Monticello, Thompson join competition for $10 million grant

MONTICELLO, NY — The Town of Thompson is joining the Village of Monticello to apply for a $10 million grant from New York State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI). The application seeks funding to improve the downtown corridor that encompasses all of Broadway.

Under this year’s DRI program, the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council has $20 million to award to downtowns in the seven-county mid-Hudson region to help fund projects, to make them more vibrant places to live, work and play, according to a statement. It may award the whole amount to a single community, or it may make two $10 million grants.

Sulivan 180 announces Rural Health Network project director

FERNDALE, NY — Sullivan 180 and its partners have chosen Health Promotion Strategies, LLC, located in Monticello, to lead the planning effort for the development of the Sullivan Hands4Health Network as part of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration Rural Health Network Planning Grant. The grant will fund a strategic plan for a community health worker program to serve people in the county at risk of, or already diagnosed with, chronic disease such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

Carol Ryan, Health Promotion Strategies president, is a registered nurse who earned her master’s degree in public health at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health. Ryan, who was the previous Sullivan County director of patient services and public health, has served in community health planning, research and strategies. She has also worked on the impact of the social determinants of health for county residents.

PA report shows impact of child care on working families and businesses

HARRISBURG, PA — United Way of Pennsylvania (UWP), in partnership with the Early Learning Investment Commission, released a report on Friday, September 3. It shows that both employers and workers recognize that child care is essential to Pennsylvania’s economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report indicates that 45 percent of respondents with families had to adjust their work to accommodate their child care needs. Juggling work and child care were among the top concerns of respondents to a COVID-19 impact survey UWP conducted in March 2021. Financially strained working families, known as ALICE, which stands for “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed,” did not have adequate support during the pandemic to balance work and their children’s needs. This resulted in parents reducing hours or resigning from jobs to care for their children. Additionally, a survey of businesses indicated that 54 percent of employers believe they lost employees due to a lack of child care during the pandemic.

Wayne County in need of licensed HVAC professionals

HONESDALE, PA — The Wayne County Redevelopment Authority (WCRA) is in need of heating contractors for its Low Income Home Energy Assistance Programs (LIHEAP).

The LIHEAP Crisis Grant program helps families living on low incomes that are in immediate danger of being without heat, or have no heat, during the winter months because the families need repairs to or replacement of their heating systems. In addition, WCRA is introducing a new program, which will offer routine general maintenance to help homeowners maintain their heating systems.

The LIHEAP programs cover Wayne and Pike counties, and WCRA is in need of licensed HVAC professionals who are willing to participate in the programs. For more information, contact the WCRA at 570/253-4882.

Gov. Wolf’s request approved for Hurricane Ida major disaster declaration

HARRISBURG, PA — Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday, September 10, that President Joe Biden approved his request to declare a major disaster in Pennsylvania following heavy rainfall, severe flash flooding and tornadoes from Tropical Depression Ida that impacted Pennsylvania on August 31 through September 5.

The major disaster declaration through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will provide federal funding and services to eligible individuals and households through the individual assistance program and impacted communities through the hazard mitigation grant program. The governor’s request included a major disaster declaration for individual assistance for Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia and York counties and for the hazard mitigation grant program to be made available to all 67 counties of the commonwealth.

Orange County IDA officials ordered to repay over $1 million

ALBANY, NY — New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced on Friday, September 10 that three former officials of the Orange County Industrial Development Agency (IDA), who pleaded guilty in June to corruption charges, including hiding self-dealing and concealing conflicts of interest, were sentenced to pay more than $1 million in restitution.

Former IDA Managing Director Vincent Cozzolino was sentenced to five years probation and paid $1 million in restitution. He was convicted of third-degree corrupting the government. Former IDA CEO Laurie Villasuso paid $175,000 in restitution; she was convicted of corrupting the government in the fourth degree. Accelerator Committee Chair Edward Diana was convicted of two counts of second-degree offering a false instrument for filing and one count of engaging prohibited conflict of interest. He paid full restitution of $90,000.

PennDOT provides update on Milanville-Skinners Falls comment process

MILANVILLE, PA — On Tuesday, September 7, Neil Shemo, project manager with AECOM (the engineering firm designing the Milanville-Skinners Falls bridge project), provided PennDOT’s position on public comment for the bridge design process, previously reported in the September 2 issue of the River Reporter.

“PennDOT is tracking and documenting correspondence provided by citizens, government officials, planners, associated stakeholders, and other interested parties around the Skinners Falls Bridge planning process,” read the statement. “A summary of comments received via email correspondence and outside of the framework of the [previously summarized] survey is under development.” For the full statement, visit www.bit.ly/3nneLzn.