Hinchey, podium, with county and village officials, including Mayor Jenkins, seated right

MONTICELLO – The USDA’s Rural Development Agency has granted the Village of Monticello $6.4 million in federal stimulus grant funds and $7.9 million in low-interest loan money to rebuild its wastewater treatment facilities at a total cost of $14.4 million.

Congressman Maurice Hinchey, who came to Monticello Friday to announce the funding, was credited with lobbying the USDA to secure the money for a system that was deemed near failure.

The problem of aging water and wastewater infrastructure is not limited to Monticello. “The whole state needs new pipes,” said Jill Harvey, USDA’s Rural Development Agency New York director, who was also in the village for the announcement.

“Similar to so many rural communities throughout this state, Monticello has faced a situation in which its vital infrastructure, roads, bridges, water and sewer plants, have aged and deteriorated, at the same time that its tax and economic base also decreased,” said Hinchey.

Between the new sewer facilities and the rebuilding of Broadway, Monticello will begin to see a rebirth, he said.

Mayor Gordon Jenkins said the village could never have afforded the project without the federal aid. “The intention is for business to come into the village,” he said.