As mentioned, Community Assistance covers two related aspects of a typical infrastructure project. The first area of assistance involves the organization of the project and the project team through identification of specific work tasks, scheduling the sequencing of work, and identifying the expertise needed to complete the project. This project development work will generally:
- Identify the local interested parties that would serve as the community’s project team.
- Identify criteria related to retaining engineering and legal services.
- Identify issues related to environmental reviews and other regulatory requirements.
- Assist with tasks associated with special district formation, if needed.
- Develop and modify an overall project schedule that addresses the project work in relation to funding agency application schedules.
- Assist with developing a plan for community involvement to build citizen support for the project.
- Help maintain open communication among all involved parties before, during, and after project construction.
The services provided are always specifically configured to meet the needs of the project being undertaken, the community involved, and the nature of the local project team.
The second area of assistance offered is the guidance provided by the funding coordinator. The funding coordinator assists communities with the identification of applicable loan and grant funding programs offered by state and federal agencies through the NYS Water and Sewer Infrastructure Cofunding Initiative. Once the community’s funding package is established, the funding coordinator continues to work with municipal officials, serving to manage communications between the community and the involved funding agencies, to see that the required submittals flow as efficiently as possible and that agency requirements are satisfied.
