On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law approving $350B to “facilitate the United States recovery from the devastating economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic”.
St. Lawrence County was allocated $20.9M.
On November 1, 2021, then St. Lawrence County Chairman William Sheridan appointed a Committee of Legislators for the purpose of meeting to prepare recommendations for the use of these funds to the Board of Legislators. A survey was conducted via the County Website from November 9th through November 30th, 2021 to solicit ideas and suggestions for uses of the ARPA Funds. On May 2, 2022 Resolution No. 181-2022 adopted the recommendations made by the ARPA Committee regarding the uses of the $20.9M in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds provided to St. Lawrence County.
Track the Distribution of Funds Below
June 2023
(Updates Provided Monthly)
Projects
Ballistic Vests for Probation Officers | Water & Sewer Development & Repair & Biosolid Processing Facility Feasibility Study | Broadband Development & Installation | Clifton-Fine Hospital Infrastructure Project | Cornell Cooperative Extension Infrastructure Project | Economic Development & Tourism | Emerald Ash Borer Tree Removal | Gouverneur & SLC Fair Infrastructure Project | Mobile Command Center | Public Safety Communication Project | Training Services in Childcare, EMT & CDL Licensure | Workforce Training & Development | County Capital Projects
Ballistic Vests for Probation Officers
$10,000 in funds were dedicated by the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators in recognition of the importance of improving safety measures that are significant to the employees of St. Lawrence County to provide needed ballistic vests for twelve Probation Officers.
Water & Sewer Development & Repair & Biosolid Processing Facility Feasibility Study
$3,000,000 in funds have been allocated for water and sewer infrastructure improvements to address the deteriorating, outdated systems throughout the County.
Funds of $30,000 were dedicated for a Biosolid Feasibility Study. Biosolids are the nutrient-rich byproduct of wastewater treatment process which can be beneficially reused, there are twenty (20) wastewater treatment plants in St. Lawrence County that generate biosolids. A feasibility study could provide an analysis that evaluates the costs of operations and maintenance, examines existing costs of municipal wastewater treatment plants that would participate, estimate revenue from salable material, and recommend funding options.
Broadband Development & Installation
$3,000,000 in funds were dedicated for Broadband Development and Installation. The St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators recognizes that expanding high-speed broadband services is vital to economic growth and quality of life. The Board of Legislators intends to use up to $3 million of its American Rescue Plan Act funding to incentivize expansion of services in the County as matching funds and/or investment to develop and extend that availability throughout the County.
Map of Addresses to be Served by Broadband Projects
Red Dots = Unserved Parcels | Yellow Dots = Seasonal Residences | Blue Dots = Parcels to be Served by Broadband Projects
Clifton-Fine Hospital Infrastructure Project
$300,000 has been allocated for a capital project at Clifton-Fine Hospital which will assist in renovating the Emergency Room and imaging available to residents and visitors in the southern portions of the County.
Cornell Cooperative Extension Infrastructure Project
$50,000 has been allocated for a capital project at the St. Lawrence County Cornell Cooperative Extension for the purpose of expanding their kitchen ability by partnering with St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES and Big Spoon Kitchen to build a strong and sustainable Farm-to-School Initiative, serving 21 participating school districts across St. Lawrence County and into portions of Lewis and Jefferson Counties.
Economic Development & Tourism
$2,000,000 in funds were appropriated to support economic development and tourism to promote business recovery and development as well as shine new light on the efforts made by businesses in the County to provide goods and services to the public. $1,000,000 has been allocated for facility infrastructure improvements, $300,000 for small business and nonprofit assistance, $350,000 for travel tourism, hospitality promotion, and $350,000 and travel, tourism, and hospitality capacity building grants.
Emerald Ash Borer Tree Removal
$900,000 in funds were appropriated by the Board of Legislators for removal of dead and dying ash trees within County Highway bounds, recognizing the importance of public safety and preemptively mitigating impacts of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) for accessibility along County roads for citizens.
Gouverneur & SLC Fair Infrastructure Project
$50,000 has been allocated for a capital project at the Gouverneur and St. Lawrence County Fair Association for the purpose of updating and expanding campground availability at the Fairgrounds and the ability to improve the grounds.
Mobile Command Center
$100,000 has been allocated for the purchases of a Mobile Command Center to be deployed for use in major emergencies, fire investigation scenes, large-scale planned events, public health vaccination/outreach, and as an emergency backup dispatch center in the event of complete communications center failure.
Public Safety Communication Project
$5,000,000 has been allocated for a overhaul of the current Emergency Services Radio Communication System that is required to mitigate issues being faced such as frequent interruption, consistent static, intentional and unintentional unauthorized transmission on public safety frequencies, and overall coverage degradation as technology evolves which is causing an extreme deficit to public safety. The Project will upgrade from from the current Very-High Frequency (VHF) band to a Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) band and will lead to increased overall coverage and ensure our first responders have the communications necessary to fulfill their duties.
Training Services in Childcare, EMT & CDL Licensure
$587,000 in funds have been allocated for training services in childcare, EMT, & CDL Licensure, recognizing the importance of improving services that are significant to the citizens of St. Lawrence County. Of the funds appropriated, $200,000 has been allocated to provide training for creating a Childcare Program to improve availability of slots for daycare in St. Lawrence County, $100,000 has been allocated to provide EMT Training to be utilized for County residents, and $287,000 has been allocated to provide CDL Licensure Training to be facilitated by the St. Lawrence County IDA.
Workforce Training & Development
$900,000 in funds have been allocated for workforce training and development, with the plan including a subdivision of the following; new hire and existing worker training ($600,000), heavy equipment operator training ($150,000), healthcare skills development ($125,000), and workforce talent pipeline development ($25,000).
County Capital Projects
$5,000,000 in funds have been allocated for St. Lawrence County Government to improve facilities infrastructure by renovating the Public Safety Complex on Court Street, repurposing the Old Jail Facility on Judson Street, and relocating County departments to improve efficiencies and services to the public.