Crime lab focal point of D.C. trip
Brooks to seek federal funding for new facility
By Joseph Spector
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
February 7, 2007
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks will travel to Washington today to lobby for federal aid for local projects, and the county's new crime lab tops the list.
The county hopes to build a $24 million laboratory to replace the outdated facility housed on the fifth floor of the former downtown Public Safety Building between Plymouth Avenue and Exchange Boulevard.
In prior years, Brooks has made the $230 million Renaissance Square project in downtown Rochester a top funding priority. Yet with more than $190 million in government aid designated for the downtown project and groundbreaking slated for this year, Brooks is focusing on getting aid for the new crime lab.
"It's a 40-year-old, antiquated facility," she said.
Brooks is seeking to fund the lab with state and federal money and was in Albany last week meeting with state legislators.
Because of the lack of new equipment and space, the crime lab struggles to serve the needs of the eight counties it serves and can have a backlog of cases.
As part of the two-day annual trip to Washington, Brooks plans to meet with each member of the Rochester delegation in Congress, including Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
There are other projects for which Brooks will seek aid, including $9 million for road projects and $2 million for the development of a renewable energy facility at the Mill Seat landfill.
The county and Waste Management Inc. are building a $9.7 million power plant at the Riga landfill to turn gas into energy.
How successful the Republican county executive will be in securing federal aid is uncertain. The Democratic-controlled Congress has vowed to crack down on federal earmarks, so there may be less money available for local initiatives.
For example, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, last year secured $2 million for the crime lab, but the money may not receive final approval this year. The county has already received about $800,000 in state and federal aid for the project.
Part of the aid is paying for a study on the crime lab.
Brooks said a task force also is determining where the new facility should be located in downtown Rochester. Construction is a few years away.
Slaughter said the project "remains a priority for the year ahead."
Brooks plans to travel to Washington later this month with Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy to lobby together for local initiatives, she said.
The city and county, meanwhile, have their own federal lobbyists. The county last year paid $135,000 to the firm of Bruce W. Fennie & Associates for lobbying expenses, county officials said.
The city plans to hire the Fergusson Group this year at a cost of $120,000.
JSPECTOR@DemocratandChronicle.com