Senator George Amedore and Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara both announced recently that they have each secured funds from different sources to be used toward repairs to Church Street in Amsterdam, NY. The street has suffered deterioration over the past years prompting neighborhood residents to speak up at several recent city council meetings. Amedore announced yesterday that he has secured $1 million in New York State funds for the project, while Santabarbara announced today that he has secured a $900,000 grant through the State and Municipal Facilities Program.
At a committee meeting on February 26, City Engineer Richard Miller estimated the cost to repair the street would be about $1 million. Miller said that re-pavement work on the road in 2008 was not done properly, resulting in the current condition.
City residents have said that the poor condition of the road is exacerbated by a high volume of speeding and overweight trucks, which also cause excessive noise and vibration as they travel over the potholes and bumps. Police Chief Greg Culick has said previously that his department has increased patrols of the street, as well as installing a radar-equipped speed limit sign.
Santabarbara, who toured the street with other state and local officials in April, said today that the extra funding will allow not only the re-surfacing of the road, but other necessary work to the underlying sewer lines, relocation of catch basins, as well as other traffic safety features to be added to the project.
“Between the two of us now we have a good amount to work with that we will be able to do a very thorough, good project that’s going to last a very long time,” said Santabarbara. “It’s a win for the community, it’s a win for everybody, it’s a good day for Amsterdam.”
The money secured by Amedore and Santabarbara are in addition to the $1.6 million in total state Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) funding which the city plans to use on 22 city streets this year. According to Miller, only streets that have not been repaired in over 10 years are eligible to qualify for CHIPS funding, which excluded the possibility of using those funds for Church Street this year.
