College Awarded New York State Regional Economic Development Council Funds

Jefferson Community College was awarded $980,000 from Governor Cuomo’s latest round of New York State Regional Economic Development Council funds. 

Jefferson’s Campus Green Revitalization Project received $880,000 to complete a major overhaul of the main entryway to campus for environmental and safety benefits. This new entry corridor will serve as a living lab for students, improve campus aesthetics, reduce Jefferson’s environmental impact, slow traffic, support public transportation, and create a green corridor to other storm water management projects. In mitigating an environmentally damaged water source, the project will serve as an example of different techniques that can be used to control and treat runoff.  Currently, storm water flows along impervious surfaces throughout campus directly into the Black River. The main entryway to campus will be transformed with bioretention medians, porous roadway shoulders and educational signage with ongoing monitoring. Jefferson is the only community college to receive a Green Innovation Grant Program (GIGP) award.  

The College was also awarded $100,000 to fund a North Country Construction Training initiative to provide two industry recognized credential trainings from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). This project will prepare unemployed workers to fill in-demand construction and carpentry positions. The North Country Construction Training Initiative will provide 60 participants with an intensive ten-week (400 hours) training program. Participants will earn two industry-recognized credentials from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). The College will use curriculum developed by NCCER, including the Core curriculum and the Carpentry Level 1 curriculum. Founded in 1996, the NCCER maintains a registry of qualified employees for the construction industry. The College recognizes input from the IBEW Local #910, Associated Builders and Contractors, and Purcell Construction for information regarding the need for this training in the North Country.  The College will provide participants with all necessary materials and supplies to complete the training, including the textbook, personal protective equipment, and tools, as well as $20 per week to offset the cost of transportation between their home and the College.  

“Jefferson is thrilled to be awarded REDC funding in support of two key initiatives on campus," says Dr. Ty A. Stone, College president.  “While quite diverse from one another, these two projects are grounded in education – by creating educational opportunities around an environmental improvement project on campus and by offering credentialed training to serve an industry that needs more local workers. Both are vital to the long-term sustainability of this community.” 

For a full listing of the grants awarded and for the official press release please visit: https://regionalcouncils.ny.gov/