KEENE — The Town of Keene and Adirondack Medical Center are big beneficiaries of federal funding through the Northern Border Regional Commission.

The Town of Keene in Essex County is down for $1 million to improve its municipal water system in the hamlet of Keene Valley, which serves 263 customers including many small businesses.

Keene Town Supervisor Joe-Pete Wilson said the funding is essential to their public water upgrade project.

“It’s huge for us; this is wonderful news,” he said. “For a town our size this is a huge award and we are so happy.”

Wilson said the town paid for the first part of the project itself but couldn’t continue without help.

“Small communities like ours with small water districts it’s so important to get federal support,” Wilson said. “We couldn’t afford to upgrade our water systems and keep them affordable and safe. This is the final piece that will help us see through our project. It’s key to local people earning a living.”

Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake will get $480,000 for upgrades to its security, networking, and telecommunications software and hardware.

The Village of Constableville in Lewis County got $2.77 million to repair its aging water system. The village will replace 100-year-old cast-iron lines and add sidewalks to make pedestrian travel safer.

Constableville Village Mayor Samantha Brown said she’s grateful for the support from Schumer and Gillibrand.

“This generous funding will go a long way for decades to come, ensuring the health and safety of our community, enhancing the quality of life for all of our residents,” Brown said in the release. “Senator Schumer’s continued advocacy for rural communities like ours ... is truly appreciated, and this investment will make a significant, lasting impact on my favorite place in the world, Constableville. Thank you for being a tireless champion for our needs and for helping to create a brighter future for our village.”

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D) said Wednesday that the grants are among $5.18 million in federal funding for six projects across northern New York state.

“From expanding access to telehealth services to making streets and bridges safer, this $5 plus million will support major infrastructure upgrades in Upstate New York. From the North Country to Hudson Valley, these federal investments will help create new jobs, strengthen our infrastructure, and boost quality of life across the region,” Schumer said in a press release. “I fought to secure an increase in funding for the Northern Border Regional Commission and to reauthorize and expand this important federal investment.”

Gillibrand said she and Schumer worked together on the aid package.

“The NBRC’s investment will empower communities to improve their quality of life while simultaneously encouraging economic development across our state,” she said in the release. “This federal funding … will complete a variety of critical projects, including the expansion of telehealth services, improvements to wastewater infrastructure, and vital upgrades to our bridges and streets.”

Adirondack Medical Center will now be able to expand its video capabilities for telemedicine visits from the hospital’s healthcare providers to rural residents and also treat in-person patients with improved efficiency and reliability, the senators said.

The Northern Area Health Education Center in Canton is getting $277,945 to make improvements in the supply, training and development of the healthcare professionals it serves over a five-county area. The funding will support the deployment of a digital platform for its services