IAED Economic Newsletter - Easing of COVID Restrictions, CFA Grant Applications Open, On the Job Training Grants Available

Economic News for Ithaca and Tompkins County

May 2021

New York State Eases COVID Restrictions

Beginning May 19, New York State adopted the CDC’s "Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People” for most business and public settings. Read More

The lifting of restrictions includes the following:

Most business capacities—which are currently based upon percentage of maximum occupancy—will be removed. Businesses will only be limited by the space available for patrons or parties of patrons to maintain the required social distance of 6 feet. Read More

In accordance with the CDC’s new guidance on mask use, fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks outdoors, except in certain crowded settings and venues. Read More

Development Corporation Receives

Exemplary State Audit Report

The Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) has released an audit report for the Tompkins County Development Corporation (TCDC). The review was conducted for the time period between January 1, 2019 and November 30, 2020.

The purpose of the routine audit was to determine whether the TCDC Board of Directors properly oversaw operations and safeguarded the TCDC’s financial resources, which was affirmed in the report.

“The TCDC Board of Directors is committed to providing the highest level of oversight possible and is pleased to have received such an exceptional report,” said Rich John, Chair of the TCDC. “The TCDC appreciates the guidance of the OSC and will take steps to implement the two recommendations made in the report to even better fulfill our duties to the organization.”

REDC Opens Consolidated Funding Application Process

The NYS Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) portal is now live and accepting applications, enabling businesses, municipalities, not-for-profits and the public to begin applying for assistance from dozens of state programs for job-creation and community development projects.

Round XI will award more than $750 million across all 10 REDC regions to Build Back Better in a Post-COVID Economic Recovery. Empire State Development Capital Grants will have rolling applications while other participating state agencies have a deadline for submission of July 30th at 4:00pm.

An emphasis will be placed on project readiness and alignment with each region’s strategic plan. Read More

Contact Chuck Schwerin (chucks@IthacaAreaED.org or 607.273.0005) at IAED for more information and assistance with the CFA process.

Communiqué Design & Marketing Celebrates 30 Years!

Congratulations to IAED board member Laurie Linn and her team as they celebrate 30 years of Communiqué Design & Marketing! Laurie is incredibly dedicated to our community and endlessly optimistic and enthusiastic in everything she undertakes. Read more about the beginnings of Communiqué and how it has stood the test of time.

On the Job Training Program for Local Businesses

Tompkins Workforce New York is re-launching an On the Job Training (OJT) program to help businesses bring on new employees and get them skilled up to be successful in their new position. Employers receive half of a new hire's salary during the training period up to a maximum of $3,000.

Tompkins Workforce New York staff will interview the prospective employee and the company to mutually assure there is a good fit for the position and that a training program is in place to fit the training needs.

This assistance is designed for businesses offering full-time positions (at least 30 hours per week) in a permanent position for occupations that are considered "in-demand."

If you are planning to hire and want to know more about OJT availability, please contact:

A workforce specialist at the Tompkins Workforce NY Career Center at 607-272-7570. Listen to the full greeting and leave your business name and number so that a staff member may return your call by the close of the next business day, or
Email Cindy Sloan, Workforce Development Specialist, at csloan@tompkins-co.org to discuss your plans for hiring

Ithaca Tompkins Int'l Airport Announces Daily Service to Washington, DC on United Resumes June 3rd

Ithaca Tompkins International Airport announced that United Airlines service to Washington Dulles (IAD) will resume on June 3rd with two daily flights Monday through Friday and one daily flight on Saturdays and Sundays. This is exciting news for our community as this provides connectivity to more than 100 domestic and international destinations. Read More