Grants Lost to 7th Senate District Not Included in State Budget

Several grants to the tune of about $8.5 million in the Seventh Senate District for local fire districts, schools and other community groups were lost at the end of last year; those grants did not make their way into .

“No member items were included in this budget,”  said on a conference call on April 1 about the budget.

Martins added that it seemed as if the previous members of the State Senate who offered these grants were not “monitoring the checkbook” and that this money never existed to begin with.

Martins is continuing to look for ways to help some of the areas who lost these grants and may have already spent the money.

In Mineola, several grants were lost, according to the Senator’s office, including:

• $100,000 to the  designated for the replacement of roofing for the emergency management facility.
• $150,000 to the  for renovations and upgrades to the science labs at .

In the case of New Hyde Park Village, money was already spent on renovations to a theater. The village offset the $133,000 in spent funds by not purchasing a  truck.

In an interview in February, the New Hyde Park Patch sat down with Martins to ask about the status of these grants and any potential relief for those who spent the money.