U.S. Representative Mondaire Jones (D-NY) applauded the passage of the Fiscal Year 2023 omnibus appropriations bill, which includes nearly $29 million in Community Project Funding (CPF) for 15 different projects across New York’s 17th Congressional District. The bill was passed in the House today and now goes to President Biden for his signature. Once signed into law, the funding will be distributed to various local governments and community organizations throughout Rockland and Westchester Counties. This latest round of funding secured by Rep. Jones for the 17th district includes essential funding for mental health resources, community programming, and health care facilities and training, as well as improvements to roads and bridges, green spaces, and community spaces.

“I’m proud to be delivering nearly $29 million in federal funding for vital community projects throughout New York’s 17th Congressional District,” said Rep. Jones. “From expanded health care and mental health services, to restoring our roads, bridges and vibrant community spaces, these projects will improve the everyday lives of my constituents in Rockland and Westchester Counties. I’m proud to have worked with my Senate partners, Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, to secure this money for my district. 

Specifically, Rep. Jones’ secured funding for the following programs:

• Village of Ossining – Route 9 Road Diet – $4,000,000

Joint request with Senators Schumer and Gillibrand

o    This funding will be used to design and construct a road diet to balance the corridor of Route 9 stretching from South and North Highland Avenue to its intersection with Cedar Lane through its intersection with Cedar Place. The Route 9 Road Diet project is key to ensuring a well-connected and well-integrated community with a focus on social and economic equity. It will increase the walkability and bikeability of a stretch of the community that is home to entrepreneurs, including immigrant and women-owned businesses, and help reduce the Village’s carbon footprint.

• Town of Orangetown – Route 9W at Oak Tree Road Safety Improvements – $4,000,000

Joint request with Senators Schumer and Gillibrand

o    This funding will be used for improving the Palisades, New York corridor of 9W to correct a long history of dangerous traffic patterns and traffic conditions at the Oak Tree Road and Route 9W. A single-lane roundabout will be built at an intersection where many accidents occur every year. Palisades is the first entry into New York State from New York City and New Jersey – it is an essential and significant thoroughfare to all points north along Route 9W and the NYS Thruway and points to the west by way of Oak Tree Road.

• Rockland Community College – Construction and Expansion of the Nursing Simulation Lab – $3,000,000
  • This funding will be used for the construction and expansion of a new state-of-the-art Nursing Simulation Lab on Rockland Community College’s main campus in Suffern. Nursing simulation laboratories are used at all levels of nursing education to prepare students with the skills they need to enter the workforce and provide excellent patient care. This funding will provide the Simulation Lab with much needed high-fidelity mannequins and equipment that can mimic real life scenarios that students will face in the field.

• Scenic Hudson – Route 9-RiverWalk Transit Connector – $2,797,500

Joint request with Senators Schumer and Gillibrand

o    This funding will be used to construct the Transit Connector to enable pedestrian and bicycle access between Route 9 neighborhoods and businesses. This ADA-compliant trail connection will help New York State meet its climate and energy reduction goals by providing bicycle/pedestrian access between Tarrytown Station, a multi-modal transportation hub, and homes, businesses, and jobs.

• Village of New Square – Drainage and Flood Mitigation Improvement Project – $2,400,000

Joint request with Senators Schumer and Gillibrand

o    This funding will be used for replacing storm sewers with larger diameter pipes for increased flow capacity and improve the ability to provide some attenuation of peak flows by providing increased storage capacity. The project will help reduce flooding by upgrading the existing storm system and relieving flood-induced hazardous conditions that result in damage to roadways, sidewalks, homes, and employment.

• Ossining Community of Garden Dreams Legacy Center – Ossining Community of Garden Dreams Legacy Center Expansion Project – $2,000,000
  • This funding will be used for the acquisition of a new center and vacant lot for the Ossining Community of Garden Dreams Legacy Center in the historic district of the Village of Ossining. This project will help to serve the community by preserving green space and restoring an old building to grow suitable food, reduce food insecurity, and develop community cohesion.

