Grant funding available for New York Climate Smart Communities projects

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The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Climate Smart Communities Grant Program has $22 million available to help municipalities take action to address climate change, Acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton recently announced. Eligible projects include reducing flood risk by relocating or retrofitting critical infrastructure, reducing emissions from food waste, engineering feasibility studies, and other […]

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SUNY campuses receive green workforce grants

Education & Training, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Subscriber Only

MORRISVILLE — SUNY has awarded selected campuses a total of $2.6 million in its green workforce grant program. SUNY Morrisville and SUNY Canton are among the campuses receiving funding in the initiative. The program seeks to help more students pursue clean-energy jobs through academic programs and “state-of-the art” training equipment. The grant is part of

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MORRISVILLE — SUNY has awarded selected campuses a total of $2.6 million in its green workforce grant program.

SUNY Morrisville and SUNY Canton are among the campuses receiving funding in the initiative.

The program seeks to help more students pursue clean-energy jobs through academic programs and “state-of-the art” training equipment. The grant is part of SUNY’s ongoing efforts to help develop a skilled green workforce, representing “one of its goals within its Climate and Sustainability Action Plan as New York State moves to use more clean energy sources,” per the SUNY announcement.

SUNY Chancellor John King, Jr. announced the funding during an April 25 visit to SUNY Morrisville’s Automotive Technology Building.

Besides Morrisville and Canton, other campuses awarded funding include SUNY Adirondack, Alfred State, SUNY Cobleskill, Columbia-Greene Community College, SUNY Delhi, Farmingdale State College, Monroe Community College, Suffolk County Community College, SUNY Schenectady, and SUNY Ulster.

“Addressing climate change and thriving in the clean energy economy will require a highly-educated and well-prepared workforce,” King said the SUNY announcement. “That is why SUNY is committed to empowering our students with the skills and training they will need to advance their careers in high-demand fields. It was wonderful to discuss the Green Workforce Grant awards at SUNY Morrisville, and to meet with President David Rogers, faculty, and students to discuss what clean energy sustainability means for our state’s future and how these grants will open up pathways to job opportunities.”

SUNY Morrisville will use its funding to support the campus’s expansion of the “Electrical Vehicle (EV) Service Repair Technician Training” workforce program for 60 additional students.

With nearly $250,000 awarded, the campus will expand student scholarships to enroll in green workforce academic programs and credentials; purchase two EVs, EV charging stations, and training equipment; and provide students with more opportunities for paid internships. Faculty will also develop credit-bearing microcredentials for current students and for industry partners to upskill current employees.

The overall grant funding comes from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s SUNY Transformation Fund, SUNY noted.

“From its founding as a progressive agricultural institution over a century ago, SUNY Morrisville has a proud history of advancing globally sustainable practices and educating generations of committed environmental stewards,” SUNY Morrisville President David Rogers said in the announcement. “This Green Workforce Grant will allow us to provide updated specialized training and microcredentials for electric vehicles, including EV components and systems, charging infrastructure, and EV maintenance and repair. This training will allow new generations of SUNY Morrisville graduates to offer the technical support needed to sustain the EV marketplace and further advance both New York’s and SUNY’s ambitious sustainability goals.”

SUNY Canton will use its funding for heat pumps, building controls, EVs, and EV charging programs, per the announcement.

Crews continue demolition at OCRRA’s Ley Creek Transfer Station in Salina

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Subscriber Only

SALINA — The effort to demolish the Ley Creek Transfer Station continues in the town of Salina. The demolition work will likely be complete by this fall, Tammy Palmer, public information officer for the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA) tells CNYBJ in a May 20 email. OCRRA had announced the start of demolition work

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SALINA — The effort to demolish the Ley Creek Transfer Station continues in the town of Salina.

The demolition work will likely be complete by this fall, Tammy Palmer, public information officer for the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA) tells CNYBJ in a May 20 email.

OCRRA had announced the start of demolition work on April 22.

“After decades of service to Onondaga County residents, it is time for the aging Ley Creek Transfer Station in the Town of Salina to come down,” OCRRA said in its announcement.

Demolition crews at the site are removing large sections of the structure, which date back to the 1970s. OCRRA wants to clear the property and “reimagine” the site as a modern waste-management campus that will be “better equipped” to handle the “evolving needs of Onondaga County for generations to come.”

“We don’t have unlimited capacity for trash in Onondaga County, but the stream of waste coming to us isn’t slowing down,” Kevin Spillane, OCRRA executive director, said in the announcement. “We can make it easier for everyone to reduce waste by creating a campus at Ley Creek that has the potential to accept, manage and even sell more materials. That vision begins with a new transfer station.”

