Category: Uncategorized
-
County Executive to Deliver 2020 State of the County at New Broome County Workforce Development Center in Johnson City
(JOHNSON CITY, NY) Broome County Executive, Jason Garnar will deliver the 2020 State of the County address at 6:00PM on Tuesday, February 11 at the future Broome County Workforce Development Center in the Oakdale Mall in Johnson City.
The new facility, located at 601-631 Harry L. Drive, is located in the former Sears building.
In the Spring of 2019, Broome County announced plans to move its Office of Employment and Training and a portion of the Department of Social Services (DSS) to the former Sears location in the Oakdale Mall. Sears vacated the building in 2017.
Broome County entered into a lease agreement with Spark Broome LLC, owned by the Matthews family. Spark Broome is completing renovations of the building, which is located at the north end of the Oakdale Mall. This will meet the needs of the OET and DSS, in addition to leaving room for other local entities.
“We are honored to welcome County Executive Garnar, the Broome County Legislature, Department Heads, and members of the community to the facility,” said Spark Broome LLC Vice President Doug Matthews. “We believe this project builds upon exciting revitalization efforts at an important community landmark in the Village of Johnson City.”
County Executive Garnar said, “I am excited to be delivering my State of the County at the new Broome County Workforce Development Center. This project is the prime example of how the power of partnerships is revitalizing Broome County. Doug Matthews has transformed this space to fit the needs of Broome County. He saw an opportunity to make a major investment to fit the needs of our community and we are so excited about this new 21st century career development center to help train people for the thousands of open jobs we have in our community.”
The 2020 State of the County address is open to the public.
County Executive Garnar delivered the 2019 State of the County address at the ANSCO Lofts in the city of Binghamton.
-
Broome County Announces 2020 Small Community Fund
Broome County is once again happy to provide grants through the Small Community Fund. The fund is for local municipalities, non-profits, and local economic development entities that are working on projects to assist in carrying out the Broome County Comprehensive Plan. A total of $150,000 is available.
County Executive Garnar created the Small Community Fund in the 2018 budget to help Broome County municipalities and organizations fund projects to better their communities.
The Broome County Legislature has approved the funding.
In 2019, we provided funds to the Impact Project for housing repair and rehabilitation projects in rural parts of Broome County, Little Italy Endicott for a kitchen renovation at the Heritage Center and funding to several area park projects. Grants ranged from $1,200 to $30,000, with the average grant being approximately $15,000.
The initial deadline for applications is March 31, 2020.
The full plan can be found online at broomecountyny.gov/planning/comprehensiveplan
While open to all applicants that meet the stated criteria, is intended to help the smaller communities with projects that may not be eligible for alternate funding sources.
The emphasis of the Small Community Fund will be on projects which address the goals of the comprehensive plan by:
- Supporting small retail and restaurants
- Addressing substandard housing
- Promoting elder-friendly development
- Attracting and retaining artists, entrepreneurs, and retirees
- Supporting events and festivals
- Fostering public art
- Improving streetscape, bike and pedestrian amenities, commercial facades
- Supporting and coordinating marketing efforts for rural village centers
- Combating blight in primary and secondary corridors and gateway areas
- Improving access to recreational and scenic resources
The application is available for download at broomecountyny.gov/planning/forms Applications should be returned to Frank Evangelisti at this address: Frank.Evangelisti@BroomeCounty.US or by mail to PO Box 1766, Broome County Office Building, Binghamton, NY 13902.
-
Save the Date! Heart Healthy Day at the Oakdale Mall
The 11th Annual Weis Markets Healthy Heart Day to support the American Heart Association
Saturday, January 25th from 10 am – 2 pm, Oakdale Mall – Center Court- The Broome County Office for Aging will be on site to answer questions and will be joined by 15 other area organizations in providing information on healthy eating, getting active, participating in the community, quitting smoking, finding support and resources, along with health screenings, food samples and much more!
- Community demonstration every 30 minutes – Karate, Irish Dancing, Mall Walking and more.
- Weis Markets will raffle off bags of healthy groceries ($50 value per-bag) throughout the day. $1 donation per chance.
-
Willow Point Rehabilitation and Nursing Center Launches New Website
(VESTAL, NY) Broome County leaders are excited to announce the Willow Point Rehabilitation and Nursing Center has launched a new website: www.willowpointrehab.com. The goal of the new website is to help the facility stand out as a true competitor of skilled nursing/rehabilitation services as well as easing the search for rehabilitative and long-term care services in Broome County.
The new site highlights everything Willow Point has to offer. On the new site each service has its own page including rehabilitation, admissions, activities and more. The new Willow Point website was officially launched in December of 2019.
“This new website allows Willow Point to show what we do and why we are great at it,” said Willow Point Rehabilitation and Nursing Center Administrator Ryan LaClair. “The new website will improve our exposure within the community and is user-friendly and convenient for the residents of Broome County.”
