Press Release

ARCURI SECURES $445,000 FOR LOCAL PROJECTS

Washington, DC -- $445,000 in Congressionally-directed funding secured by U.S. Representative Michael A. Arcuri (D-Utica) for projects in Otsego County is included in legislation passed the House of Representatives late last evening.

The funds secured by Arcuri are included in the Fiscal Year 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Act (H.R. 2764). Local projects slated to receive funding include:

$243,000 for A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital in Oneonta, NY. Federal funds will be used to upgrade the existing medical imaging department at the hospital to digital mammography, enabling the hospital to provide diagnostic mammography services to three rural counties in Central New York equaling 3,300 square miles. 

“I am glad to announce that we were able bring tax dollars back home to improve important women’s health care services in Oneonta and surrounding rural areas,” Arcuri said. “Early detection is critical to catching breast cancer and saving lives, but all too often services are not readily available to women who live in rural areas. This funding will enable A.O. Fox Hospital to upgrade its mammography services with new technology to reach more women and save more lives.”

$100,000 for the Upper Susquehanna River Basin flood damage reduction study.  In response to flooding in recent years throughout Broome, Cortland, Norwich and Otsego Counties, funds will be used to conduct a comprehensive watershed management study for water resources improvements in the interest of streambank stabilization, flood damage reduction, floodplain management, and environmental restoration.  In addition, funds will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the existing flood control system in the Upper Susquehanna River Basin including the identification of rehabilitations, improvements, and additional structural and non-structural measures.

$102,000 for the Upper Susquehanna Environmental Restoration, Cooperstown, NY. Funds will be used to initiate plans and specifications for the restoration of wetland areas in the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed. Wetlands restoration is one of the goals in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy.  Cumulative benefits from this effort, along with those being planned and implemented by others, will substantially restore water quality and natural resources, reduce flood damage, and create wildlife habitat in the in the Upper Susquehanna River Basin.

“Otsego County and much of the region were devastated last year by severe flooding and many local communities are still in the process of fully recovering,” Arcuri said. “These funds will enable the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct an all-inclusive flood reduction study and being the process of upgrading existing flood control systems.”

In addition to funding secured by Arcuri for local projects, the Fiscal Year 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Act contains critical investments in national priorities such as cutting edge medical research, expanded access to higher education, improved transportation infrastructure and strengthened homeland security. 

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