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Reed lauds local accomplishments during year in review

OBSERVER File Photo Congressman Tom Reed receives a basket of apples from Halas Hotel owner Joel Hamlet (left) and his daughter Rebecca Hamlet-Kapple during a tour of poverty in Dunkirk. Also pictured is Dunkirk Mayor Willie Rosas (right).

As the year comes to a close, Tom Reed took a moment to reflect on the successes from across the region. “We care about the hard working men and women that call our district home. That’s why we are fighting so hard to achieve progress on the issues that matter most to them,” said Reed.

In the greater Chautauqua County area, Reed cited a number of accomplishments including a $1.7 million grant for the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, over $1.5 million impact aid, which provides tax relief for the communities of Silver Creek, Lake Shore and Gowanda, the passage of legislation that would green light studies aimed at evaluating and reducing the flooding risks around both Cattaraugus Creek and Silver Creek.

“These projects are critical for our region. Be it public safety, jobs or keeping taxes in check, we are proud of the work we’ve done in the area. We came together to work with our partners in local and state government from across the region and hope to see even more success in the near future,” said Reed.

Reed also highlighted efforts to move forward on the repowering of the NRG power plant in Dunkirk. A lawsuit, which stopped the repowering, was filed against the parent company of the plant. The suit was later dropped in November, after efforts of Reed and local officials.

“Repowering the NRG plant will bring jobs to Dunkirk, protect local property tax payers, and provide electricity from natural gas,” Reed said. This is great news for our community and we are glad to see the positive outcome on this project following our collective efforts with Senator Cathy Young, Assemblyman Andy Goodell, Chautauqua County Executive Vince Horrigan and Dunkirk Mayor Willie Rosas. We have worked tirelessly for the repowering of NRG, including personal meetings with Entergy officials, because we care about local jobs and taxpayers.  It’s only right that we remain committed to working with all the stakeholders on this initiative, including NRG, National Grid, the PSC and local and state officials to see this through to a successful victory.”

Additionally, Reed touted his office’s commitment to accessibility as a major success. “We want to make sure that if you have a concern, your voice is heard. We take those concerns to Washington and work every day to bring solutions to these issues.” Since coming to office in 2010, Reed’s office has completed over 10,000 constituent assistance cases, which help area residents resolve disputes or conflicts with the federal government. In addition, Reed has held over 200 town hall meetings since taking office in 2010.

“We remain committed to standing with the people of our region and look forward to the progress we’ll make in 2017,” Reed concluded.

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