“As the chair of the Broome County Legislative Health and Human Services Committee I think that Willow Point is a real gem and we need to get the word out there,” said Broome County Legislator Jason Shaw. “This new website helps us do just that.”
Not only has the Willow Point website gotten an upgrade, but a new Broome County Website broomecountyny.gov was launched in August. The creation of the new County website was a collaborative effort across many county departments to provide an improved experience to residents.
The new website includes:
- Clean, modern design
- Mobile friendly responsiveness
- Simplified internal search functionality
- Improved ADA compliance
- County-wide news updates
“Many Broome County employees have worked tirelessly to put this new website together, and by doing it in-house we have saved taxpayers thousands of dollars,” said Broome County Executive Jason Garnar. “I am very pleased with this new site which is a significant improvement from the previous site, including greater ADA compliance and mobile friendly responsiveness.”
The county will continue to develop new features and respond to feedback in order to deliver information to the public easily and accessibly. Visit broomecountyny.gov to experience the redesigned website.
-
Broome County Parks Deck the Park
Broome County Parks & Recreation
?DECK THE PARK ?
Grippen Community Park
607 S Grippen Ave, Endicott, NY 13760
Saturday, December 19, 2026 l 5:00PM-9:00PM
Celebrate the magic of the holiday season at Deck the Park, a free, family-friendly winter festival at Grippen Community Park! Enjoy an evening filled with festive lights, cheerful music, and holiday fun for all ages. Bring your family and friends for a night of warmth, community, and holiday cheer as we light up the park and kick off the season together. Don’t miss this joyful Broome County event.
✨ Event Highlights:
?Tree Lighting Ceremony– Light up the event with at the tree lighting ceremony at 5: 30pm
? Photos with Santa — Capture magical memories with the jolly man himself!
☕ Free Hot Chocolate & Cookie for the first 300 guests — plus a complimentary Parks mug!
⛸️ Ice Skating with Free Skate Rentals
? Letters to Santa & Holiday Cards for Local Veterans
? Live Christmas Carolers & Holiday Music
? Children’s Activities & Face Painting
? Dazzling Holiday Lighting Displays & Photo Opportunities
-
Environmental Photography Competition Call for Entries
(BINGHAMTON, NY) The County Environmental Management Council (EMC) invites amateur photographers and students to submit photographs for the 2020 Joyce K.L. Smith Environmental Photography Competition. This year’s event marks the 19th year of this long-running competition and exhibit. The event aims to raise awareness about the beauty of Broome County’s natural environment. This year’s theme is “Earth Day, Every Day”, celebrating 50 years of Earth Day.
Entrants may submit up to three photographs for consideration in three categories: wildlife, plant life, and natural landscape. Awards will be given in each category with a special prize given to the photo that best represents the theme.
The entry deadline is Friday, March 6th. Winning photos will be printed and mounted for exhibit at the Broome County Arts Council Artisan Gallery for the month of May, with an opening reception during First Friday on May 1st.
In addition to the Environmental Management Council, this event is made possible through contributions by the following partners and sponsors: Broome County Arts Council, New York State Forest Owners Association, Sierra Club – Susquehanna Chapter, Beyond the Print, and A Frame Shoppe.
Contest rules and an online entry form can be found on the EMC website, www.gobroomecounty.com/emc and on Facebook, www.facebook.com/broomeemc.
*Photo Credit: “Toad” by Maddy Parker, 2018 JKLS Environmental Photography Show
-
Broome County Submits 2020 Shared Services Plan to New York State
(BINGHAMTON, NY) Broome County Executive Jason Garnar announced today the county has submitted the 2020 Broome County-Wide Shared Services Initiative plan with a projected savings of more than $2 million in its first year.
In 2017, the County Executive submitted plans for a County-Wide Shared Services Initiative plan to identify millions of dollars in taxpayer savings across the county, working with municipalities to do so. This in response to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s challenge to counties to come up with plans to save taxpayers money.
Successful projects in 2018 saved Broome County over $3.1 million and resulted in $3.1 million in matching funds from New York State.
New York State extended the Shared Services Initiative through 2021. Over the last year, the panel of municipal leaders has developed projects that will benefit their constituents by creating efficiencies and saving taxpayer dollars.
“Our panel of municipal leaders worked hard to think of new ways to collaborate and save money throughout the many services we provide Broome County residents,” said County Executive Jason Garnar. “This plan sets us up for even greater projects and savings in the next two years.”
Major projects in the 2020 plan focus on improving public safety throughout Broome County, including new public safety radio towers, stop-arm safety cameras, and courtroom security in the Town of Windsor.
To view the full 2020 Shared Services Plan, visit broomecountyny.gov/countyexec/sharedservices