Integrated Care Health Campus Development
Committee: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
Amount: $2,000,000
Recipient: Colonial Behavioral Health
Location: 1001 Galt Lane, Williamsburg, VA 23188
Justification: The funding would be used to support Colonial Behavioral Health’s design-build process that will compress the project’s schedule and contain costs, especially when compared to traditional design-bid-build construction processes. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it is incorporating primary care, preventative health screenings, dental, and more, all under one roof.
Letter
Center of Excellence in Environmental Forecasting (CoEEF)
Committee: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Amount: $1,600,000
Recipient: Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) at the College of William and Mary
Location: 1370 Greate Road, Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062
Justification: The funding would be used to purchase a high-performance computing cluster and to develop IT programming to disseminate forecasting and modeling tools for use by policy makers, community leaders, and the public. This project is an appropriate use of taxpayers funds because the proposed CoEEF would expand the reach of the research and outcome-driven scientific solutions produced by VIMS, such as their world-class development of coastal and estuarine environmental forecasting. This funding will create cost savings for local, state, and federal agencies by developing strategies for resilience, support effective emergency response and mitigation planning, and provide data and expertise to millions of Americans living and working in coastal areas.
Letter
Public Safety Radio System Upgrade and Regional Interoperability Enhancement
Committee: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Amount: $897,118
Recipient: Mathews County
Location: 50 Brickbat Road, Suite 101, Mathews, Virginia, 23109
Justification: The funding would be used for the purchase of mobile and portable subscribers, symphony dispatch console equipment, control stations, and microwave systems. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because Mathews County is an extremely rural district with outdated and failing public safety communications infrastructure. By providing Mathews County with modern and reliable communication tools, law enforcement personnel can operate with confidence with ensure coverage across remote and vulnerable areas. Finally, given the prevalence of national disasters in the region and the possibility of mutual aid events, increased communications capabilities will ensure interoperability with neighboring localities and state and federal agencies during integrated emergency responses.
Letter
Physical and Cyber Security Improvements for Public Water System
Committee: Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Amount: $295,000
Recipient: City of Williamsburg, Virginia
Location: 401 Lafayette Street, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185
Justification: The funding would be used to procure and install new service and modernize terminals, conduct penetration testing of cyber security systems, and install upgraded physical security infrastructure, such as fencing, lighting, and access control systems at drinking water sites. This project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because at an increasingly high rate, bad actors are attempting to infiltrate and disrupt critical infrastructure across the United States. State-sponsored cyber groups, near-peer adversaries, and non-state organizations continue to test both the cyber and physical defenses of water, energy, transportation, and other critical sectors in an attempt to disrupt our way of life, cause financial hardship, and incite fear and panic. By strengthening cyber defenses at our water infrastructure facilities, such as those operated by the City of Williamsburg, taxpayers will not be forced to foot the bill if and when these systems are compromised and tens of thousands of Virginians are without clean drinking water.
Letter
