New UHS Chenango leader outlines early goals

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NORWICH — UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital’s new president, Cecil M. Miller III, is still settling into his new role, but there is one thing of which he’s already certain. “It may be a small hospital, but it’s pretty comprehensive what we do here,” Miller says. He started in the role April 18, spending the first […]

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NORWICH — UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital’s new president, Cecil M. Miller III, is still settling into his new role, but there is one thing of which he’s already certain.

“It may be a small hospital, but it’s pretty comprehensive what we do here,” Miller says.

He started in the role April 18, spending the first few weeks at the main UHS Binghamton campus learning the ropes. Miller, who succeeded Dr. Drake M. Lamen, has since spent time in Norwich getting to know the staff at UHS Chenango. Lamen retired in mid-April after 18 years at the helm of the hospital.

Miller wasn’t necessarily looking for a job, but a recruiter contacted him about the position. Prior to joining UHS, Miller worked for 29 years at UPMC Chautauqua, a 288-bed community hospital in Jamestown, in Western New York. He served for the last 12 years as that hospital’s VP of operations.

“I have a passion for community medicine and rural medicine,” Miller says. “I could see that [UHS Chenango] was a successful organization with a vision for the future.”

He decided to throw his hat into the ring and was selected as UHS Chenango’s next leader.

Miller’s vision is to ensure that quality care is always accessible to the community. That could mean expanding care, new offerings, new locations, or new services.

“Transportation is clearly an issue in rural areas,” Miller notes. Fortunately, there are many ways to offer care, such as telemedicine, which help to keep care accessible.

Over the past 10 years, his predecessor led the organization through investing more than $110 million into the facility. A substantial portion of those investments were made under the umbrella of the Chenango Medical Neighborhood Plan, a multi-phase blueprint that transformed the 114-year-old institution’s delivery of care.

Miller notes he has inherited a hospital that is in good shape, but the investments continue.

UHS Chenango will soon open a women’s diagnostic imaging center that consolidates services including mammography, ultrasound, and bone densitometry into one location designed for comfort and improved care.

The hospital will also open an orthopedic center, bringing the orthopedic clinic into the hospital. That will give the orthopedic unit proximity to imaging and operating rooms, facilitating care, Miller notes.

Another area Miller plans to focus on is recruitment, including doctors, nurses, and technicians. “Recruiting to a rural area sometimes has its own challenges,” he notes.

As someone new to UHS, Miller brings a wide experience base to his new role. “I had many jobs before I became a vice president,” he notes. He also feels his experience working at a large health-care organization like UPMC, which has 40 hospitals, will be beneficial.

Miller also plans to become involved in the Norwich community.

“Community is very important to me,” he says. “The hospital is an asset to Norwich and Chenango County. I want to be a good citizen.”

UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital is a member of United Health Services (UHS), a locally owned not-for-profit 916-bed hospital and health-care system serving the greater Binghamton region from more than 40 locations.

Statue of abolitionist Harriet Tubman is now part of downtown Binghamton

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Education & Training, Southern Tier, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

BINGHAMTON — Downtown Binghamton now includes a statue of Harriet Tubman, the famed abolitionist and activist who led slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad. The statue is located at Tubman’s marker along the Downtown Binghamton Freedom Trail, a public trail denoting Underground Railroad stops and other anti-slavery and civil-rights sites. The Harriet Tubman Center

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BINGHAMTON — Downtown Binghamton now includes a statue of Harriet Tubman, the famed abolitionist and activist who led slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad.

The statue is located at Tubman’s marker along the Downtown Binghamton Freedom Trail, a public trail denoting Underground Railroad stops and other anti-slavery and civil-rights sites.

The Harriet Tubman Center for Freedom and Equity at Binghamton University unveiled a statue of Tubman during a special event on March 21 at the Binghamton University Downtown Center, the school said. The center is located at 67 Washington St. in Binghamton.

