Local officials, city managers and other municipal representatives from throughout Westchester County recently gathered at the beautiful Jay Heritage Center in Rye to learn about programs and services offered by the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) to help municipalities fund water quality and stormwater infrastructure projects. The workshop, which was held on May 18, was spearheaded by Assemblyman Steve Otis (D-Rye) on behalf of the Westchester Assembly Delegation.

The EFC is currently accepting applications for the third round of funding under the clean water grant program that Otis helped to create in 2015. This year, $225 million will be available for local drinking and wastewater infrastructure projects. An additional $30 million is available under the newly created Intermunicipal Grant Program for localities that work together on projects to benefit their respective communities.

EFC President/CEO Sabrina Ty and her senior staff led the presentation, which focused on the range of grant and low cost loan opportunities available to help finance necessary, but often costly, water infrastructure upgrades. In addition to providing an overview of the eligibility criteria and other requirements of these funding programs, the EFC staff addressed the municipal representatives’ specific questions about the application process. Applications for the 2017 funding cycle are due on Friday, June 23rd.

Assemblyman Otis stated, “The Governor and EFC have shown tremendous leadership in making clean water investment a top priority throughout the state. Already we have seen $250 million in state grants to local governments, allowing over $1 billion in clean water projects to move forward. It is my hope that many Westchester communities will take advantage of these grant programs to undertake long-dormant drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects.”

Otis helped develop the water grant program, which was initially funded for $200 million over a three year period as part of the 2015-16 state budget. Working with another former mayor, Assemblyman John McDonald of Cohoes, Otis has long sought ways to address municipal infrastructure costs and make these projects more affordable to local taxpayers. The Assemblymen were also strong proponents of the newly created Intermunicipal Grant Program, which provides financial incentives for local entities to collaborate on joint projects.

Additional information and the online grant application are available on the EFC website at www.efc.ny.gov/NYSWaterGrants.