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6.21.21 BNP Advocacy Alert – Poloncarz Announces ARP Spending Plan

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June 21, 2021

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced today his plan to invest the county’s share of local aid from the latest COVID-19 relief package.

The American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus plan signed by President Biden in March, provided $178 million to Erie County.

Poloncarz said the county’s “RENEW Plan” will invest $123.7 million in:

Infrastructure
- ErieNET, a 360-mile high-speed fiberoptic network across Erie County
- $33 million in sewer and water upgrades
- $5 million for construction of a new DPW barn on Harlem Road
- $10 million for upgrades to the county building at 50 Delaware Avenue and the replacement of roof tiles at SUNY Erie’s downtown campus
- $5 million in DPW pay-as-you-go road funding
Regional Attractions
- $14.3 million in the Erie County Parks system
  - Largest single-year investment since the 1930s WPA program
  - Restoration of the Wendt Mansion and Stables
  - $400,000 in upgrades to the South Park casino and Martin Luther King Park grow-houses
  - Significant investment in Chestnut Ridge Park – Parking Lot, Casino Improvements, Roadway Improvements, Comfort Station upgrades
  - Other upgrades to Ellicott Creek Park, Como Lake Park, Emery Park, Grover Cleveland Park, Seneca Bluffs Park.
- $5 million for the Botanical Gardens Expansion Project
- $4.5 million for facade renovations to the Convention Center
County Personnel
- Replacement of previous COVID-related budget cuts
  - 107 of 287 cut county positions restored
- Premium pay for essential county workers who worked during first wave of pandemic – up to $5/hour bonus
- 35 new jobs in the parks department, EMS services, district attorney’s office, purchasing, cancer services, and a newly-created Office of Health Equity
Other Investments
- $2.8 million for small business promotion programs
- $1.6 million to fully fund Health Professionals Opportunity Grant Program to train health workforce
- $15 million in other “Strategic Community Group Capital Investments”

The RENEW Plan is being presented to the Erie County Legislature this week. Poloncarz expects the remaining tranche of ARP funds to arrive in May 2022.

9.20.21 Advocacy Alert: Border Closure Extended Through October

By growthzone | September 20, 2021

This morning, the U.S. federal government announced that it will be extending its closure to Canadian travelers through October 21.

Non-essential Canadian travelers have been banned from entering the U.S. since March 2020. Despite calls from the BNP, numerous members of Congress, and chambers across the nation to open the border, the Biden administration has not relented in its approach – even after Canada opened its doors to American travelers in August.

9.9.21 COVID-19 Bulletin: Biden To Mandate “Vax or Test” Requirement for Large Employers

By growthzone | September 9, 2021

Yesterday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced she would repeal the state’s mask mandate, effective today. However, her announcement did not proactively address how the repeal coincided with the NY HERO Act, which would have required employees in most workplaces to continue masking.

9.7.21 Advocacy Alert: Hochul Triggers HERO Act – Employer Checklist

By growthzone | September 7, 2021

Yesterday, Governor Kathy Hochul designated COVID-19 as a “highly contagious communicable disease,” citing rising case numbers and concerns about the delta variant. This declaration is significant because it triggers the NY HERO Act.