County Executive, Chair of Board of Legislators Announce $274 Million in Capital Projects at Breakfast. | WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER 3,374,995 VISITS IN ONE YEAR---65,000 VISITS A WEEK BY 985,281 VISITORS

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Board of Legislators. January 10, 2014:

County Executive Robert P. Astorino and Chairman of the Board of Legislators Michael Kaplowitz today announced agreement on $274 million in vital public infrastructure investments. The investment represents an increase of $86 million over what was invested last year. Hundreds of jobs will be created to complete the infrastructure improvements to buildings, roads, bridges, the airport, transportation and the sewer and water districts, as well as funding for a variety of technology upgrades and renovations to county parks.

“These are solid investments that strengthen the county’s assets and create hundreds of jobs, and I want to thank Chairman Kaplowitz for his leadership in pledging to move these projects forward expeditiously,” said Astorino. “By working together, we can speed the benefits of these projects to residents and businesses.”

Kaplowitz added, “The Board of Legislators is committed to working with the administration to move these capital projects through the approval process quickly. We’ve established a new committee structure that will allow us to perform our oversight functions in a more effective and timely way.”

Astorino made the announcement at the Westchester Business Council’s 2014 KeyBank breakfast at Tappan Hill in Tarrytown on Friday morning. “The county executive’s announcement is great news for Westchester County,” said Dr. Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of The Business Council of Westchester. “Investing hundreds of millions of dollars in capital projects is vital for the region’s infrastructure — and benefits residents and local businesses. It creates well-paying jobs, generates significant economic activity and ensures that our roads, bridges and transportations systems are safe, secure and up-to-date. When coupled with the Astorino Administration’s other economic development efforts, these nuts-and-bolts investments show that Westchester County is well-positioned for a bright future.”

The largest road and bridge projects include the rehabilitation of the Ashford Avenue Bridge in Ardsley and the Fulton Avenue Bridge in Mount Vernon and Pelham Manor.

There is $31 million planned for the Parks and Recreation Department for projects that include improvements and renovations to the Maple Moor and Dunwoodie Golf Courses, the County Center, Lasdon Park and the North and South County Trailways. There is also ongoing restoration work taking place at Playland Park to make repairs to the Boardwalk and Ice Casino, which were damaged by Superstorm Sandy.

The $25 million being spent at the airport will go toward upgrades at the airport terminal systems including airport approach protection, electrical system upgrades, heavy equipment acquisition, repaving of the asphalt surfaces, natural gas pipeline, runway safety improvements, and improvements to the water supply system.

The 2014 sewer improvement projects include: $82 million for the construction of a pumping station in Eastview and $24 million for the engine and boiler replacements, HVAC, odor control and other upgrades to the Yonkers Joint Wastewater Treatment Plant.