BINGHAMTON — SUNY Broome Community College will use federal funding of $150,000 to develop an aircraft-maintenance degree program.

The funding is allocated through the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), U.S. Senators Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) said in a news release.

The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic-development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian region, per the release.

SUNY Broome will use the funding to develop the curriculum and secure Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to teach the associate of occupational science degree program, the lawmakers said. 

The degree program will certify community college students to sit for FAA airframe and power-plant license exams and help fill job openings in the region’s aviation industry.

“This award is a big step forward in beginning SUNY Broome’s aircraft-maintenance program,” Broome County Executive Jason Garnar said in the release. “Broome County is proud to provide space at the Greater Binghamton Airport to house this program. It’s a win-win for students and local businesses. This program will provide hands-on training for future mechanics who will then be able to fill open aviation jobs in our region.”

UTICA — Crews have started work on a $16.6 million community-revitalization project along the Route 5S corridor (Oriskany Street) in Utica. 

The project, which is part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “Complete Streets” initiative, seeks to enhance “safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists along this busy corridor,” Cuomo’s office said in a news release. 

The state expects crews to complete the effort in late 2020. 

The project calls for “enhancing” accessibility for people with disabilities, realigning the roadway, reducing the number of driving lanes, constructing a roundabout at the intersection of Route 5S and John Street, and adding bicycle and pedestrian accommodations. 

Extending 0.7 miles from Broadway to Broad Street, the project also will reconfigure intersections and shrink expansive ones to try to improve navigation.

All traffic signals will also be upgraded as the work continues, “improving visibility and easing traffic flow,” Cuomo’s office said. 

The corridor will be landscaped with 11 varieties of trees and 250 shrubs, with more than 9,000 plantings in all. Among other improvements, crews will install park benches and bike racks, along with more than 100 lighting fixtures along the roadway and trails. 

The goal of the project, when it’s complete, is to “calm” traffic, improve access to the community, and support the redevelopment of residential and commercial buildings, such as the Landmarc Building and the expansion of Utica College’s downtown campus, the state says.

Cuomo and local officials say the initiative will also “provide a more pedestrian-friendly environment to encourage increased foot traffic in the downtown area and help build upon local business efforts to revitalize the historic Bagg’s Square neighborhood.” 

ALBANY — Across the state and the region, downtowns were at the front of the line when New York chose which Census tracts to nominate for new federal tax breaks.

Under the tax-cut legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump at the end of 2017, certain investments in low-income areas — defined by Census tracts — can be eligible for tax breaks.

Based on the number of Census tracts with poverty rates of at least 20 percent or median family incomes of no more than 80 percent of the statewide or metropolitan area family income, New York was able to nominate up to 514 Census tracts. It did so on April 20, the deadline.

“In New York State, we’ve focused on revitalizing our downtowns and investing in the communities that need it most,” Howard Zemsky, president and CEO of Empire State Development (ESD), said in a release.

New York State Secretary of State Rossana Rosado echoed the sentiment. “Similar to the scope of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, the areas identified are ripe for attention and revitalization,” she noted.

ESD, the state’s economic-development agency, said the areas were selected based on analyses by New York State Homes and Community Renewal, New York State Department of State, the state’s Regional Economic Development Councils, as well as its own analysis.

The 514 suggested Census tracts submitted will be reviewed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The department has 30 days to review and approve or reject the nominated tracts.

Investments made by individuals through special funds in the designated zones would be allowed to defer or eliminate federal capital-gains taxes.

“The Opportunity Zone program has significant potential to catalyze investment and drive real growth in some of the most underserved areas of our region,” says CenterState CEO President Rob Simpson “This is the kind of economic solution needed to address economic challenges across the CenterState region including Syracuse’s high rates of poverty and unemployment. We believe the state designated census tracts will benefit significantly from the investments and will provide community-wide returns.”

He added, “We know that these investments will ultimately lead to jobs being put in closer proximity to those that need them.”

ESD released maps showing the chosen zones. On the maps, the chosen tracts cluster in urban areas. Tracts were selected in Binghamton, Cortland, Fulton, Oswego, Ogdensburg, Utica, Watertown, and Ithaca. In Syracuse, with some of the poorest neighborhoods in the United States, more than a dozen Census tracts were designated by the state to become Opportunity Zones.

Not all the chosen zones are in urban areas, but the maps show large swaths of low-income rural areas where no Census tracts were nominated.