Albany County Government: County Executive McCoy Delivers 11th State Of The County Address

Press release from the Albany County Government:

03/07/2022 8:00 pm

Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy delivered his State of the County Address, his eleventh speech since being elected and the second since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He outlined his blueprint which outlines the challenges that still lie ahead as COVID-19 subsides. Included in the address are new policy initiatives that tackle mental health and addiction issues, child care access and affordability, economic development and recovery efforts, crime victim services, renewable energy projects and much more.

"COVID-19 forced us to make hard decisions in order to save lives and protect our loved ones. We will never forget those we lost to COVID complications, but Albany County's efforts to distribute vaccines and test kits widely throughout the community over the last year have helped to prevent many more deaths and we now have the virus under control and can prioritize our recovery. This is where the work starts, as many of the issues that we now need to solve, have either been created or made far worse by the pandemic, the economic shutdown, and the lingering effects of people isolating in their homes," said County Executive McCoy.

"Mental health has been strained, annual opioid overdose deaths in Albany County have spiked by over 77% between 2019 and 2021, and there's been an alarming rise in suicide attempts among teenage girls. What's more, inflation continues to squeeze the wallets of our residents, as necessities like childcare become further out of reach, and the pandemic continues to shine a light on the serious health and financial inequities that still exist across this nation. That's why I'm proposing a new taskforce made up of community leaders and stakeholders to develop a roadmap for mental health education for our children. We will also build a facility at the county's former nursing home tower to provide affordable daycare to our staff and others. Beyond that, I continue to prioritize the county's economic development on a range of projects – including universal broadband –  that will ensure economic opportunities and greater prosperity are felt throughout the county," he continued.

The daycare center announced by County Executive McCoy will be located on the first floor of the tower on the Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center campus, and will be made possible through a collaboration with the Colonie Youth Center. The state-of-the-art facility is expected to open in early 2023 and it will prioritize services for Shaker Place staff, but also other county employees depending on availability, with a sliding scale for payment rates to ensure affordability.

"One of the most devastating impacts of the pandemic has been the isolation residents have had to endure, especially our children who are in the key stages of social and mental development. In order to support healthy activities and social interaction, we are already in the process of dramatically revamping our County Recreation Department for people of all ages, including our seniors. For our kids, we will grow our programming beyond traditional sports, and start offering programs in e-sports, STEM, music, theater and much more," said County Executive McCoy.

"The COVID crisis and isolation meant the need to help victims of crime and sexual violence was greater than ever. Children were not in school to report abuse, and many victims feared to make phone calls while their abuser was home with them. Accordingly I directed county staff to rehabilitate a property so that crime victims' advocates would be able to have a comfortable private setting to converse and interview," he continued.

Additionally, the County Executive announced that through the partnership with MVP Health Care and the previously announced Innovation Fund, worth $21 million through the lifetime of the agreement, Albany County will be building a new "Fitness Court" at the Slingerlands trailhead in the coming months that will not only offer free outdoor exercise equipment for trail visitors, but also have an open space for various fitness classes, including yoga and zumba. Albany County will also be collaborating with MVP Health Care on hosting farmer's markets, job fairs and workforce development groups at the MVP Arena that will help jumpstart the economy and improve quality of life in the area.

During the State of the County Address, County Executive McCoy outlined a number of other economic development initiatives that Albany County has been deeply involved with through a partnership with the Advance Albany County Alliance LDC. He highlighted the County's investments that led to Plug Power coming to Vista Park in Bethlehem, a green energy company which by 2026, will provide 2,300 jobs in Albany County and be breaking ground very soon. Additionally, having prevailed in court and vetted a qualified bidder, the County Executive unveiled renderings of the new Central Warehouse created by Redburn and Columbia Developments to transform the blighted eyesore on the Albany skyline.

To address the educational equity issue related to high speed internet, County Executive McCoy gave an update on the Albany County Connect Project, which will include a study of all broadband access within the county, to include both geographical and affordability access. The study will be conducted by two industry leaders, Insight and Tilson, in coordination with the New York State ConnectALL initiative.

Additionally, County Executive McCoy pledged to convert the Albany County passenger vehicle fleet to zero-emission vehicles over the next five years. Beyond that, carbon-producing medium and heavy-duty vehicles will be phased out within the next ten and fifteen years, respectively. He also announced that over the next three months, Albany County will be installing twenty new electric vehicle charging ports throughout the county in order to accelerate electric vehicle adoption for local residents and tourists, alike. Albany County is also working with NYSERDA to ensure that new highway garages are the greenest in the entire State of New York.

• Read the 2022 State of the County address
• View the 2022 State of the County address

This press release was produced by the Albany County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.