City of Little Falls Gets $470,000 Grant to Improve Infrastructure

A major concern for municipalities across the country is an aging infrastructure. The second smallest city in New York State recognizes this issue and that's why a grant recently received will help immensely.

Mayor of Little Falls Mark Blask tells 'First News with Keeler in the Morning,' "We are always on the defense with issues like this whether it comes to flooding or heavy rain." This $470,000 grant is beneficial in many ways, especially because it is not a "matching grant," which has the condition of the municipality to make up some of the funds on their own.

This grant will not only help with future improvements, but it will allow the city to seek reimbursement for projects already completed. Mayor Blask posted on his Facebook page,

As with many small communities upstate, spending money to maintain roads, pipes, culverts, etc. is a necessary evil. None of it is ever cheap and each dollar spent hurts the city’s bottom line and we end up passing that pain on to the taxpayers in the form of higher taxes. This grant will certainly alleviate a lot of that pain.

Blask continues the same Facebook post to announce the hiring of a new City Engineer. That person is Chet Szymanski. Chet's hiring couldn't have come at a better time, according to Mayor Blask. He said,

Chet’s resume is incredibly impressive. It includes a Master’s Degree in Engineering from Clarkson University and 17 years experience; the bulk of which was spent dealing with the municipal issues we currently face. The timing of us receiving this $470,000 grant right after hiring a full-time engineer is certainly serendipitous.

With Herkimer County facing a number of water issues and infrastructure issues overall, this funding will most definitely help.