New culvert in Ulysses to reduce erosion, improve watershed connectivity

By Eddie Velazquez

The town of Ulysses is part of a list of municipalities across New York that recently received state funding to improve parks, historic properties and heritage areas.

The announcement from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) came on Dec. 23, when the state agency declared it had allocated $28 million to go toward municipal matters and projects related to recreation and preservation. 

For Ulysses, this means receiving a grant of slightly more than half a million dollars to improve a culvert on Garrett Road. 

Ulysses Town Supervisor Katelin Olson said the town has been looking to secure money for infrastructure, and this $520,352 award from OPRHP is only one grant in a series of funding streams the town has received in the past two years.

“I have prioritized investing in replacing or repairing aging infrastructure, and this wonderful award for Garrett Road is part of the approximately $2.8 million Ulysses has received in the last two years to address culvert and bridge deficiencies,” Olson told Tompkins Weekly in an email. “I look forward to undertaking this important project and am grateful to New York state for the funds.”

The project description, according to OPRHP, states the following: “The town of Ulysses will replace an undersized culvert on Garrett Road with a new arch culvert with a natural channel bottom. The new culvert will reduce erosion, stabilize the streambank, and improve aquatic connectivity in the Cayuga Lake watershed.”

The $28 million in funds are part of the state’s Environmental Protection Fund, an initiative that is in its 14th round of funding through the respective Regional Economic Development Councils that help municipalities across the state access state money. Tompkins County is part of the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council (STREDC). 

These grants help local governments and not-for-profits improve parks, historic properties and heritage areas, according to a press release from OPRHP. 

“The fourteenth round of REDC grants will fund transformative recreation and historic preservation projects in 38 counties, strengthening the fabric of daily life for New Yorkers and driving investment and growth,” OPRHP Commissioner Pro Tempore Randy Simons said in a press release. “Our agency concludes its centennial year by working with the Regional Economic Development Councils to help communities achieve their goals and realize a brighter future for New York state.”

The REDC process continues to support and empower regional stakeholders in developing strategic plans and funding priorities that meet local economic needs, the press release states.  Regional councils reviewed projects from this program and provided scores that reflect how well a project aligns with a region’s goals and strategies. Applicants utilized New York’s consolidated funding application, the state’s single application for state resources, which includes programs for numerous agencies. The application is designed to provide expedited and streamlined access to a combined pool of grant funds and tax credits from dozens of existing programs.

“Investing in regional projects that offer innovative, long-term solutions is vital to addressing statewide challenges and creating opportunities that benefit all New Yorkers,” Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said in the press release. “The Regional Economic Development Councils know their communities’ needs best, and their track record of fostering collaboration and forward-thinking ideas at the local level are essential towards strengthening our state’s future.”

The REDC initiative is a key component of the state’s approach to state investment and economic development, state officials said in the press release. In 2011, 10 regional councils were established to develop long-term strategic plans for economic growth for their regions. The councils are public-private partnerships made up of local experts and stakeholders from business, academia, local government and nongovernmental organizations. The regional councils have redefined the way New York invests in jobs and economic growth by putting in place a community-based, bottom-up approach and establishing a competitive process for state resources, officials said in the press release. 

Ulysses Connection appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @ezvelazquez.

In brief:

The Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts (TCFA) will host its “Can Give Concert” to benefit the Trumansburg Food Pantry on Jan. 26 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The show will take place at the Ulysses Philomathic Library.

“Lynn Wiles, George Cook and friends will be performing a live mix of jazz, folk and blues tunes. Drop in and catch some live music,” TCFA officials wrote in an online post promoting the event. “Drop off canned/dry goods for the Food Pantry! Admission is free, but please bring cans/dry goods to donate (no minimum quantity). Personal hygiene and cleaning items are also welcome, but no clothes.”