City of Syracuse accepting applications for distressed-property fund

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“COVID-19 has been hard on many development projects throughout the City. The Distressed Property Fund will provide gap financing to eligible projects that need a

Oneida County’s Blazosky named to state’s tourism advisory council

New York News, Nonprofits, Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

“Kelly is a well-respected and dynamic leader of Oneida County’s tourism industry and the greater Central New York Tourism Region,” Oneida County Tourism Board Chair

Syracuse University launching esports degree program

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, Nonprofits, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics will jointly offer the program called esports

SUNY Morrisville adds new bachelor’s degree in agricultural science

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MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — SUNY Morrisville is adding a new Bachelor of Technology degree in agricultural science to its academic lineup later this year. The new bachelor’s degree, which launches in the fall semester, enables students to choose from four specialty tracks: dairy management, agronomy, livestock management, and agricultural outreach and education. “Students can diversify their

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MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — SUNY Morrisville is adding a new Bachelor of Technology degree in agricultural science to its academic lineup later this year.

The new bachelor’s degree, which launches in the fall semester, enables students to choose from four specialty tracks: dairy management, agronomy, livestock management, and agricultural outreach and education.

“Students can diversify their studies with the new degree, which offers a wide breadth of courses within agriculture, along with a set of core courses common across all four tracks,” Jennifer Gilbert Jenkins, associate professor of agricultural science at SUNY Morrisville, said in a release.

The college’s existing dairy management B.Tech. degree will be housed in the new bachelor’s degree under the dairy management track.

“It’s the same degree, now with more flexibility,” Ashley Marshall, associate professor of dairy science at SUNY Morrisville, noted. “The dairy track maintains all of the core dairy courses that our dairy management B.Tech. degree is known for, while allowing for a bit more flexibility in the program with some courses becoming electives. This gives students the opportunity to tailor their degree around their specific interests within the dairy and other agricultural industries.”

Graduates of the agricultural science bachelor’s degree are expected to be prepared for a wide array of agricultural specialties, the college says. That includes employment in the agricultural-service sector, ranging to on-farm management of dairy and other livestock species, or work in the public sector as an agricultural educator.

“We are working with ag-industry leaders to provide a curriculum that prepares students with the skills necessary to jump into jobs the industry is having trouble filling,” Gilbert Jenkins said.

Each track wraps up with a 15-credit internship that provides students with direct, hands-on experience in the field.

The new bachelor’s-degree program comes on the heels of the college’s first-ever master’s degree in food and agribusiness.

AIS receives new patent for source-code protection

Manufacturing & Engineering, Regional News, Subscriber Only, Technology

ROME, N.Y. — Assured Information Security (AIS) started off 2023 by receiving its 19th patent. The technology company also has multiple other patents pending. “Continuing to expand our patent portfolio allows us to bring truly novel technologies to the market,” COO Scott Robidoux said in a release. “This patent, titled ‘CODE PROTECTION,’ protects and secures

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M&T Bank Corp. to pay higher quarterly dividend on March 31

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M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE: MTB) has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.30 per share of its common stock for the first quarter of this year. That’s up by 8.3 percent from the $1.20 a share that the banking company paid in the fourth quarter of 2022. The new dividend will be payable on March

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Otsego Innovation and Acceleration Center opens in Oneonta

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Nonprofits, Regional News, Small Business, Subscriber Only, Technology

ONEONTA, N.Y. — Entrepreneurs and businesses in Otsego County have a new resource available to them now that the Otsego Innovation and Acceleration Center has opened. Otsego Now, the umbrella organization of Otsego County’s Industrial Development Agency and the Otsego County Capital Resource Corporation, opened the center in February. “It’s open and ready to work

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ONEONTA, N.Y. — Entrepreneurs and businesses in Otsego County have a new resource available to them now that the Otsego Innovation and Acceleration Center has opened.

Otsego Now, the umbrella organization of Otsego County’s Industrial Development Agency and the Otsego County Capital Resource Corporation, opened the center in February.

“It’s open and ready to work with the community,” Gina Gardner, coordinator of the Otsego Innovation and Acceleration Center, says. “We would like to work with startup businesses looking to expand their marketing reach.”

The center provides an array of services to businesses through Otsego Now, the Small Business Development Center, SUNY Oneonta, and Hartwick College. From manufacturing to medical research, the center can help just about any business, Gardner contends, but notes that center staff want to focus on businesses that are ready to locate in the county and create jobs.

Recognizing it can take a lot to bring a product or business from an idea to reality, the center can provide mentoring, networking, office space in the Otsego Now building at 189 Main St. in Oneonta, marketing, cost analyses, product testing, and manufacturing assistance. Custom Electronics, Inc. and Ioxus are working with the center to offer the product testing and manufacturing help.