• Finkelstein Memorial Library – Finkelstein Library Enrichment Center – $2,000,000
  • This funding will be used for constructing an addition to the Finkelstein Library to house the Enrichment Center to provide low-cost or free mental health services to homeless clients in Rockland County. The Library is partnering with VCS (Volunteer Counseling Service of Rockland County Inc.) to create a space to provide these much needed services.

• New York Medical College – Equity and Compassion in Medical Education Through Advanced Real-Time Simulations – $1,900,000

Joint request with Senators Schumer and Gillibrand

o    This funding will be used to expand a highly specialized health care training facility to provide students and residents with patient encounters specifically engineered to teach and test their ability to recognize patients’ issues that go deeper than the health problems they report. The project will help health professionals in Westchester and Rockland Counties to serve diverse populations not only with standard practices but also systemic issues of food insecurity, sustainability, substandard housing, and inadequate protection and resilience during community-wide emergencies.

• Village of Croton-on-Hudson – Half Moon Bay Bridge Reconstruction Project – $1,500,000 
  • This funding will be used to complete the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Half Moon Bay Bridge, which connects housing and parks with the Village of Croton. The bridge is the only public vehicular access point to these areas which are used by hundreds of area residents each day. The bridge also spans the Hudson Line of the Metro North Railroad; any collapse or failure of the bridge span would cause significant issues for rail traffic.

• The LOFT – The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center New Home Project – $1,500,000
  • This funding will be used for purchasing a new Center in downtown White Plains which will house LGBTQ+ Seniors and provide vital services and space for Circle Care Health. Circle Care Health is an LGBTQ+ specific health care provider to provide health care and mental health services to LGBTQ+ community members.

• Jawonio Inc. – Jawonio Behavioral Health Center – $1,300,000

Joint request with Senator Schumer

o    This funding will be used to build out a new space in Rockland County for the Jawonio Behavioral Health Center where people with a mental health diagnosis can receive holistic mental health services, achieve their recovery goals, and actively participate in their community. The Jawonio Behavioral Health Program is unique as it provides integrated psychiatric rehabilitation and clinical services that promotes treatment through a recovery-oriented lens.

• Good Samaritan Hospital (Bon Secours Charity Health System) – Good Samaritan Hospital Cancer Screening Endoscopy Suite – $1,000,000

Joint request with Senator Schumer

o    This funding will be used to establish a modernized Cancer Screening Endoscopy suite to facilitate preventative screenings aimed at detecting cancerous growths during early treatable stages that are commonly without external symptoms. The project will increase the overall health and wellness of communities in Rockland County by improving access to highly specialized care with state of the art technology.

• Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. – Aging in Place Home Repair Program – $500,000

Joint request with Senator Schumer

o    This funding will launch an Aging in Place Home Repair program to make necessary aging-in-place repairs, increase energy efficiency, and enable healthy living for seniors in Westchester County. Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. (WRO), in partnership with Habitat for Humanity New York City and Westchester County (Habitat NYC and Westchester), will collaborate to address vital housing needs in NY-17. Funds will be used to support the costs associated with the repair projects, as well as costs associated with operating the program.

• Westchester Sickle Cell Outreach, Inc. – WSCO7 Building Fund Project – $500,000
  • This funding will be allocated to the purchase of a moderate size building that will provide community based services to Sickle Cell Disease patients and families. Additional funding will be used for physical appearance such as floor and window treatments, office furniture, including office equipment, and treatment room furniture. Due to the health disparity for Sickle Cell Disease, this population encounters limited funding and community resources.

• Make the Road New York – Literacy Services for Immigrant New Yorkers –  $400,000
  • This funding will enable Make the Road New York (MRNY) to sustain and enhance Adult Literacy programming for low-income, immigrant communities. In addition to high quality ESOL and Civics instruction students will be assessed for and connected to MRNY’s holistic survival services. This funding will also enable MRNY to purchase new technology to meet rapidly growing needs for digital literacy instruction that have accelerated during the pandemic. This project is designed to meet the intense needs for literacy services in Westchester which features one of the fastest growing immigrant communities in New York State.