“Our hearts are so full today to see all of our co-creators and collaborators who opened their door and let us in when we told them about our dream for this day,” Sharon Bryant, associate director of the Harriet Tubman Center for the Study of Freedom and Equity, said in the school’s announcement. “It’s nice to be part of a university and a community that is so open-minded and willing to work together on a common goal.”

Bryant also serves as associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Binghamton’s Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

The Tubman Center chose to unveil the statue in March as Harriet Tubman Day falls on March 10. Anne Bailey, professor of history and director of the Tubman Center, said that the tour represents the advancement of freedom and equity from Harriet Tubman to Martin Luther King, Jr.

The tour ends with the statue of King on the riverfront, but it is not the end of the journey. “Tubman, King and the other multicultural heroes on the tour are passing the torch to all of us,” Bailey noted.

Sculptor and the statue

Zoe Dufour, a figurative sculptor based in New York City, designed the bronze statue of Tubman.

Following public feedback, Dufour’s design was selected in 2023 from a short list of five finalists. Dufour said the project was a “dream” for her and is grateful to have been able to bring the sculpture to Binghamton.

“It is an incredible honor to commemorate an individual like Harriet Tubman,” Dufour said. “I want to spend my career sculpting individuals like her, that show us the best parts of humanity. She championed for rights and freedom against what must have felt like unassailable odds and was successful beyond what was imagined possible. She still captivates us today. Her story transcends time and is a reminder to hold hope hand in hand with action, rather than to give into despair.”

The statue depicts Tubman carrying a lantern, meant to symbolize that she knows the way and is illuminating the literal and metaphorical “dark,” Dufour said. The lantern “tells us of the danger she was surrounded by and lights her up as a beacon of hope,” per the school’s announcement.

The relief sculpture shown on the wall behind Tubman relates to her skill as an herbalist and naturalist, said Dufour, which was key to her ability to be an Underground Railroad conductor, an army nurse, and the first woman to lead a U.S. combat regiment.

State government help

In addition to the Tubman statue and the 13 markers along the trail, the Freedom Trail project includes the development of programming in partnership with local school districts including Binghamton City School District, focused on integrating curricula that includes Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) perspectives as well as material that celebrates New York state’s heritage of liberty and civil rights.

The Tubman Center received a $400,000 state grant and an additional $100,000 from the City of Binghamton to support the Freedom Trail project. New York State Senator Lea Webb (D–Binghamton) and Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo (D–Binghamton) also supported the project since its inception, Binghamton University said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul “personally arranged” the state grant funding, Binghamton University noted.

Broome County partners with U.S. Department of Defense to launch Healthy Broome

Health Care, Southern Tier, Subscriber Only

DICKINSON — The Healthy Broome initiative will offer medical, dental, optometry, and veterinary services at no cost to Broome County residents from Aug. 11 to Aug. 20 this year at SUNY Broome Community College’s Ice Center, located in the town of Dickinson, just north of Binghamton. Broome County, in partnership with the U.S. Department of

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Broome County, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. Military’s Reserve Forces, announced the program May 9. Healthy Broome is a community-health initiative through the DOD’s Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) program.

Services will be available to any person or pet (dogs and cats only) in need at no cost, with no insurance required. All services are offered on a walk-in basis and are first-come, first-served each day, per the Broome County announcement.

More details and service descriptions can be found at www.broomecountyny.gov/irt. Further updates will be available in the time leading up to the event on Facebook @HealthyBroomeIRT and Instagram @healthybroome.

United Way of Broome County is coordinating volunteers to support Healthy Broome. Community members interested in helping this mission are encouraged to visit https://www.uwbroomevolunteers.org/ for more information.

“Healthy Broome is an incredible opportunity to bring quality health services directly to the people of our community, at no cost,” Broome County Executive Jason Garnar said in the announcement. “This partnership with the Department of Defense allows us to meet critical needs for residents while helping our military personnel gain vital real-world training.”

SUNY Broome President Tony Hawkins said the college is “honored” to host the Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) this summer, “providing vital support to our community while offering our Student Village as a home base for the dedicated service members participating in Healthy Broome.”

