Saratoga County releases public report on infrastructure resiliency

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. » Saratoga County and Saratoga Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) recently released a public report on infrastructure resiliency in Saratoga County.

SEDC presented the report’s findings to the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors at its July 19 Board meeting. Funding for the project was provided by the Capital District Regional Planning Council (CDRPC).

Saratoga County engaged SEDC for the project to gain insight on the business community’s infrastructure resiliency concerns and to assess government’s role in buffering residents and businesses against future events and regional impacts relating to infrastructure and energy needs.

The report recognizes the County’s successful track record of proactive attention to potential risks and provides a path forward to improve on its strong foundation, citing a collaborative and involved business community and the county’s robust growth of economic activity, population, and average income.

The public infrastructure resiliency report focuses on the impact to regional businesses and the economy. The report includes a description of the infrastructure scope, rationale for taking a sector-specific approach to evaluating risks and impact, and a summary of the input from dozens of regional stakeholders. Report authors also make recommendations for ongoing coordination when risks and potential challenges emerge.

The project’s working group was comprised of regional leaders including representatives from National Grid, Verizon, Arnoff Global Logistics, NYSEG and public infrastructure entities, who shared various viewpoints and trends. These included macro-level concerns and risks as well as state and local issues in the following categories.

• Regional growth is increasing needs for reliable infrastructure. Multiple scenarios for growth and related infrastructure needs should be evaluated to determine regional gaps due to broad trends and emerging resource requirements.

• Energy is an essential economic driver. Business and government leaders should have a voice in the planning and deployment of energy investments to ensure that they are prioritized for communitywide benefit.

• External factors are causing significant and often uncontrollable challenges. Coordinated efforts by regional stakeholder can help to proactively evaluate potential issues and identify solutions, support, resources, and advocates that may be outside the region.

• The NY State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) will present significant challenges for business and industry. Careful consideration must be given to energy infrastructure plans and regulations to enable our economy to thrive and to avoid challenges related to prohibitive costs and reliable, consistent energy availability.

The report included recommendations for the County to consider when assessing future infrastructure needs including prioritizing infrastructure investments in areas with medium and high economic impacts; building out capacity for future development to reduce risks and coordaining efforts across the region; ongoing planning and emergency coordination; and continuing the County’s forward-looking, proactive attention to potential risks and opportunities.

The report recommends the members of the working group meet biannually and Supervisor Barrett working with SEDC will coordinate the meetings.

SEDC will begin sharing the findings with local officials throughout Saratoga County.

Business leaders, residents and local government officials are encouraged to read the full report, available on the Saratoga County website at www.SaratogaCountyNY.gov.