NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS (NOIRROF)
April 8, 2026
St. Lawrence County
48 Court St.
Canton, New York 13617
315-379-2292
On or about April 16th, 2026, St. Lawrence County will submit a request to the Office of Community Renewal for the release of CDBG funds under Title 1 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended, to undertake a project known as Countywide Housing Rehabilitation Program Round 6 (CHRP 6) for the purpose of assisting low- and moderate-income homeowners to rehabilitate their homes to make them safe and decent places to live. CHRP 6 has been awarded $675,000, and the County estimates that 14 housing units will be rehabilitated. Units to be assisted may be located anywhere in the County.
The activities proposed are categorically excluded under HUD regulations at 24 CFR Part 58 from national environmental policy act requirements. An Environmental Review Record (ERR) that documents the environmental determinations for this project is on file at the St. Lawrence County Planning Office, located at 80 State Highway 310, Canton, NY 13617 and may be examined or copied weekdays from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: Any individual, group, or agency may submit written comments on the ERR to the St. Lawrence County Planning Office. All comments received by April 15th, 2026 will be considered by the St. Lawrence County prior to submission of a request for release of funds.
RELEASE OF FUNDS: St. Lawrence County certifies to the Office of Community Renewal that Jason Pfotenhauer in his capacity as County Planning Director consents to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if an action is brought to enforce responsibilities in relation to the environmental review process and that these responsibilities have been satisfied. The Office of Community Renewal’s acceptance of the certification satisfies its responsibilities under NEPA and allows St. Lawrence County to use Program funds.
OBJECTIONS TO RELEASE OF FUNDS: The Office of Community Renewal will accept objections to its release of fund and St. Lawrence County’s certification for a period of fifteen days following the anticipated submission date or its actual receipt of the request (whichever is later) only if they are on one of the following bases: (a) the certification was not executed by the Certifying Officer of St. Lawrence County; (b) St. Lawrence County has omitted a step or failed to make a decision or finding required by HUD regulations at 24 CFR part 58; (c) the grant recipient or other participants in the development process have committed funds, incurred costs or undertaken activities not authorized by 24 CFR Part 58 before approval of a release of funds by the Office of Community Renewal; or (d) another Federal agency acting pursuant to 40 CFR Part 1504 has submitted a written finding that the project is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of environmental quality. Objections must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the required procedures (24 CFR Part 58, Sec. 58.76) and shall be addressed to Crystal Loffler, President, at Office of Community Renewal, Hampton Plaza, 38-40 State Street, 4th Floor,
Albany, NY 12207. Potential objectors should contact the Office of Community Renewal to verify the actual last day of the objection period.
Jason Pfotenhauer
County Planning Director
Certifying Officer
Note: The seven (7) or ten (10) day public comment periods are the minimum time periods required by regulation prior to submission of a Request for Release of Funds and Certification (OCR Form 1-3) to the OCR. The Responsible Entity may choose to allow a longer comment period. The fifteen (15) day objection period is a statutory requirement. The objection period follows the submission date specified in the Notice or the actual date of receipt by the OCR, whichever is later.
Following completion of the comment period recipients must email the Form 1-3 to the OCR together with a copy of the public notice and a cover letter stating whether comments were received and, if so, how the recipient responded to the comment. The Request for Release of Funds and Certification should not be submitted before the recipient has responded. The date of receipt by email will be counted as the submission date.