Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay) congratulated the North Country on receiving $64.8 million through awards provided by the North Country Regional Economic Development Council (REDC).

            “This state funding allows the North Country to attract new visitors and businesses helping our local economy to thrive,” said Jones. “The North Country continues to move forward with new ideas and this funding will help see these come to fruition.”

            The funding will support a range of projects throughout the North Country, including: 

• a mid level lodging hotel in downtown Tupper Lake featuring seventy-five rooms and a host of amenities and features;
• site preparation and first phase construction for the new AstroScience Center via the Adirondack Sky Center;
• several towns including Dannemora, Ellenburg, and Saranac will construct new salt storage facilities;
• the city of Plattsburgh will be able to make upgrades to their Water Resource and Recovery Facility as part of the downtown revitalization as well as construct a pump station to reduce potential harmful algal blooms;
• the creation of a state of the art theatre facility in Saranac Lake by the Pendragon Theatre;
• Citizen Advocates, Inc. will invest in a new commercial and residential development on West Main Street in downtown Malone. The four-story structure will be comprised of up to six new commercial spaces on the first floor, and 40 affordable apartments above;
• an infiltration and inflow study will be completed by the Village of Chateaugay in order to enhance its water system;
• the recreation center in the Village of Rouses Point will be rehabilitated to include facilities and expanded parking as well as enhanced equipment;
•  the Memorial Park in the Village of Malone will be rehabilitated and enhanced to reflect community needs and pedestrian safety;
• an inherited abandoned missile silo, which is back flooded with ground water in the Town of Dannemora will be converted to a geothermal well for heating and cooling the facility, as well as a tracking solar array to achieve Net Zero Energy performance.

            “The North Country REDC is giving our region the opportunity to improve our facilities and create new prospects,” said Jones. “The council’s efforts, including the extremely hard work by North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas and Clarkson University President Anthony Collins, is bringing the North Country into a prosperous future for our hardworking families and our children. I applaud their efforts and look forward to the development of these many deserving projects.”