“Small businesses provide the country with approximately 85 percent of the intellectual property generated in the country, and helping those businesses start and grow locally will help the area with job growth, workforce training for many years to come,” Chad Hall, Ioxus SVP of sales and operations, said in a press release announcing the center’s opening.

The IDA can offer advice to entrepreneurs on financing options available to them, while mentorship will come from both SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College.

The center uses an application process to determine which businesses it will work with, Gardner says. Those interested can email info@otsegonow.com for more information.

The idea for the center came in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant impact it had on the county’s primarily tourism-based economy. “Tourism makes up a huge chunk of business in Otsego County,” Gardner says.

During the pandemic, the county lost about 60,000 tourist visits, dropping the county’s sales-tax revenue by 30 percent and bed tax by 50 percent.

The IDA recognized manufacturing as a growth sector. In fact, Otsego County only has about 200 manufacturing/technology jobs, Gardner says, and officials want more of those good-paying jobs.

The center hopes to recruit at least 12 businesses or entrepreneurs to work with over the next 18 months, in hopes they will grow and stay in Otsego County. While there is a focus on the manufacturing and tech industry, the center is open to anyone with an idea.

Drakos readies pediatric urgent care space in Clay

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Health Care, Subscriber Only

CLAY — Drakos Clinical Dynamics is preparing a space at the Clay Medical Center for a pediatric urgent-care location that Drakos anticipates will open in May. The Clay Medical Center is located at 8100 Oswego Road (Route 57) in the town of Clay. The upcoming clinic seeks to “address the critical shortage in pediatric urgent

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CLAY — Drakos Clinical Dynamics is preparing a space at the Clay Medical Center for a pediatric urgent-care location that Drakos anticipates will open in May.

The Clay Medical Center is located at 8100 Oswego Road (Route 57) in the town of Clay.

The upcoming clinic seeks to “address the critical shortage in pediatric urgent cares in Central New York that was well noticed during the previous fall and winter season,” says Richard Nuzzo, COO of Drakos Clinical Dynamics, who spoke with CNYBJ in a March 10 telephone interview.

Angela Merola-Casler, senior VP of construction design at Granite Real Estate Group, LLC is the construction manager on the project. Granite is the general contractor on the project.

The two companies know each other well. Both have operations at 6333 New York Route 298 in (near Carrier Circle) in DeWitt in the KPH Healthcare Services Inc. building. The facility is home to Drakos Clinical Laboratories, which opened its headquarters and laboratory facility in 2022.

Besides the renovation effort, Merola-Casler also worked with in-ARCHITECTS of Syracuse on the design of the space, Nuzzo adds.

He also tells CNYBJ that the cost of the renovation totals about $145,000. The work started on Dec. 1 of last year and Drakos Clinical Dynamics hopes the project finishes around the end of March.

Drakos Clinical Dynamics is leasing the 3,500-square-foot space from Soule Road Associates, LLC, he says.

“This location offered Drakos the fastest ability to get the facility open to the community and is directly accessible to nearby schools and major pediatric offices,” he says.

Drakos Clinical Dynamics decided to pursue the project last fall. Granite Real Estate Group helped Drakos find the space, according to Nuzzo.

The pediatric urgent-care location will employ at least 25 people, including providers, clinical staff, and nonclinical staff.

“This Drakos pediatric urgent-care space will offer options for in office visits and on-site treatment, virtual health-care visits, and down the road the ability to dispatch providers for in-home treatment,” Nuzzo tells CNYBJ.

The clinic will also have on-site radiology with “child-friendly” X-ray equipment and an on-site laboratory.

“The facility is fully [Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990] compliant and specially designed to meet the unique needs of patients who are nonmobile and homebound,” Nuzzo adds.

The space represents another step in the firm’s expansion. Drakos Clinical Dynamics started as CineMedics, offering COVID-19 testing on movie sets. And besides the upcoming pediatric urgent-care location, it also operates Drakos Clinical Laboratories, which offers testing for COVID-19, flu, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), influenza A, influenza B, norovirus, and monkeypox, Heather Drake, the firm’s CEO, told CNYBJ in an interview last summer.

Drakos Clinical Dynamics in the new umbrella name for the organization. “We are multicompany organization and that is our umbrella name,” Nuzzo notes.