“I look forward to the 2025 Healthy Broome County Innovative Readiness Training event. This program not only produces mission-ready forces through military training opportunities, but it also provides key services for communities such as Broome County,” Joseph Mihalko, Broome County Clerk and Southern Tier 8 board member, said in the county’s announcement. “Service members will provide medical, dental, vision, behavioral health, and basic veterinarian services. These Service members will benefit from real-world medical training, while Broome County as the community partner will benefit from no-cost medical care.”

Work continues on new $11M NYSDOT facility in Vestal

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Southern Tier, Subscriber Only

VESTAL — Construction continues on a new $11 million, 10,000-square-foot facility for the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) at 810 Route 26 in the town of Vestal. The New York State Office of General Services (OGS) is handling the construction effort, and the work started in 2024, Daniel Scharfenberger, NYSDOT region 9 public-information

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VESTAL — Construction continues on a new $11 million, 10,000-square-foot facility for the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) at 810 Route 26 in the town of Vestal.

The New York State Office of General Services (OGS) is handling the construction effort, and the work started in 2024, Daniel Scharfenberger, NYSDOT region 9 public-information specialist, tells CNYBJ in a May 1 phone interview.

“They [first] had to knock down some of the older buildings that were on that site, and that was the beginning of construction,” he adds.

The upcoming building is replacing another NYSDOT facility on that same property.

Scharfenberger believes the crews involved are hoping to complete construction by the end of this year, but the work may continue into 2026.

The new building will serve the town of Vestal, village of Johnson City, Endicott, and Endwell in western Broome County. It will have “many capabilities” that the other, older buildings couldn’t provide, says Scharfenberger.

“Right now, plows are stored outside during the winter, so this will better protect the equipment that protects our infrastructure,” he adds.

NYSDOT plans to keep plows inside a new, eight-bay garage that’ll be part of the structure. Scharfenberger says that’s “very important” because the building isn’t far from Interstate 86 (State Route 17) that connects a lot of the Southern Tier.

“This is going to help us during [weather systems dumping] snow and ice, the spring and summer construction season, [and] maintenance season, [to] better protect the highways for the driving public,” he notes.

In addition, the previous buildings weren’t connected to the water lines. However, the new building will be connected to the water and sewer lines, which will allow NYSDOT personnel to eventually build machinery to make salt brine.

“That’s going to help us pre-wet salt before a storm and be able to use a little less salt and honestly keep the roads better protected,” says Scharfenberger.

The upcoming facility will also “make it easier” to transport some of the salt brine that’s created in the new building to Tioga County to help its efforts during the winter months, he adds.

On its website, NYSDOT explains why it spreads salt before a storm under a “Frequently Asked Questions” section.

“Salting the road before a storm forms a layer of brine on the pavement, greatly decreasing the formation of ice on the roadway. Pre-treating allows us to use less salt and also makes it easier to plow the snow off the road safely since the snow is not frozen to the pavement. This treating is also done with liquid products such as calcium chloride,” the department said.

Work continues to transform Oakdale Commons

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Southern Tier, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

JOHNSON CITY — Construction activity continues to bustle along at Oakdale Commons, three years after Spark JC LLC acquired the formerly distressed Oakdale Mall with the goal of turning it into a shopping, dining, and entertainment destination. Last summer, the project was awarded up to $18 million from New York State for the next two

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Last summer, the project was awarded up to $18 million from New York State for the next two phases to transform the former retail property into a mixed-use development.

“This innovative project further supports the transformation already underway in Johnson City and will serve as a glowing testament to what can be accomplished when the state and local stakeholders all pull together to get things done,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said when announcing the state funding.

Spark JC is a partnership between Doug Matthews and Marc Newman, two local developers.

The earliest phase of development at Oakdale included transforming the former Sears store on an adjacent property. Spark Broome acquired that parcel in 2019 and the site is now home to a Factory by Beer Tree, a Guthrie Lourdes Hospital wellness center and fitness facility, and several Broome County offices.

