Dear eNews Reader,
We are in the process of wrapping up our legislative session in a couple of weeks. In addition to passing bills of local and statewide importance, I also spend a fair amount of time opposing bills that would hurt our local interests. While many pieces of legislation are well-intended, its always the unintended consequences that we try to anticipate. Here are a few highlights from May.
Donna
Work Underway at new Hooper Road Senior Apartments
Ground was officially broken on the Hooper Road Apartments in Endwell this month. This will add 80 units of affordable, accessible housing for Broome County seniors. As we all know, this type of housing is in high demand in our community. NYS Homes & Community Renewal committed $15M towards the project; it’s very good to see funds that we support in the state budget being invested here at home. Thank you to CDS Housing, Broome County, YWCA Binghamton, and all who helped to make this possible.
Celebrating Local Sports Victories
I was proud to honor two of our local high school sports teams for their recent State Championship wins. Senator Webb and I visited Maine-Endwell High School to present a Legislative Resolution and recognitions to the Girls Bowling Team for their accomplishment. They won the NYSPHSAA Division II Championship this past March, beating Depew High School by 132 pins.
Later in the month, the Binghamton Boys Basketball Team visited Albany where Senator Webb and I presented them with a Joint Legislative Resolution. They won the NYSPHSAA Class AA Championship this past March, defeating Niskayuna High School 75-61 and taking home the team’s first state title in 39 years. Their wins are a great source of pride for our community, and I’m glad that we were able to recognize both teams for their accomplishments.
Memorial Day in the Southern Tier
Honored to Receive Award from Daughters of Columbus
I was proud to receive the “Honoring Community Service Award” from the Daughters of Columbus Lodge 1666 in Endicott a few weeks ago. I am very proud of my Italian heritage and have been a member of the Stella D’Argento Lodge in Binghamton for over 25 years. This year’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” was given in memory of Tiffany Ferrell, a dedicated Daughters of Columbus member who tragically passed away in a car accident last year. Best wishes to the scholarship winners and to the other honorees.
Focusing on the Avian Flu
As Chair the Committee that oversees food production in NYS, I thought it was important to pay a visit to the East End of Long Island; one of the state’s important agricultural regions. I’ve been there before, but my focus this time was on Avian Influenza (bird flu) and its effect on Crescent Duck Farm, the last remaining commercial duck farm in the region. They recently lost their entire flock to a bird flu outbreak (100,000 ducks). We successfully added funds into this year’s budget for avian flu research at Cornell’s Diagnostic Lab and continue monitoring the situation. I also spent time learning about NY’s oyster industry and the challenges these farmers are facing.