Grant eyed to help county with planning

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January 25, 2010

By DENISE A. RAYMO The Press Republican Tue Jan 26, 2010, 12:17 AM EST

MALONE — Franklin County will apply for a shared-services grant that could be used for county-wide planning with outreach to municipalities.

A meeting is tentatively set for Tuesday, Feb. 16, at Paul Smith's College between interested town and village leaders, county legislators, Industrial Development Agency Director John Tubbs and representatives from Camoin Associates and the Adirondack North Country Association.

Local Government Efficiency grants administered, through the State Department of State, have been changed to two types, and it is the high-priority planning grant that Camoin and the North Country Association want the county to pursue.

The $2.45 million pool of available funds is awarded in increments up to $50,000 each, and grants are non-competitive, said Camion's Carmen Lorentz.

The work would be done first, and the county would draw down on the money as it's spent. The grant carries a required 10-percent match of funds.

Lorentz said getting letters of support from municipalities interested in community planning and localized projects would help strengthen the application.

The Feb. 16 meeting is being held to explain the grant, determine which communities want to be included in the application and secure their support.

The high-priority application needs only two interested parties supporting the application, and the county is already one of them.

In the meantime, Lorentz will survey townships to gathering information on past and current planning efforts and what it has cost them to hire consultants and other professionals for such projects.

That would give the county an idea if it is cheaper for municipalities to continue to fund projects on their own or if it would make more sense to have a county-wide strategy.

Franklin County Legislator Daniel Crippen (D-Burke) was especially excited to hear about the available grant since he has been working for about a year to keep planning a top priority for the county.

He said a survey conducted among towns last year showed support for a planning entity, but little has been done since to move the idea forward.

"The big concern was the economy and the poor timing," he said, adding that some respondents questioned whether it was wise for the county to possibly increase the size of government in such an environment.

"But we've opened the door," Crippen said, "and there's potential here."

E-mail Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com