NEWBURGH—Congressman Sean Maloney (D- NY 18) joined with local elected officials Thursday afternoon to discuss incoming infrastructure investments from the federal government, tens of millions of which will go to local projects in the Hudson Valley.
Maloney said the current $1.9 trillion infrastructure plan being proposed by the President may be out of scope, but House Democrats are extremely confident that a major infrastructure plan will be passed this summer or early fall.
Within that plan, Maloney has proposed a series of bills, one of which will give millions to local projects. The breakdown of funding is as follows: $43 million for Orange County, $14 million for Putnam, $12 million for Westchester, and $4 million for Dutchess.
This funding would support a myriad of projects including those for water, sewer, road, parks, and scenic byways.
Maloney said he’s focusing on projects that have long-term benefits.
“What I’ve tried to do is focus on the ‘bread and butter’, the kinds of critical investments, the long-term investments that have been delayed and delayed because of the pressure on local budgets and on state budgets but can now finally be advanced.”
Newburgh, being a city within the county receiving the largest portion of community projects funding, has many projects that fall under the purview of this funding. This funding would contribute $4 million to rebuilding the Newburgh Pier, $12.8-16 million for the North Interceptor Sewer Project, and $3 million for St. Lukes Oncology project. It will also include funding for the Lake Street Bridge.
Mayor Torrence Harvey considers the funding crucial for the city’s recovery. “These investments are super, super important once again for not only public safety measures but also investments in infrastructure are the foundation of an economic boom.” Harvey added, “We are coming out of a global pandemic, not only a healthcare crisis but also an economic crisis where unemployment rates have reached almost half of what we saw in the 1930s of the Great Depression.”
The City of Middletown would also be a major beneficiary of the funding receiving a portion for their Heritage Trail project and $11.8 million for the restoration of their antiquated public water infrastructure.
Maloney said it is critically important to get funding for these types of projects immediately and added that House Democrats desperately want the support of the Republican Party, but are determined to move forward, even without their support.
“Whether they do, or not, we are going to move forward with a major infrastructure bill because that’s what I hear from Democrats, from Republicans, locally- from town supervisors and mayors and county executives and assemblymen and senators and county legislators is that we’ve got to get this work done and we don’t have any time to waste,” said Maloney. “When we talk about building back better, that’s what it looks like, not just for the short-term, not just for the medium-term, but for the next generation or two, so our kids, our grandkids will look back and say they did what was right and they built an economy that’s inclusive and prosperous because they had a long-term vision for doing so,” he said.
In addition to the community funding portion, there will be an entire part of the plan dedicated to funding the restoration of bridges, which is proposed by Maloney to be approximately $28 billion right now.
Negotiations on the total federal funding for the plan are expected to continue over the coming months.