The project also brought in new retail and restaurant tenants including Dick’s House of Sports, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Dave & Busters, and Panera Bread. More recently, Five Guys Burgers & Fries and Five Below both opened at Oakdale earlier this year. Oakdale Commons now has more than 500 new employees across its tenants and attracts thousands of daily visitors.

In the second phase of redevelopment, Spark JC is tackling several areas of need including housing, health care, and child care.

Work will include building an 85,000-square-foot regional orthopedic and spine center for Guthrie Lourdes Hospital where a Burlington Coat Factory once was located.

“This will be anchored by an ambulatory surgery center that will offer our community clinical excellence in a state-of-the-art facility at lower costs,” Guthrie Hospital System President/CEO Dr. Edmund Sabanegh said when the project was announced last August.

A 22,000-square-foot child care center, administered by Broome County and operated by a third party, will provide slots for up to 208 children from infants through school-aged and create up to 45 jobs, bringing new much-needed child-care options to the area.

On an adjacent parcel, Spark JC is constructing 125 units of workforce housing. The developers are hoping to complete the projects, which total about $200 million, in 2026.

Both the child care center and the workforce housing align with initiatives by Hochul to increase both the state’s housing supply and child-care offerings.

“These projects will not only enhance our health-care services and provide much-needed housing, but they will also create new opportunities for working families and contribute to the long-term economic vitality of our region,” state Sen. Lea Webb said.

“We are tremendously appreciative of Empire State Development’s and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s support of Oakdale Commons and their recognition that Oakdale is a transformative development for the region,” Spark JC President Marc Newman said. “With ESD and the governor’s assistance, we can continue to build on the progress we have made in our initial phase and bring much-needed child care, workforce housing, and world-class medical services to the Southern Tier.”

Oakdale Commons is located at 601-635 Harry L Drive in Johnson City.

Water Street parking garage now open after $25M project

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Southern Tier, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

BINGHAMTON — The Water Street parking garage in downtown Binghamton is now fully open to drivers. The first floor opened to the public back in November, providing about 40 parking spaces ahead of the holiday-shopping season as work on the garage continued. Construction of the $25 million Water Street parking ramp began in the spring

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BINGHAMTON — The Water Street parking garage in downtown Binghamton is now fully open to drivers.

The first floor opened to the public back in November, providing about 40 parking spaces ahead of the holiday-shopping season as work on the garage continued. Construction of the $25 million Water Street parking ramp began in the spring of 2024.

Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham on March 19 joined members of the downtown business community and construction officials to formally open the new 500-space parking garage at 183 Water St., according to an announcement on the City of Binghamton’s website.

Located at the corner of Water and Henry Streets, the five-story parking ramp adjoins the Boscov’s department store. It replaces a 52-year-old parking garage the city demolished in 2022 following years of structural concerns.

“This new parking garage is transforming a busy commercial corridor in downtown Binghamton and delivering the much-needed safe, convenient parking that residents and small businesses deserve,” Kraham said in Binghamton’s announcement. “It’s a major investment in our City’s infrastructure that supports the continued revitalization and economic growth of downtown. My thanks to our construction partners on this project, who worked side-by-side with City Hall to make this possible, and to the hardworking members of the downtown business community, who are helping drive the progress of the last several years.”

About 60 of the spaces in the new garage will be reserved short-term parking spots for retail and restaurant patrons to support downtown businesses. The remainder will be available for monthly, overnight, and overflow retail parking.

William H. Lane, Inc. of Binghamton served as the general contractor on the project. Unistress Corporation, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, performed the precast concrete assembly.

“We are thrilled to see the opening of the upper levels of the new Water Street parking ramp,” Marie McKenna, owner of Lost Dog Cafe, said in the city’s announcement. “The parking shortage has been a challenge since the old ramp closed.”

John Hanrahan, owner of Nirchi’s Pizza on Water Street, added, “I have already seen a noticeable improvement in parking availability and traffic congestion with just the first floor open, and the opening of the remainder of the ramp will only make things even easier for people coming downtown. I’d like to personally thank the city for addressing the need for parking in downtown Binghamton, the construction crews involved in the project, and especially my customers for their continued patronage throughout the process of the ramp being built.”

