Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) announced that he secured $500,000 for the town of Franklin to help with expenses relating to the rebuild of the town highway garage after it was destroyed by a fire in December 2019. Jones announced the funding as he toured the new facility.

“The morning after the fire, I was there on the ground to see the damages firsthand and to offer any assistance I could provide,” said Jones. “As a representative of a rural region, I understand from experience the importance of upkeeping our local infrastructure. The highway department manages critical equipment and ensures everyone can safely travel on our roads, especially in the colder months. That’s why I fought to secure $500,000 in funding for the reconstruction of the town of Franklin’s garage and I’ll continue working to ensure these crucial departments have the funding they need to keep our communities safe.”

The fire 2019 fire destroyed the town’s highway department garage along with four vehicles and several other pieces of equipment, and unfortunately it was a total lost and all the town’s serviceable plow trucks were destroyed.[1] In 2020, Assemblyman Jones met with town officials to discuss the plans for a $1.3 million garage where the town will park its trucks, plows and other vehicles.[2] To help rebuild the town garage, Assemblyman Jones secured $500,000 in state funding.[3]

“The funding and assistance Assemblyman Jones provided was huge,” said Jacques DeMars, Town of Franklin Highway Superintendent. “He was there for us in our time of need and went above and beyond to make sure we had the funding to make this possible. I want to thank Assemblyman Jones for his assistance and for taking the time to see our new facility.”

“Assemblyman Jones securing $500.000 in funding for the Highway Garage was a relief as we planned to rebuild after the fire,” said Dorothy Brown, Town of Franklin Supervisor. “We were able to construct a bigger and better building that our Highway Department could be proud of. I want to thank Assemblyman Jones for being our advocate and securing these funds for the Town of Franklin.”