OCRRA said it’s replacing the transfer station because most of the structure was built in the 1970s with the intention of housing machinery to shred trash. As the community’s needs evolved, local leaders decided a transfer station was a better use for the site. Over the years, the structure has required an expansion, upgrades, and “significant” maintenance to accommodate the waste generated by households, schools, and businesses in Onondaga County. In recent years, it became clear that the existing transfer station had “reached the end of its useful life,” OCRRA said.

“Tearing down and rebuilding a waste management site is a lengthy process,” Cristina Albunio, OCRRA director of engineering, said in the announcement. “There are a series of required permits and regulations to address along the way, from demolition through the design and construction phases. We’re anticipating the new transfer station is on track to open by 2028.”

What’s next?

OCRRA said crews are “carefully” dismantling the decades-old transfer station, and the site will be cleared to make it shovel-ready for reconstruction once the necessary funding and final permits are secured.

The agency will also need ancillary support, including a fueling station and a vehicle maintenance facility. This investment is “critical to ensuring the long-term sustainability of OCRRA’s comprehensive municipal solid-waste management system,” per the OCRRA announcement.

What will replace it?

OCRRA said its board of directors has a long-term strategic plan for the site, beginning with a “modernized” transfer station. The new building will include a 40,000-square-foot tipping floor that can manage up to 1,200 tons of waste per day.

As the community grows and changes, a facility of this size will give OCRRA “more flexibility” to collect and transfer waste to its final destination. Onondaga County’s trash goes to OCRRA’s Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facility, where it is converted into enough electricity to power roughly 30,000 households.

Waste that cannot be managed at the WTE Facility, including some construction and demolition debris, may be segregated for reuse or recycling, or transferred to a landfill.

“OCRRA’s Ley Creek Transfer Station site provides a service of convenience for many in Salina and the surrounding community. The renewed traffic to this commercial corridor in our town is an important boost to the vitality of businesses here,” Salina Town Supervisor Nick Paro said in the OCRRA announcement. “We’re excited for this re-development, and hopeful that it will grow into a larger solid waste campus in years to come. Salina is growing and we are grateful to have a strong and forward-thinking partner in OCRRA.”

Long-term strategic vision for the site

OCRRA said it purchased an additional 11.5 acres of land surrounding the Ley Creek site in 2023.

With the expansion, the OCRRA board of directors has identified opportunities to recover and recycle additional materials and to manage different types of waste generated over time.

In addition to a much larger transfer station, the long-term goal is to build a separate facility where hard-to-manage materials, such as batteries, household hazardous waste, electronics, film plastics, and paint may be dropped off in a single location for recycling.

Residents must currently take those materials, and many others, to different drop-off points spread across Onondaga County. Additional room to service Onondaga County residents would give OCRRA “greater flexibility to cost-effectively manage” more materials.

With an anticipated growth in Onondaga County’s population, investments in a “comprehensive solid-waste campus are more important than ever,” OCRRA contended.

Land donation results in new lake shore park in Aurora

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

AURORA — A piece of land that was once part of Wells College, which closed in 2024, is now a new park in the village of Aurora The land includes 1,100 feet of scenic frontage on the Cayuga Lake shoreline along with four acres of adjacent upland. The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) of Ithaca

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AURORA — A piece of land that was once part of Wells College, which closed in 2024, is now a new park in the village of Aurora

The land includes 1,100 feet of scenic frontage on the Cayuga Lake shoreline along with four acres of adjacent upland.

The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) of Ithaca and the Village of Aurora on May 19 announced the creation of the new park. FLLT member Grace Bates acquired the land with the intent of creating the park for public enjoyment, per the FLLT announcement.

“We are very pleased and grateful to partner with Grace Bates and the Finger Lakes Land Trust to revitalize the Village of Aurora,” Aurora Mayor James Orman said in the announcement. “This will now provide the Village with public access to the lake for families to gather safely.”

Before donating the property to the village, Bates donated a conservation easement to the FLLT. It includes provisions for public access, as well as the protection of scenic views and wildlife habitat.

“There is no doubt in my mind that this is the most exciting thing I have ever been a part of,” Bates said. “With the help of villagers and friends, we have created a park in Aurora along the shore at the south end of the village. This park will protect wildlife habitat, preserve scenic views, and provide village and visitor access to Cayuga Lake forever.”

The property borders State Route 90, a segment of the Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway, and is located at the south end of Aurora. It features a mix of wooded and open frontage on a scenic cove that hosts concentrations of waterfowl in the winter and bald eagles year-round.

“This is a tremendous gift, and we are grateful to Grace for her commitment to the community of Aurora and the future of Cayuga Lake,” Andrew Zepp, president of the Finger Lakes Land Trust, said. “We also applaud the leadership of the Village for accepting this gift and ensuring public access to this scenic stretch of shoreline.”

