Infrastructure

Forget for a moment how you personally feel about the federal stimulus funds that will soon flow. The fact of the matter is that they are going to flow…like it or not. Interestingly, even the politicians that railed against passage of the stimulus are among the first taking credit for “securing “ funds for this or that, or first in line with their hand out for a piece of NY’s action.

I am pleased that significant money will be spent on infrastructure. I have been and remain an advocate for building or re-building infrastructure. Ours is generally crumbling, if it exists at all. In my opinion, this money will be money well spent. We are far behind the curve in keeping our once envious infrastructure updated and properly maintained.

I plan on doing some serious lobbying to those that control the purse strings. I wonder if our local elected officials will be doing the same. The excuse in the past has always been the lack of federal money and now, lo and behold, there’s some on the horizon. I hope we go get some. It is after all, our tax dollars too.

There are conditions attached to securing the funds and I must admit I haven’t yet explored all the criteria that need to be met. However, my understanding is that most will be directed at projects that are ready to go. We need to ensure that the criteria also include a measure of necessity, economic potential, and being worthwhile beyond just being “ready to go.” So what looks shovel-ready in Rotterdam? Hamburg Street comes to mind. Revamping that stretch could have economic bang for the buck. The Junction water tower? I don’t know if that would qualify or not but I hope somebody checks. Masullo Estates roads and drainage? I can only hope. A new sewage treatment plant? Leveraging rail improvements to spark initiatives similar to RailEx? The list could be endless, but certainly the money won't be. Meeting the criteria and lobbying hard…harder than ever before…will be key.

Why is Rotterdam so special? We just completed 3 CDTC planning studies and are theoretically poised to implement the suggestions. Our town has 3 major interchanges and infrastructure improvements should lead to economic development opportunities. This is a window we can’t afford to miss trying to climb through.