BRANCHPORT, N.Y. (WETM) – Senator Schumer visited Saunders Finger Lakes Museum yesterday to make a funding announcement for two Yates County organizations.

On Wednesday, Aug. 30, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that he has secured a $3.6 million boost in federal funding in pending legislation for two Yates County organizations. The organizations that will benefit from the funding are Saunders Finger Lakes Museum and Keuka College.

Schumer announced that in the fiscal year 2024 Agriculture-FDA bill, which was recently approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee, $2 million will go towards the construction of the Saunders Finger Lakes Museum and $1.6 million will go towards the creation of Keuka College’s new Rural Community Outpatient Clinic. The funding will come from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Community Facilities Program.

According to the Saunders Finger Lakes Museum, the project is meant to create a four-walled space to support the mission of inspiring appreciation and celebrating the cultures and ecology of the Finger Lakes Region. This new build will create interior and exterior spaces and experiences that will enhance current recreation and youth educational programming by adding exhibits and interactive experiences for all ages.

The funding for Keuka College will be used to create a community resource providing primary care, counseling, athletic training, occupational therapy, physical therapy and wellness coaching.