Rockland County Legislature Chairwoman Harriet Cornell hosted her annual summit on the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor this morning at Rockland Community College. The guest speaker was state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. He was there to talk about the finances (or lack of finances?) for the $16 billion project. He was more optimistic than he’s been, saying the challenges presented the opportunity to come up with some new funding formulas that combined state, federal and private resources. He pointed out that the comptroller’s office was well-represented by former comptroller H. Carl McCall on the governer’s recently established New York State Commission on State Asset Maximization to study potential public-private partnerships for the State of New York.

A bridge that’s costing millions to maintain needs to be replaced, to the tune of billions, and government doesn’t have the money to do it? That’s an opportunity?

That wasn’t the only lemonade-out-of-lemons moment for DiNapoli. Later, he was asked about the state’s looming deficit ($1.6 billion this year, $12.5 billion for the 2009-2010 state budget) and the likelihood that Medicaid would end up getting hit with funding cuts. “At some point,” he said, the cuts “are going to hit on aid for health care and school aid.” But, then he looked at the bright side (bright side??) But, this will get everyone focused on looking for ways to reform the Medicaid system. “This may be an opportunity.”

DiNapoli tried to present a glass-half-full view, but he knows what’s really lurking in the bottom of that glass. “We are in for a very difficult year,” he said at the end of taking questions during the transporation summit. “Let’s hope it’s just a year.”

And, just in case anyone thought he didn’t really know how bad it could be, he added, “On a very human level, people are going to be suffering.”