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Ulster County looking forward to spending federal COVID funds
Ariél Zangla reports in the Daily Freeman that Ulster County will receive about $68 million in direct federal COVID-19 aid that they can spend however they want, Rep. Antonio Delgado said. "There's flexibility for our local actors to utilize these funds," Delgado said. "Literally, the language says to address the negative impact of COVID-19 as part of eligible uses. That's pretty broad." The money is going partly to the county, but also in direct payments to towns. Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said that among other projects, some of the money will go to bringing a former IBM site back to economic life. Ryan says they will also make investments in mental health and addiction recovery, and to improve the lack of affordable housing in the Hudson Valley. Kingston Mayor Steve Noble Noble said the city is currently formulating a plan to use the federal aid "in the most equitable way by creating truly impactful programs." Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.