SIDNEY _ It wasn't only returning area students who got homework on Wednesday.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said he came to Sidney for a community meeting to talk with Delaware County leaders and residents for two reasons. Not only did he want to address local issues important to him, he said, but he wanted to hear the needs of Delaware County firsthand.
One such need came in a question from Sidney small-business owner Dawn Rivers Baker. In response, Schumer said he would look into why Delaware County is one of the few areas in the state where small businesses have no access to microloans from the Small Business Administration.
He said he hadn't heard of that problem before and that it illustrated the need for these types of meetings.
After the meeting, Baker said, "I like the fact that he does this."
About 30 people attended the approximately 45-minute session in the community room at the Sidney Memorial Public Library.
This is the fourth time Schumer has visited Sidney since he was elected to the Senate in 1999, and the 10th time he has been to Delaware County, he said.
He started off by praising Bassett Healthcare for receiving a $537,000 grant from the federal Health Resources Service Administration.
It will be used to establish a rural health network in 15 communities served by the Sidney-based Tri-Town Regional Hospital, according to a Bassett media release.
"It's not because of me (that the grant was awarded)," said Schumer, in thanking Bassett President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. William Streck for the effort, as well as for restoring a hospital to the area. The municipal facility at the site closed in 2005 and was reopened as a Bassett-affiliated hospital earlier this year.
"It's a show of faith in Tri-Town," Schumer said about the new funding.
After the session, Tri-Town CEO Dr. Marianne Soden said she will be going to Washington, D.C., this month to see what the grant requires. At that time, she said, she will have a better idea of when it can be implemented.
The recently appointed hospital administrator said Schumer has been a strong supporter of Bassett's efforts to return a 24-hour hospital to the community, and she was hopeful Schumer can help obtain further funding for the new initiative.
Regarding flooding problems in the county, Schumer said he was working with others to secure funding for the Army Corps of Engineers' flood mitigation study, saying it is needed for a long-term solution.
In response to questions, he said he would look into what can be done to help municipalities meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency's threshold for receiving reimbursement, as well as for obtaining money owed from FEMA.
Delaware County Board of Supervisors chairman James Eisel said afterwards that he was hopeful Schumer can address inequity in rural areas. Currently, before FEMA aid is available, claims must total more than $24.5 million, Eisel said.
On this and other issues, Schumer and his staff have always been only "a phone call away" over the years, Eisel said.
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