“Since the early 1990s, residents and business owners in the Village of Ossining have campaigned for the safety enhancements, parking improvements, and economic development benefits that will come with the Road Diet on NYS Route 9,” said Village of Ossining Mayor Rika Levin.“After many decades of enduring the community-splintering consequences of urban renewal, the residents of Ossining are looking forward to mending our Village and increasing connectivity to the benefit of all. On behalf of the Board of Trustees and Village leadership, I commend Congressman Jones for heroically pushing forward and securing funding for this transformative project. Coupled with our DRI projects in Downtown Ossining and our e-bike initiative Project MOVER, we are responding to the goals and objectives set out by NYS and are confident that our County, and our State, are moving towards a greener, more equitable future.”

Theo Oshiro, Co-Executive Director of Make the Road New York said, “We are thankful for the dedication of Representative Mondaire Jones to secure funding so that our organization can continue to meet the intense needs for literacy and wrap around services in Westchester which features one of the fastest growing immigrant communities in the state. We have provided high-quality adult education services for almost 30 years and this funding will also enable us to meet the rapidly growing needs for digital literacy instruction that have accelerated during the pandemic.” 

“We are so grateful to Congressman Jones for this extraordinary $1.3 million dollar funding opportunity for our Jawonio Community Mental Health Center in Rockland County. Thanks to the Congressman, the most vulnerable individuals with lifetime mental health challenges will now have a ‘home’ in the community where they will be supported, included, and focused on their personal goals and recovery. This is an absolute game-changer. Not only has Congressman Jones given us the resources to change lives for the better, but to save lives too,” said Jawanio CEO Randi Rios-Castro, MS. 

“The support from Congress for education and training of medical students and others in health care and disaster medicine is invaluable,” said Alan Kadish, MD, president of New York Medical College and Touro University. “We particularly want to thank Congressman Mondaire Jones and Senator Charles Schumer for their support.”  

“Rockland Community College is thrilled to be the recipient of $3 million Community Project Funding to construct and expand a new state-of-the-art Nursing Simulation Lab on the RCC main campus in Suffern, NY. This could not have come at a more significant moment as our Nation is experiencing a desperate need for nurses as we continue to see a shortage in the healthcare industry. With this funding, RCC will be able to enhance our nursing program to allow students to have more practice with their learning. We are excited to begin work on this important initiative and to continue providing our students with transformational experiences for themselves and our community,” said Dr. Susan Deer, Officer in Charge of Rockland Community College.

“The residents of Palisades, NY have advocated for safety improvements to the Route 9W and Oak Tree Road intersection for over 14 years,” said Town of Orangetown Supervisor Teresa M. Kenny. “We are very thankful for Congressman Jones’ support and look forward to an accessible and safe roundabout in Palisades.”

“We are in so much gratitude to be able to secure the Ossining Community Garden of Dreams Legacy Center with the passage of this legislation,”said Co-Founders Diana E. Lemon and Lauren Awerdick. “We are looking forward to growing and honoring the seedling of the late Dream Shepherd who sought to inspire her community.”

“​​As the only full-service LGBTQ+ community services center in the county, to finally have a permanent center is a huge step forward for Westchester County and the Hudson Valley,” said Judy Troilo, Executive Director of The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center. “It’s a dream that has been 40 years in the making. We will be able to expand our services, partner with providers to offer medical services, LGBTQ+ affirming senior housing, and of course the vast range of services our members already depend upon.  We cannot thank Congressman Mondaire Jones and his team enough for this level of unprecedented support for the community.”

In addition to this round of $29 million in community project funding, early this year Congressman Jones secured $8.2 million in community project funding in the Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus appropriations bill, which included $1.5 million for the Hudson Valley’s first-ever LGBTQ+ community health clinic (located in Nyack, NY) and $2.2 million for crucial water and sewer infrastructure updates in West Nyack and Yorktown. This term in Congress, he has successfully fought for an overall total of $37 million in critical Community Project Funding throughout NY-17.