Washington, DC – U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $535,000 in federal funding for the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) to help expand jobs in log handling, sawing, and finishing. Specifically, the St. Lawrence IDA will work with local organizations to repurpose a vacant industrial building in the Town of Oswegatchie into a fully operational log handling, sawing, and finishing facility.
“This federal investment to build a new logging facility in the Town of Oswegatchie will be a shot in the arm to the North Country economy, helping to bring new good-paying jobs to the region,” said Senator Schumer. “I’m proud of the role I played in securing this federal funding and will continue fighting tooth and nail to ensure that St. Lawrence County has the resources it needs to continue creating meaningful economic development.”
“This funding is great news and an investment for the Town of Oswegatchie. With this funding, the St. Lawrence Industrial Development Agency will be able to turn a vacant building into a new facility for log handling, sawing, and finishing,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This will help create local jobs and grow the region’s rural economy. I will always fight in the Senate for the resources our communities need to be successful.”
“Our local forestry sector is currently characterized by a lack of a value-added processing capability, resulting in much of our valuable natural timber resources being shipped out of the area to be turned into finished products. This project will be a step toward capturing some of this value, creating jobs and economic activity here in St. Lawrence County”, said Patrick J. Kelly, CEO, St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency. “We appreciate the assistance from the Northern Border Regional Commission and the Economic Development Administration as well as our federal elected officials for their consistent and ongoing support of local development initiatives like this one.”
The funding was allocated through the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC). The EDA supports sustainable economic development initiatives throughout the United States. The NBRC is a federal-state partnership that invests in economic and community development projects throughout Upstate New York, as well as in rural communities in other states in the Northeast. More information on the Northern Border Regional Commission can be found here.