, one of the businesses located in the Amsterdam Industrial Park. According to the announcement, “AGT Services will expand, adding power generating turbine services resulting in the addition of 25 manufacturing jobs and retaining 70 existing jobs in Amsterdam.”
AIDA also received $50,000 to help Memory Lane Daycare open up a facility near the industrial park. According to the announcement, “A licensed day care center will be established, serving children ages 6 to 12 years. The center plans to care for up to 38 children and will be located convenient to Amsterdam’s business park.”
The City of Amsterdam also received two grants. The first is a $183,353 grant to install a new disinfection system at the city’s waste water treatment facility. According to the announcement, “The project will include installation of equipment, storage, piping, controls, electrical wiring and related work necessary for a complete chlorination system. The outcome will be [to fully] treat the effluent, which reduces environmental contamination.”
The second grant is for $115,000 to create detailed site plans for a proposed train station. According to the announcement, “The City of Amsterdam will prepare detailed site plans to relocate the Amtrak station from the 100 year flood plain at the West End, to its pre-1960 downtown core site. Identified in several city plans, the project will advance existing feasibility and design studies as preparation for construction funding application. Relocation will provide an economic boost to downtown, enhancing waterfront access and connections to the Mohawk Valley Gateway Overlook.”
Mair Magaw Information Systems, LLC received a $400,000 grant in order to “acquire, redesign, re-purpose an empty building in downtown Amsterdam NY.” The firm recently announced it was moving its headquarters to Amsterdam and establishing temporary offices at the Riverfront Center.
According to Cuomo’s official website, the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, and Central NY regions were awarded $500,000 each as part of the URI. The Mohawk Valley region, of which Amsterdam is a part of, received the designation of “Top Performer Awardee” and received a total of $100.3 million for 92 projects, the most money awarded to any of the regions besides the URI winners.
County Executive Matt Ossenfort said in a press release issued yesterday, “Being named a top performer and awarded with more than $100 million will ensure the Mohawk Valley will continue forward on a path towards economic revitalization.”
“I commend our Mohawk Valley team for putting together a proposal that had a clear vision and goals for the future of the region. I look forward to working with those in Montgomery County on the projects that did receive funding through the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) process, as well as continuing our collaborative efforts with the other five counties in our region,” added Ossenfort.
Click here to view a full report on all the projects in NY State that were awarded funding.