At a press conference in Schenectady City Hall this morning, Schenectady Mayor McCarthy and Amsterdam Mayor Villa joined Civil Engineer and Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara to support a new bill he has authored to establish funding specifically for emergency water and sewer infrastructure repairs and more immediately available to municipalities under emergency circumstances.

The bill seeks to address infrastructure funding needed to make emergency repairs by establishing the Emergency Water Infrastructure Repair Fund, funded annually at the same time state budget allocations are made for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act that invests $2 billion in infrastructure improvements across the state over a five-year period. The Emergency Water Infrastructure Repair Fund (Bill A.1902) would reserve 10% of that funding each year and make it more immediately available to assist communities with infrastructure repairs that must be made under emergency circumstances, similar to the emergency repairs needed to the sewer system in the City of Amsterdam last year.

“From my background as a civil engineer, I know how failing infrastructure across the state can cause safety and environmental risk in our communities,” said Assemblyman Santabarbara. “While the State has included funding for water and sewer infrastructure in this year’s budget, more immediate funding must be made available to address the unexpected emergency situations like we have seen in the City of Amsterdam,” Santabarbara added. “Infrastructure failures of this nature can happen anywhere and pose a threat to people’s health as well as their properties, requiring immediate attention. The Emergency Water Infrastructure Repair Fund will make more immediate funding available to assist communities under emergency circumstances.”

In support of the initiative, Mayor McCarthy gave an update on Schenectady’s infrastructure and highlighted smart investments that can help rebuild aging infrastructure. “Across the state, cities are facing the challenge of aging infrastructure,” said City of Schenectady Mayor Gary R. McCarthy. “Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara’s legislation provides critically needed financial support from the State and will lend a hand to cities as they confront infrastructure emergencies.”

Mayor Villa recapped recent events in the City of Amsterdam as an example of why Santabarbara’s bill is needed to assist all municipalities that may be facing similar situations in the future. “Infrastructure failures, like what the City of Amsterdam saw last summer, force us to draw funds unexpectedly from other critical areas of our budget to make the needed repairs,” said City of Amsterdam Mayor Michael Villa. “This fund would alleviate that pressure during emergency situations.”

Jay Simson, President ACEC New York (American Council of Engineering Companies of NY) was also in attendance at the press conference to support Santabarbara’s initiative. “With water emergencies occurring all too frequently, it is critically important to establish an emergency funding mechanism to help communities address these needs. Assembly Bill 1902, the Emergency Water Infrastructure Repair Fund, ensures that a stable and readily accessible pool of money is available for New York localities to respond to crises that threaten water supplies and sanitation,” said Jay Simson, CAE, ACEC New York President.