With the completion of this project, FLLT has worked with partners to conserve nearly three miles of shoreline on Cayuga Lake. Other protected lands nearby include the VanRiper Conservation Area and Whitlock Nature Preserve, the Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area, Camp Barton, and other lands secured through the use of conservation easements, FLLT said.

Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit future land use in order to protect the land’s conservation value. Lands subject to conservation easements remain in private ownership, on local tax rolls, and available for traditional uses such as farming and hunting, the organization noted.

About FLLT

By working with landowners and local communities, the Finger Lakes Land Trust has protected more than 34,000 acres of the region’s undeveloped lakeshore, rugged gorges, rolling forest, and scenic farmland. The FLLT owns and manages a network of more than 45 nature preserves that are open to the public and holds perpetual conservation easements on 200 properties that remain in private ownership.

The FLLT says it focuses on protecting critical habitat for fish and wildlife; conserving lands that are important for water quality; connecting existing conservation lands; and keeping prime farmland in agriculture. The organization also provides programs to educate local governments, landowners, and residents about conservation and the region’s unique natural resources.

OPINION: It’s Time to Fix New York State’s Broken Budget Process

Opinion, Subscriber Only

The recently passed 2025-2026 budget was the latest in 15 years. One would think the extra time would have yielded better results, but the final product is riddled with flaws as the $254 billion spending plan fails to meaningfully remedy the state’s high taxes and toxic regulatory environment and does little to address public safety

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The simple truth Democrats refuse to acknowledge is our budgets continue to fail New Yorkers, in part, because the process by which they are created is badly broken.

Crafting a state budget is among the most-important functions of the state legislature. This year, budget negotiations were particularly dysfunctional as the state’s spending plan was passed more than one month late, and we needed 11 separate extenders just to ensure state operations could continue uninterrupted. In the aftermath, legislators on both sides of the aisle have expressed frustration over this years prolonged budget battle. The Assembly Minority Conference has continued to call for a more transparent and effective budget process and have introduced several bills to help address concerns with the flawed system.

Some of our legislative proposals include:

• Prohibiting the Legislature from recessing after the start of the state fiscal year until it has passed a budget (A.2085, Ra);

• Capping state spending to the average rate of inflation of the three previous calendar years and increasing the maximum capacity of the rainy-day fund (A.7530, Barclay);

• Requiring the governor to provide the legislature with enacted budget financial plan estimates no later than one day prior to voting on the aid to localities, state operations or capital projects budget bills (A.3940, Ra);

• Requiring each section of the budget bills to clearly reference an appropriation to ensure budget negotiations are focused on fiscal issues rather than broader policies (A.2255, Ra);

• Creating a lump-sum allocation advisory committee to require greater transparency related to lump-sum appropriations (A.6337, Barclay); and

• Requiring all state agencies and all state and local authorities to submit annual reports to the legislature, including information related to debt (A.2562, Ra).

Reading the summary of these bills, one might wonder how these concepts aren’t already a part of our budget process — asking the state to identify exactly what a line item will fund, keeping spending in line with inflation and ensuring the legislature does its job on time should be no-brainers. Yet, year after year, our budget is cobbled together in a back room with no real sense of urgency, restraint, or respect for public input.

With the disappointing and delayed budget now behind us, I urge my colleagues and the governor to do better during next year’s process. We have a responsibility to protect taxpayer money and ensure everything we collect and spend is done in consideration of the public good. Unfortunately, this year’s budget fails to adequately do either of those things.

William (Will) A. Barclay, 56, Republican, is the New York Assembly minority leader and represents the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses all of Oswego County, as well as parts of Jefferson and Cayuga counties.

OPINION: Government is big and complex for a reason

Opinion, Subscriber Only

America is a big, complicated country. It’s not surprising that we have a big, complicated system of government. But the combination of size and complexity can create challenges. It inevitably leads to conflict, as the branches of government compete for power. And it often leaves citizens feeling frustrated and distrustful. Government can seem distant and

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Most often, the major actors in this drama are, one, the executive branch, and two, the legislative branch. The president and the Congress have distinct powers that are enumerated in the U.S. Constitution. Often those powers clash, producing confusion and even gridlock.

The judiciary, the third branch of government, is also a player. The courts can decide whether presidential actions and laws passed by Congress comply with the Constitution. But those decisions typically come after the fact, not as part of day-to-day governing.

There’s arguably a fourth branch of government, and that’s the bureaucracy. Federal employees often get a bad rap, and I believe that’s not fair. We have talented and dedicated people working in all areas of government. They do work that is essential, even when it’s routine.

But critics have a point when they complain that the bureaucracy lacks accountability. Much of the way that citizens interface with government is in the form of rules and regulations, and the people who write and enforce the rules can seem insulated from public oversight. It’s also true that the bureaucracy is quite large, although that’s not a new situation. The federal workforce, currently a little over 2 million people, is slightly smaller than 50 years ago, even though the U.S. population has grown by two-thirds.

