Matthew's Place in Boonville

BOONVILLE, N.Y. — National Grid has announced a $20,000 corporate donation to support an employee-led fundraising campaign to support the Boonville community.

Crews working on the southern section of the Smart Path Connect transmission corridor in Lewis and Oneida counties, a National Grid project, have used Boonville as their base of operation during construction. The contractor employees embarked on a grassroots fundraising campaign at the holidays to make a positive impact on the Boonville community and many of their firms provided matching donations to support their effort. National Grid added a corporate contribution to bring the total donation to more than $35,000.

Contracted firms working on Smart Path Connect include Agile Sourcing Partners, Burns & McDonnell, C.T. Male Associates, O’Connell Electric Co. Inc. of Syracuse, Supreme Industries, Three Phase Line Construction Inc., and Tri-State Drilling.

“Smart Path Connect is one of the largest transmission projects in our state’s history,” said Mark Harbaugh, National Grid’s vice president for project management and construction, who oversees the company’s Smart Path Connect work. “While it’s an important and transformative project, we felt there was something more we could do to thank the Boonville community for welcoming these teams into their village and their lives during construction.”

“National Grid, through its Project C community initiative, wants to do its part in improving the places where we live and work,” said Alberto Bianchetti, the company’s regional director of customer and community engagement. “This gift aligns with Project C’s commitments for neighborhood development, community investment and social equity.”

National Grid’s donation will be earmarked for two projects: renovations at Boonville’s Erwin Park and support services from Matthew’s Place, a nonprofit in the Oneida county village.

The covered bridge at Erwin Park in Boonville

Improvements to Erwin Park in the village of Boonville include upgraded components to the playground area, as well as the improvements to restroom facilities to make them accessible to individuals with disabilities. Village of Boonville employees and the Municipal Commission of Boonville will provide in-kind services to complete the project.

“Thank you to National Grid for your generous contribution to Erwin Park, and your continued positive presence in our community,” said Village of Boonville Mayor Judith Dellerba. “The new facility will be accessible to those who utilize the amenities at Erwin Park as well as those traveling along the Route 12 corridor. Erwin Park is considered to be our village gem with many new and exciting things happening in and around the park in the next few years.”

Matthew’s Place, a thrift store and food pantry on Main Street in the village, will receive funds to provide perishable food items, clothing, and emergency utility and crisis assistance for residents in the area.

“This donation will allow us to increase our services to area individuals and families with needed assistance,” said Janice Brooks, store manager for Matthew’s Place. “We want to express our deepest appreciation to all of the participating companies for their thoughtfulness and generosity to the Boonville community.”

Other organizations receiving support from the employee-led campaign include Adirondack High School, the Wish Upon a Star Christmas Gift program, and Sunset Nursing Home.

Smart Path Connect is a multi-phase portfolio of projects with the New York Power Authority that includes the rebuild of more than 100 miles of transmission lines in the Mohawk Valley and Northern New York and the upgrade of multiple substations. National Grid is responsible for the project’s Southern Alignment, a 55-mile section of the project between the village of Croghan and the town of Marcy. When completed in 2025, Smart Path Connect will allow for increased power transfer capacity, enable the flow of more renewable energy, and enhance reliability and resiliency of the state power grid.

About National Grid

National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy future — transforming our networks with more reliable and resilient energy solutions to meet state climate goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.