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County Administrator Joe Mareane today presented the Legislature's Facilities and Infrastructure Committee the first draft of the County's proposed 2017-2021 Capital Program.  The Legislature adopts the five-year capital program as part of the County's annual County budget process.

The draft program carries forward a number of projects included in the County's 20-year Capital Plan and contained in the 2016 capital program.  Among new projects included in the 2017-2021 draft are two new bridge projects—rehabilitation of the Fall Creek Road Bridge in the Town of Dryden (design only) and replacement of the Ludlowville Road Bridge over Salmon Creek in the Town of Lansing.

The draft program also includes a new, ongoing program to support natural infrastructure related to natural floodplains and water resources—allocating $200,000 per year to support projects that address surface water, flooding, and groundwater quality and quantity issues within the context of increasingly extreme weather patterns.  The program would be focused on protection by easement, restoration, and stabilization of upper watershed forest and wetlands, stream corridors and floodplains, to protect and enhance natural systems that can mitigate the impact of intensive rainfall events, help lessen sediment loads and streams and Cayuga Lake, and protect overall water quality.

Among projects carried forward are long-discussed bus stop improvements at the Health Department to allow easier bus access, design to begin this year with construction in 2017, at a total project cost of $500,000.  The program continues the County's multi-year Facilities Restoration project to address deferred capital maintenance issues in County buildings and its capital improvement program for roads and bridges—allocations for each $2.4 million over the five-year period.  Among other road and bridge projects is the fourth and final phase of Ellis Hollow Road construction, from Dodge Road to Game Farm Road, slated for 2018, dependent on a $600,000 contribution from Cornell University.

At the Airport, several projects remain in the draft program, all involving no local property tax support--among them expansion of rental car parking; general aviation apron rehabilitation; and parallel taxiway rehabilitation; and installation of LED airfield and taxiway lighting.  The biggest project would be nearly $6 million in terminal security and baggage area improvements (which would depend on projected increases in passenger volumes and other funding sources.)

The County, by policy, commits to increase the County's tax levy by 0.5% each year to support the County's capital program.

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