Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Regional Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Southern Tier West outlines ARC, EDA and broadband projects supporting Chautauqua County
Summary
Southern Tier West presented its regional work to the committee—applying Appalachian Regional Commission and EDA funds, supporting broadband and local municipal capacity, and administering affiliated loan and railroad programs.
Don McCord, representing Southern Tier West, briefed the committee on the organization's regional programs and recent grants.
McCord described annual Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grants, projects that brought federal ARC and EDA funds to local initiatives (including work tied to the Ripley site and fairgrounds), and past power grants that helped expand broadband capacity. He summarized a portfolio of regional activities that includes a revolving loan fund (STEDC), the STERA railroad authority, municipal website and training services for smaller towns, and clean-energy/DEC drinking-water baseline projects.
Committee members thanked Southern Tier West for assistance with grant-funded projects that helped leverage state and federal resources. Officials noted the organization brings roughly $750,000 a year in ARC grant programming and has supported local infrastructure, waterfront planning and workforce development efforts.
McCord said Southern Tier West is undergoing an organizational transition after its longtime executive director retired and that the board is reviewing structure and stakeholder outreach to ensure continued service delivery.
Next steps: Southern Tier West will continue grant-cycle work and municipal support; committee members encouraged coordination with county planning staff and local municipalities.
