SYRACUSE — Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh says the “Syracuse Surge” is a “big plan, probably the biggest economic growth initiative ever put forth by the City of Syracuse”

Walsh said his administration has been working with its partners in government, business, and the nonprofit community to make it happen.

He used his second State of the City address on Jan. 17 to provide details about the “Syracuse Surge.”

Walsh delivered his speech at the Redhouse Performing Arts Center at 400 S. Salina St. in Syracuse.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo a few days earlier also mentioned the “Syracuse Surge” in his State of the State address, but provided only a few details.

The Syracuse Surge is the plan “to make Syracuse a world leader in the Fourth Industrial Revolution” and “jumpstart investment to create economic growth, shared prosperity and neighborhood transformation,” Walsh said.

Earlier in his remarks, Walsh described the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” as one that “depends on connectivity — to one another, to jobs, to the internet, devices and data.”

The Syracuse Surge “will be fueled by more than $200 million in public and private funding committed already,” Walsh noted.

“Southside Campus for the New Economy”

The Syracuse Surge “will rise on a signature investment: The Southside Campus for the New Economy,” said Walsh.

It’ll include several properties in the area Southeast of downtown, “leveraging the momentum created by more than $125 million invested there over the last six years.”

“The campus will have best-in-class broadband and the ability to seamlessly pull data from sensors across the City, enabling unparalleled opportunities to teach and learn in innovative new secondary, post-secondary and vocational programs,” Walsh said.

The City of Syracuse has formed a new organization, Blueprint15, to develop a “bold vision for the holistic revitalization of this neighborhood,” Walsh noted.

The City in partnership with the Syracuse Housing Authority, Syracuse City School District, the Allyn Foundation, and community leaders and residents, “intends to restore the neighborhood to a place of hope and optimism that was the hallmark of the old 15th ward,” he added.

STEAM school

A new regional Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math, or STEAM, will be the “predominant” feature of the campus school. It will be built in a fully restored and modernized former Central High School.

The school — planned in a partnership between the City, Onondaga County, Syracuse City School District and Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services (OCM BOCES) — will “capitalize on the city’s successes” in career and technical education, making it available to students from districts throughout the region. 

Additionally, the Southside Campus will house an expanded workforce-development center in the “fully renovated and expanded” SUNY Educational Opportunity Center complex adjacent to the STEAM school.

New street lights

The first step in “Syracuse Surge” has already been taken, Walsh said in his remarks.

The City of Syracuse is purchasing more than 17,500 street lights that are located throughout the city. The street lights will provide more than $3 million in annual savings for the City’s operating budget, “based on maintenance and energy efficiencies.”

“We will know the moment a light goes out, allowing us to provide a better, proactive service,” Walsh said.

As Walsh continued, he announced that, in partnership Gov. Cuomo and the New York Power Authority, the City has selected Bedford, Massachusetts–based CIMCON Lighting, as well as New York City–based Presidio and San Jose, California–based Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), to implement the street-light project and also “to make Syracuse the flagship smart city in New York State.”

CIMCON is a provider of intelligent wireless outdoor lighting, Walsh noted.

As Walsh described it, “being a ‘smart city’ increasingly means leveraging technology to advance our economy and create opportunity for all of our citizens.”

New York Center for Smart Cities

The New York Center for Smart Cities will be a “first of its kind space in the state and in the country.” It will be home to a municipal command center, where practitioners from across regional-government departments can learn from the data captured by the street-light network in order to make “better” real-time decisions on the best way to deploy municipal resources.

For example, in the case of a major building fire, the municipal command center would be able to quickly pull up the history of incidents at that property.

Center City Innovation Hub

The Center City Innovation Hub is an “expansion of the innovation infrastructure” at the southern end of downtown with Warren Street serving as its “spine.” 

Walsh noted the growth of companies, such as TCG Player and SpinCar, which are operating in that area. 

The Center City Innovation Hub will provide the infrastructure necessary for “ongoing growth of our innovation economy.” Future plans include expanding the Tech Garden and “executing major improvements” to the streetscape around AXA plaza and the “nearby convention district.”

SYRACUSE — The Everson Museum of Art recently announced the opening of its newly renovated and newly named Danial Family Education Center.

The 3,000-square-foot Danial Family Education Center features flexible class spaces, a new kiln, parent lounge, and gallery walls to feature student work. “With innovative educational programs and events that provide individuals with meaningful interactions with art, the newly renovated Education Center’s programs help to make art accessible to people of all ages and abilities,” the museum said in a news release.

The renovations have allowed the museum to increase its number of classes and events, offering year-round opportunities to children, teens, and adults.

“Our museum is committed to providing individuals of all ages with the opportunity to unleash their inner artist through hands-on experiences with art,” Elizabeth Dunbar, director and CEO of the Everson Museum of Art, said in the release. “The newly renovated Danial Family Education Center will provide the Syracuse and Central New York communities with new opportunities to learn and be creative.”

Renovation of the education center was made possible by contributions totaling more than $583,000 through the “The Everson. First and Forever” fundraising campaign. Eleven young families, including lead donors Patrick and Jessica Danial, supported the education-center renovation. Patrick Danial is co-founder and CTO of Terakeet, an enterprise SEO firm based in downtown Syracuse, and Jessica Danial is chair of the board of trustees of the Everson Museum of Art. They donated $500,000 toward this effort.

“We believe that the Everson is a world-class art institution that provides our community with incredible opportunities to learn through its educational programming,” Jessica Danial said in the release. “It is inspiring to see young families support the Everson initiatives that emphasize the importance of arts education for individuals of all ages.”

The Everson Museum of Art held a dedication ceremony on Jan. 6 at 12 p.m. to celebrate the education center’s new spaces and new name. 

The Danial Family Education Center is located in the Everson’s 60,000-square-foot facility, which opened in 1968. The Everson is I.M. Pei’s first museum design and houses more than 10,000 artworks and hosts over 80,000 visitors each year. 

LYSANDER — Onondaga County Executive J. Ryan McMahon, II on Jan. 17 helped formally open a new, permanent exhibition at Beaver Lake Nature Center in the town of Lysander. 

The exhibit was designed to connect the nature center’s visitors to the outdoors. The theme of the exhibition centers on the five different habitats found at Beaver Lake (wetlands, lake, forest, fields, and edge), as well as the natural and human history of Central New York.

It also features a life-size beaver lodge to crawl through and an exhibit that focuses on how all citizens can be good environmental stewards. A variety of methods and learning styles are used to reach people from different backgrounds, ages, and with different learning needs.

“This new exhibit is a great addition to our already outstanding park at Beaver Lake. Thank you to the Friends of Beaver Lake and our other community partners who made this possible.” McMahon said in a news release. 

Beaver Lake Nature Center, an Onondaga County Park, was founded in 1970 and offers the community year-round opportunities to discover, explore, and connect with the natural world with its diverse habitats. It provides educational activities and programs. The nature center is located 3 miles west of the village Baldwinsville off Route 370. Admission is $5 per vehicle.