GEDDES, N.Y. — Onondaga County can now have the same company design and build the Onondaga Lake Amphitheater to meet “an aggressive construction schedule.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo today signed legislation granting the design-build authority that Onondaga County had requested, Cuomo’s office said in a news release.
Crews will build the Onondaga Lake Amphitheater, a new performing arts center, on the western shore of the lake in the town of Geddes.
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“Building this performance-arts space on Onondaga Lake will showcase the area’s natural strengths and create a new destination to draw more tourism, create jobs, and spur economic activity,” Cuomo contended in the news release. “By granting this project design-build authority, the amphitheater will be able to be built faster, cheaper, and more efficiently.”
The project is part of the Onondaga Lake Revitalization program, for which Cuomo and Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney announced details at the Solvay-Geddes Community Youth Center on Jan. 29.
The program’s first phase includes projects totaling more than $100 million with $30 million in funding from New York, along with resources from the federal government and local funds that include a portion of casino payments from the Oneida Indian Nation, Cuomo’s office said.
New York State Assemblyman William Magnarelli (D–Syracuse) and New York state Sen. David Valesky (D–Oneida) sponsored the bill on behalf of Onondaga County.
“In addition to allowing a design-build concept which saves money and increases efficiency, the legislation guarantees fair wages and encourages the use of MWBE contractors,” Valesky said in the news release.
MWBE is short for Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise.
Cuomo in the current state budget proposed $30 million in state funding to support economic development and infrastructure improvements for the communities surrounding Onondaga Lake, according to his office.
The improvements include brownfield-remediation projects, infrastructure investments to encourage new housing and business opportunities, and enhancements to the Onondaga lakefront that will increase access and provide new recreational opportunities, the office added.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
