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The Syracuse Common Council approved the city’s participation in a program that prevents low-income households from losing access to drinking and wastewater.

The New York state Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) would assist households that pay a high proportion of their income to drinking water and wastewater providers to prevent a loss of those services.

Announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul as part of the state’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the program made almost $70 million in federal funding available for low-income households since Wednesday.

The program is slated to last through September 2023.

The council also approved the allocation of $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to invest in commercial properties. The funds will be used to upgrade ground-level storefronts in Syracuse. Eligible applicants can receive up to $100,000 or 50% of the total renovation cost, whichever amount comes first.

The Common Council has previously approved ARPA funds, allocated by Congress to cities across the country to address the continued impact of COVID-19, for parks, public safety and digital infrastructure.

The council approved an agreement with Onondaga County to apply for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. The proceeds of the grant, if accepted, would be used to purchase law enforcement equipment requested by the Syracuse Police Department and the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office.

Maya Goosmann | Digital Design Director

The grant, named for an officer killed in the line of duty, provides an opportunity for state and local law enforcement jurisdictions to apply for federal funding. SPD and the sheriff’s office would each receive $54,100 if awarded the grant.

The city will also receive $200,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant to purchase firefighting hoses and nozzles.

Other business
The council approved a proposal for JSK Snow Services to provide snow cleaning services for 100 miles of sidewalk from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, in a contract worth $650,000. The Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council and the Department of Public Works will determine the routes of the service.

The city entered into an agreement with Azteca Systems LLC to track and maintain city water infrastructure for a three-year period. The total cost of the contract was $198,000.

The council also approved a contract worth a total of $581,000 for C&S Engineers Inc. to oversee the preliminary design of a replacement and rehabilitation project for the East Brighton Avenue bridge over the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway.

Published on December 6, 2021 at 10:15 pm

Contact Richard: rcperrin@syr.edu | @richardperrins2