UTICA — The Cornhill Empowerment Center is now operating under the leadership of the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties. Formerly known as the Empowerment Center and previously managed by the HomeOwnershipCenter, the facility is offering programming for residents led by local nonprofit organizations. Community members, nonprofit partners, and local leaders gathered together on […]
UTICA — The Cornhill Empowerment Center is now operating under the leadership of the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties.
Formerly known as the Empowerment Center and previously managed by the HomeOwnershipCenter, the facility is offering programming for residents led by local nonprofit organizations.
Community members, nonprofit partners, and local leaders gathered together on June 18 for the grand opening and ribbon cutting of the newly reintroduced Cornhill Empowerment Center.
The event, held at 230 James Street in Utica, “marked an exciting new chapter for the neighborhood and was a major success,” per a June 23 summary from the Community Foundation.
The Cornhill Empowerment Center’s key partners — the Community Foundation, Mid-Utica Neighborhood Preservation Corporation (MUNPC), and the City of Utica — hosted the event.
Besides the ribbon cutting, the event included an open house allowing attendees to explore the space and learn about upcoming programming opportunities. It concluded with a guided neighborhood walk highlighting key sites included in the broader Cornhill Revitalization Project.
“It’s essential that we continue working together, talking, and communicating openly to keep this project moving forward,” Oneida County Legislator Evon Ervin said in the announcement. “I’ve seen this neighborhood at its best, its worst, and everything in between. When I see community members of all backgrounds walking past my home in Cornhill, it reminds me of what’s possible. That’s how this revitalization should move forward — hand-in-hand, growing together, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or background.”
The Cornhill Empowerment Center launched its inaugural program this summer with the STEMpowerment Series — a free, hands-on STEM camp for youth ages 8 to 15. STEM is short for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It started July 7 and continues through Aug. 14. SUNY Polytechnic Institute is presenting the series with support from Mohawk Valley Community College.
The STEMpowerment Series is a program designed to “ignite curiosity, build confidence, and inspire youth through engaging STEM experiences.” Participants have been exploring science, technology, engineering, and math through interactive experiments, team-based engineering challenges, and leadership-building activities.
The Cornhill Empowerment Center is set to serve as a model for future neighborhood projects, the Community Foundation contends. The Community Foundation, MUNPC, People First, The Collective Impact Network, Oneida County, and the City of Utica are leading a long-term investment of more than
$77 million in Cornhill over the next 30 years, per the announcement.
The effort includes the future West Street and James Street Impact Centers, which will “act as anchor institutions in this transformation.”
“We were thrilled to welcome the community into this space and celebrate the start of this exciting new chapter,” Tyler Hutchinson, director of strategic initiatives at the Community Foundation, said in the announcement. “The Cornhill Empowerment Center represents a collective commitment to unlocking opportunity, preserving the neighborhood’s history, and building a bright future for everyone who calls Cornhill home.”
