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NYRWA News
Affordability For Rural Communities Skyrocketing construction costs, disrupted supply chains, and ever-increasing regulatory requirements are just a few of the roadblocks rural America faces when financing critical water infrastructure. Please click here to view the full document. It is never too early to apply for our scholarship program. As many of you know, each year the NYRWA distributes one-time grants to five students across New York State valued at $500.00 to help defray the cost of tuition, books or room and board at an accredited institution of higher learning approved by the NYRWA. This is a member benefit, and we appreciate your assistance in ensuring students from your area have this opportunity to apply. In order to be eligible for a scholarship, applicants must complete the application form in its entirety and return it to the NYRWA by the entry postmark deadline, February 3, 2025. All pertinent information on applying is within the Official Rules, including the requirement to include an essay and student transcripts to be eligible. The application can be found here: https://nyruralwater.org/downloads/downloads-index, the link is on the right-hand side. Please be sure to share this application with anyone that will be attending college in the fall of 2025.
Yvonne Tucker is a wastewater operator at the Village of Penn Yan, New York. With her mother's encouragement, she accepted her first job at the City of Watertown at the age of 20 and never looked back. During her career, she's held a number of unique roles, including working as a wastewater technician for the New York Rural Water Association (NYRWA), training operators as an adjunct professor, managing a wastewater treatment plant on an Air Force base in Portugal, and managing wastewater in the British Virgin Islands. Now, her career has come full circle as she is back at a local utility to settle down. Through all of her experiences in the industry, Tucker has put an emphasis on teaching others. "Throughout my entire career, I have been mentoring and helping people," Tucker said. "It's paying it forward." With her experience with NYRWA, Tucker knew about the Apprenticeship Program and reached out when the Village of Penn Yan was undergoing a workforce transition due to retirements. Three new hires at the utility are currently participating in the program. "I'm a huge believer in the Apprenticeship Program," Tucker said. "It ensures that these new people on the job get a broad spectrum of experience. It gives your employees the opportunity to have the well-rounded experience and training to create a more professional employee, and there is no price for that. How can you pass that up?" Tucker encourages all utilities to take advantage of the Apprenticeship Program. "I've had some very good mentors throughout my career who shared their experiences and knowledge," Tucker said. "I feel that is how we should all be, willing to share our experience and knowledge with others, and becoming a mentor accomplishes that."
It is never too early to start planning! We look forward to seeing everyone next year.
NYRWA, through a contract with the NYS Department of Health, Bureau of Water Supply Protection, is providing on-site technical assistance for water suppliers in need of help understanding the regulations and compliance. NYRWA technical assistance providers will assist with education, recommendations on where to find information, templates, and with sorting through records to identify necessary data. This assistance is being provided free of charge to the water supplier. We have multiple trained staff to assist your needs. In Eastern NY, please contact Nate Wissenbach at wissenbach@nyruralwater.org; in Central NY, please contact Mark Roberts at roberts@nyruralwater.org; and in Western NY, please contact Jamie Herman at herman@nyruralwater.org. We also have additional staff trained to assist if needed. Please remember, the deadline for the lead service line inventory is October 16, 2024. 
Upcoming Training
Don't have time to spend traveling to sit in a class all day? The best place to receive renewal web-based training is at home or work, whichever your schedule allows. You can work at your own pace. SunCoast Learning Systems offers some great topics that will fit your certification requirement needs. Online courses are New York State-approved and offer the flexibility and convenience you are looking for. For more information, call 1-800-269-1181 or visit https://www.suncoastlearning.com/courses/ny.
Events
New Members
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