Last day to show support for upstate revitalization fund

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March 10, 2008

This is the last day to back the Upstate Revitalization Fund

By DAN HEATH The Press Republican Mon Mar 10, 2008, 12:00 AM EDT

PLATTSBURGH -- Today is the last day to sign up in support of the $1 billion Upstate Revitalization fund.

The fund was proposed by New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer in his State of the State address in January.

The Rochester Business Alliance is spearheading an effort to compile a list of more than 1,000 upstate residents in support of the fund. That support is intended to be used to urge state legislators to include the funding in the upcoming state budget.

A fact sheet that accompanied the press release states the $1 billion would consist of $942 million in capital spending and more than $58 million in local assistance funding.

The funding will be financed by issuance of $612 million of Personal Income Tax bonds, $130 million from surplus state property sale proceeds, $100 million from Mortgage Insurance Fund reserves, $100 million from full annual auto insurance surcharge revenues and $58 from the State General Fund.

Plattsburgh Town Supervisor Bernie Bassett said several parts of the proposed fund are of interest to the town. Those include money that could be used to help create more shovel-ready development sites, the housing and community development program and the bridge revitalization funding.

"In my role as supervisor, I've come to appreciate more than ever the limitations municipalities have. These things have to be paid for," he said.

While many worry about where the money will come from, Bassett said you have to lobby for something that could have a huge impact for your community. It would be difficult to ask for state funding if you didn't support such an effort, he said.

Bassett said the list of supporters for the initiative extends across party lines. That includes City of Plattsburgh Mayor Donald Kasprzak.

Kasprzak said he was one of the original few Republicans to support the fund.

"It's not a political issue for me. It's an effort by the governor and his staff to understand the problems upstate and I appreciate his efforts to try to address them," he said.

The mayor said that, although he was concerned where the money would come from, he lent his support because of the governor's attention to and efforts to assist upstate New York.

The Development Corporation President Adoré Flynn Kurtz said it is important to support this plan because it is focused on upstate and specifically based on transformational plans. There have already been meetings to determine each region's assets, liabilities and potential.

"You have to be sure that what you work on is not just announcements and deals, but things that will have a long-term impact for your region," Kurtz said.

Howard Lowe, director of the Technical Assistance Center at Plattsburgh State University, said he took the opportunity to lend his voice to a wide variety of important organizations that the governor needs to know support his agenda.

"I think there's power in numbers," Lowe said.

The broadband funding was of particular interest, as the Technical Assistance Center and the Research Foundation of SUNY are working toward creation of a fiber optic and wireless broadband network that would serve Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties.

"We have been pleased to see the governor make universal broadband access a plank in his gubernatorial platform right from the beginning. He gets it and his staff get it," Lowe said.

dheath@pressrepublican.com

KEY ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL
The fund includes:
$350 million for the Upstate Regional Blueprint Fund;
$115 million to fund existing City by City initiatives to support upstate urban area projects;
$100 million for the Housing Opportunity Fund to support development of affordable, supportive and workforce housing initiatives;
$100 million for the State and Local Bridge Preservation program to revitalize bridges
$80 million as part of the $100 million statewide Parks Capital Program for preservation and development of parks and recreational facilities;
$50 million for the Upstate Agribusiness Fund, which would support alternative fuel development, access to markets and investment in agricultural infrastructure;
$30 million to improve the speed and reliability of rail connections between upstate and New York City;
$175 million from other state programs, including a new $100 million Investment Opportunity Fund;
$12 million for a new arts and cultural program;
$7 million to expand broadband;
$3.5 million for a new business marketing program;
$3 million in venture capital investments;
$12 million to help existing state programs develop high technology;
$38 million for Empire State Development job and investment programs.

HOW TO HELP
To sign on in support of the $1 billion Upstate Revitalization Fund, send an e-mail to communications@RBAlliance.com and copy it to Steve Hunt at Steve.Hunt@chamber.state.ny.us.