Carmel Supervisor Kenneth Schmitt questions DOT Commissioner Joan McDonald following last Friday’s state budget review. Eric Gross A visit by New York State DOT Commissioner Joan McDonald sponsored by the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce was tabbed as an opportunity for local residents to learn about specific projects earmarked for Putnam County contained in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s $132.5 billion budget proposal announced earlier in the week.

Yet when McDonald, who was appointed commissioner last February, arrived with her entourage at the Mahopac Public Library 35 minutes late last Friday afternoon, she reiterated the broad strokes of the governor’s reform plan, not the Putnam-level details. She pointed to lower spending that closed a $3.5 billion budget gap during a 45-minute speech, but it had many in the audience yawning.

The budget contains $25 billion for economic revitalization, of which $426 million is slated for the Hudson Valley, including $600,000 for the replacement of the Route 311 Bridge over the East Branch of the Croton River in Patterson; a $1 million appropriation to upgrade the water system at Fahnestock State Park in Putnam Valley as well as $500,000 for repairs to the White Pond Dam in Kent.

Following the presentation, McDonald said she didn’t have more specifics immediately at hand. “I don’t have my list with me but across the state we have kicked off a new capital planning initiative resulting in 50 percent reimbursement from Washington. The federal dollars are in a state of flux since federal reauthorization has expired while federal gasoline tax revenues are also down due to more fuel efficient vehicles on the roads. Our focus has been on a preservation first approach. Many roads such as Route 6 as it crosses Putnam County contain two lanes with no shoulders. Our focus is now where to make investments in the system while prioritizing investments that will spur economic development through publicprivate partnerships.”

McDonald then explained several projects taking place in the greater Albany region.

Carmel Supervisor Kenneth Schmitt shook his head. He expressed concern about improving Route 6 in both Mahopac and Carmel whose two lanes are often backed up with traffic.

McDonald said her office was studying the Route 6 corridor but “expansion is limited due to the New York City DEP reservoir system as well as lakes and private property that abut the road.”

Following the meeting attended by some 40 residents, Putnam Chamber of Commerce President Bill Nulk agreed that the presentation was a “ra-ra dog and pony show. Nevertheless, we hope that the commissioner heard us loud and clear that Putnam projects must be addressed for the present and not the far-off future. Priorities must be lined up—needed infrastructure improvements—that will allow the economy to continue to grow. This is what the chamber is looking for.”