President Donald Trump and his adviser Elon Musk have eliminated tens of thousands of government jobs, but many cuts have come from shutting down agencies like the U.S. Agency for International Development and Voice of America, and some are tied up in court. Even if Trump and Musk get what they want, the bureaucracy will remain vast.

Finally, we have a system of federalism in which the 50 states exercise considerable authority, adding hugely to the complexity. The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution declares that federal laws are the “supreme law of the land,” superior to state and local laws. At the same time, the 10th Amendment says that all powers “not delegated to the United States,” such as power over health and education, are reserved for the states. States guard these powers jealously. And within each state, there’s a tug-of-war between state and local governments and frequent debates about local control.

When citizens don’t understand what the government is doing, they tend not to trust it; and lack of trust has become a big problem. Fewer than 20 percent of Americans trust the government to do the right thing, according to the Pew Research Center. That makes it harder for elected officials and bureaucrats to do their jobs.

At the federal level, our system can’t work well if there’s a lack of cooperation between the branches of government. How do we get cooperation? It’s typically up to the president to make it happen. There’s no doubt the president is the strongest actor. With congressional authority spread among 100 senators and 435 House members, there’s no contest. Only the president can whip the parties into acting in concert.

Of course, presidents sometimes overreach. One could argue that’s happening now with President Donald Trump’s onslaught of executive orders and rejection of court decisions. If presidents go too far, it’s up to Congress and the courts to rein them in.

The size and complexity of government creates challenges, but it shouldn’t keep government from being effective. The branches should cooperate and coordinate when they can, and they should check each other’s power when appropriate. That part of the complexity is what the founders intended and what we should expect as citizens.

Lee Hamilton, 94, is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years (1965-1999), representing a district in south-central Indiana.

eBay to close Syracuse office of TCGplayer, cutting about 220 jobs

Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Featured, New York News, Technology

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — eBay, Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) says it plans to close the Syracuse office of TCGplayer, eliminate about 220 jobs, and move the operations

SRC deploys surveillance radars to southern border to support USCBP program

New York News, Construction, Design & Real Estate, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only, Technology

CICERO, N.Y. — SRC, Inc. says it has formed a partnership with Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: BHE) to upgrade previously deployed mobile video surveillance systems (MVSS) along the southwest U.S. border with Mexico. The effort is part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border (USCBP) Surveillance Systems program, SRC said. Benchmark has already begun integrating

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The effort is part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border (USCBP) Surveillance Systems program, SRC said.

Benchmark has already begun integrating SRC’s SR Hawk radar system onto the MVSS systems in high-risk border regions, seeking to “enhance border security effectiveness and efficiency.”

Based in Cicero, the nonprofit SRC is a defense research and development company. Benchmark Electronics, Inc., based in Tempe, Arizona, is a firm focused on engineering, design, and manufacturing services.

The addition of SRC’s SR Hawk radar on the MVSS-R program — “-R” indicating the addition of radar — introduces a “powerful force multiplier,” extending surveillance capabilities to 7.5 miles, providing “persistent, real-time, 360-degree wide-area situational awareness,” per the SRC announcement.

The radar detects and tracks moving ground vehicles, individuals on foot, and littoral targets in the “most extreme environments.”

By enabling remote data transmission from tactical devices, SRC says the SR Hawk radar boosts border agents’ ability to detect and respond to threats more efficiently while reducing the need for manual oversight. Once a threat is detected, the data is automatically sent to a command station where it can be assessed.

Adding the SR Hawk to the MVSS systems “aligns with the evolving needs” of the USCBP for efficient solutions that meet the challenges of today’s borders, SRC said.

The company went on to say the SR Hawk is designed for rapid deployment and ease of use, offering autonomous functions to simplify operation and strengthens agents’ ability to execute the border security mission.

“SRC is proud to partner with Benchmark, a leader in border surveillance technology, to improve their proven MVSS system,” Kevin Hair, president and CEO of SRC, said in the announcement. “The SR Hawk is the most competitive radar in its class, offering superior performance with best-in-class value. The addition of the SR Hawk radar into MVSS deployments represents a significant step forward in enhancing the security of our southern border and we are proud to support this mission.”

Utica Zoo celebrates new interactive dinosaur exhibit

Mohawk Valley, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Featured, New York News, Nonprofits, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Technology

UTICA, N.Y. — The Utica Zoo is launching its new Dino Discovery presented by The Flemma Group at Baird animatronic dinosaur exhibit this weekend.

Oneida County executive proposes new sports and recreation facility in 2025 county address

Featured, Construction, Design & Real Estate, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Mohawk Valley, New York News, Nonprofits, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Technology

VERONA, N.Y. — A proposal to build a 400,000-square-foot indoor sports and recreation facility at Griffiss International Airport is just one of the goals outlined

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