Numerous housing, park projects slated for Utica in 2023

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Manufacturing & Engineering, Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

UTICA, N.Y. — Between housing and parks, the city of Utica has a busy year ahead with construction sites around the city. Urban and Economic Development Commissioner Brian Thomas shared a run down of projects at the Feb. 28 Genesis Group Economic Development Forum. City funding toward the projects comes from Downtown Revitalization Initiative and

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UTICA, N.Y. — Between housing and parks, the city of Utica has a busy year ahead with construction sites around the city.

Urban and Economic Development Commissioner Brian Thomas shared a run down of projects at the Feb. 28 Genesis Group Economic Development Forum. City funding toward the projects comes from Downtown Revitalization Initiative and American Rescue Act funding, he noted.

Thomas listed five different housing projects going on in the city, ranging from new construction to rehabilitation of existing apartments.

Artspace Utica, located at 1020 Park Ave., focuses on live/work space for artists with 43 one-bedroom and two-bedroom units and community space. Matthew W. Meier, of HHL Architects in Buffalo, is the architect fort the $14 million, 42,627-square-foot project. Thomas expects the project to break ground this spring with an anticipated spring 2024 completion.

A $25 million project at Johnson Park Center will create two residential-housing facilities with 62 units for people of low to moderate income. “They have all their funding in place,” Thomas notes, with groundbreaking expected this spring.

The Mayro building at the corner of Genesee Street and Bank Place will get an overhaul thanks to $4 million in Restore NY funding and $1 million from Empire State Development, Thomas said. When complete, the building will feature 47 apartments on the top floors, office space on the second and third floors, and commercial space on the ground floor.

Work will also begin soon on an old warehouse at 700 Broad St. to develop 74 apartments for low- to moderate-income residents. Finally, the Chancellor Apartments on Bleecker Street will get a complete rehab of 66 units, he said.

Also on Bleecker Street, Chancellor Park will receive $4 million worth of work. “It’s one of the oldest parks in the city,” Thomas said. Work will include converting tennis courts into pickleball courts and installing an interactive fountain. The city will bid the project out in a few weeks, he added.

An amphitheater using the natural slope of the terrain is one of the planned projects at Roscoe Conkling Park, along with improvements to the ski lift, a disc golf course, and an outdoor skating rink. The city will also make improvements to the skate park at Lincoln Playground and add another skate park at T.R. Proctor Park.

Work at T.R. Proctor Park will also include an all-inclusive playground, a dog park, and a splash pad, Thomas said.

Valley View Clubhouse will see a number of improvements from a two-story addition to house improved restrooms, locker rooms, and a new bar and grill in a $4 million project.

The city is also working with Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) to develop a master plan for the re-development of the St. Elizabeth Medical Center campus. MVHS will vacate the campus later this year when it relocates to the new Wynn Hospital campus. A request for proposals yielded eight responses, Thomas said, and the city is reviewing them now.

“Most of these projects will be under construction this year,” Thomas said of the extensive list shared at the forum.

Oregon firm to develop sustainable recreation plans for Adirondacks, Catskills

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced on March 8 that it has awarded a visitor-use management planning contract to help develop sustainable recreation solutions for a high-use portion of the High Peaks in the Adirondacks Park and the Kaaterskill Clove area of the Catskill Park. Otak, Inc. will assist with developing

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Otak, Inc. will assist with developing strategies to ensure the destinations are protected while continuing to provide positive visitor experiences, the DEC says.

“The Adirondack High Peaks and Kaaterskill Clove area in the Catskills are two of New York’s most popular outdoor destinations because of their outstanding beauty,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said in a release. “DEC is excited to partner with the experienced team at Otak, Inc., to explore strategic, innovative, and data-driven ideas and solutions for balancing conservation and public access in these beloved areas of forest preserve.”

Otak — a research, planning, and design firm headquartered in Portland, Oregon —received the contract award following a competitive request-for-proposals process, funded by New York State’s Environmental Protection Fund. The firm has more than two decades of experience conducting visitor-use planning and research on wilderness and other recreation lands managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and other agencies, the release stated.

The two-year contract, effective immediately, extends through the end of 2024. Over the next several months, Otak will engage state officials, stakeholders, and the public to outline desired conditions and management goals for the project areas, per the DEC. In the latter half of this year, the process will focus on measuring and analyzing visitor-use patterns to determine how closely current conditions in the two project areas compared to the desired management conditions.

Public meetings will be held in each project area to highlight goals and solicit input.

The second year will focus on developing management strategies to help the DEC achieve and maintain desired conditions. Otak will present its draft management plan at another round of public meetings. Final reports will include recommendations for monitoring and maintaining the effectiveness of the strategies over time.

The DEC manages the forest preserve land in the Adirondacks and Catskills, protected by the state’s constitution.

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