Regional economic development council sets sights on sustainability planning

The recent award of a $1 million grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to create a growth plan for regional sustainability is about more than just funding for the Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council (MVREDC), officials say.

“This is a great example of six counties working together,” MVREDC co-chairman Lawrence Gilroy, president of Gilroy, Kernan & Gilroy, Inc. in New Hartford, says.

And while sustainability planning might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of economic development, it really does tie in, Gilroy says. There is a lot of talk, he says, that the next “economic boom” will be determined by what kind of jobs people want to work at and where they want to live.

Making sustainability a priority in the Mohawk Valley can both help ensure there are jobs available for people and also create a quality of life that attracts people to the region, Gilroy says. “An area that’s committed to sustainability is going to be a much more attractive area to live in,” he says.

The MVREDC, which includes a coalition of Fulton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego, and Schoharie counties along with several towns and economic-development organizations, will now work to create this comprehensive growth plan, which is part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Cleaner, Greener Communities program. The Otsego County and Oneida County economic development and planning departments will lead the process.

Once a plan is developed, additional funding will become available from the Cleaner, Greener Communities program on a competitive basis to implement programs that support the goals of the plans. Projects must create opportunities for achieving carbon reductions, energy-efficiency savings, and/or renewable-energy deployment while enhancing job creation, economic investment, and development consistent with the region’s plan. Options include the promotion and use of renewable-energy sources, exploring locally produced energy, energy conservation, and reduction in fossil-fuel usage.

“This funding is an excellent opportunity for the Mohawk Valley region to develop a plan that improves environmental quality by reducing air, water, and land pollution and that improves quality of life through smart growth and sustainable development,” Francis J. Murray, Jr., president and CEO of NYSERDA, said in a news release.

On top of the sustainability planning, the MVREDC is also busy accepting project suggestions for the next round of state funding, Gilroy says. The council put together teams in each county to help ferret out and funnel through project ideas, and “right now, we have a pretty strong pipeline of projects coming forward,” he says.

The project deadline is July 16. The council has to have the projects scored by Aug. 27 and must identify the target projects by Sept. 14.

The process is just like the one the MVREDC went through last year, when it received $60 million in funding for 59 regional projects. This year, the council has the luxury of a little more time to put its project list together, Gilroy says.

While last year’s process was a “real sprint,” the council is now able to see those projects starting to come to life, he adds. 

Among the projects are the expansion of Fage USA Dairy’s plant in Johnstown, which will create 100 new jobs; adding new, efficient freezers at DeIorio Foods, Inc., in Frankfort, which will free up space to add two new production lines to increase capacity; and adding new equipment to boost production at Homogeneous Metals, Inc., in Clayville, and the training of 36 unemployed New Yorkers for jobs at the company.

Gov. Cuomo formed the MVREDC, along with nine other regional councils across the state, last July to serve as a single point of contact for economic development in the region. Last year, the 10 councils shared up to $1 billion in state funding through grants and tax credits for projects that would promote economic development.