All city-owned garages and lots, including the new Water Street garage, offer validation options for local businesses, and monthly passes for employees and residents. Those interested can contact Binghamton@lazparking.com for additional information on setting up a business account or purchasing a monthly pass.

VIEWPOINT: The Southern Tier Can’t Afford to Fall Behind on Economic Growth

Subscriber Only, Business Mentors, Southern Tier

The Southern Tier has long been a region of opportunity. Growing up in Binghamton, I witnessed firsthand how thriving industries provided for families and sustained vibrant communities. But over the past few decades, we have watched prosperity slip away. The Southern Tier once thrived on manufacturing that provided stable, middle-class jobs. But as companies moved

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The Southern Tier once thrived on manufacturing that provided stable, middle-class jobs. But as companies moved production overseas in search of cheaper labor and materials, the foundation of our local economy eroded. Between 1990 and 2013, Binghamton lost 70 percent of its manufacturing jobs and saw a 14 percent drop in population. In the last decade, the region has made some gains, particularly in sectors like clean-energy research, but the broader challenge remains: Our region is still playing catchup while other parts of upstate push forward with economic-revitalization efforts.

The driver of upstate’s broader economic gains is the onshoring of key industries and supply chain businesses that the pandemic exposed we as a nation has lost far too much of.

Having spent my career at the intersection of global supply chains, manufacturing, and energy innovation, I have witnessed the sweeping changes reshaping the national economy. Annual construction spending in manufacturing has tripled since 2020, soaring to $234 billion. Clean-energy innovations have surged from $78 billion in 2018 to more than $240 billion in 2023. As the nation rethinks its reliance on foreign supply chains, the Southern Tier has a chance to be part of this revival — but only if we act decisively and urgently.

We need a more strategic approach to economic development, one that balances immediate needs with long-term growth. Companies like mine looking to expand need a mix of existing buildings that can be quickly retrofitted, such as the Huron Campus buildings, and shovel-ready sites that can accommodate rapid construction of facilities, such as the proposed and much-needed Broome Technology Park. Having this combination doesn’t just make it easier to get businesses up and running. It signals that our region has a long-term plan for economic growth.

Other regions are already streamlining processes, developing business-ready facilities, and making themselves competitive to attract industries of the future.

Take Rochester and the Mohawk Valley as prime examples. They are demonstrating what’s possible when business, housing, and public resources are brought together in innovative ways.

Rochester’s Eastman Reserve, for example, is transforming part of the Eastman Business Park into a mixed-use hub, blending housing, business opportunities, and public amenities. Similarly, the reimagined Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome has evolved into a thriving business and technology park, complete with housing, art installations, and recreational spaces designed to attract and retain workers.

These communities understand that businesses aren’t just looking for land; they’re looking for a vision — a place where employees can live, work, and thrive.

The Southern Tier should be that place.

As someone who helps lead a major supplier operating across diverse supply chains, I see firsthand the importance of positioning ourselves not just as leaders in a single industry, but also as supporters of many.

For example, on a regional level, this means leveraging our academic research prowess via Binghamton University to attract semiconductor testing and packaging companies that could support Micron while also leaning into tech-driven agricultural processing businesses that bolster the farming industry stretching across upstate. Landing both requires us to be open-minded about how to deliver the unique sites and resources they each need.

The bottom line is clear: Greater Binghamton must act with urgency. We are not just competing with other states; we are competing with regions across New York that are already taking bold steps to secure their economic future. Binghamton has a legacy of innovation, but we cannot move forward by clinging to the past.

We must ensure that the next generation sees the Southern Tier as a place where they can build meaningful careers in communities where young people want to set down roots, raise families, and contribute to a thriving local economy.

It’s time we thought bigger, or let this once in a generation opportunity slip away.

Jennifer Lupo is VP for technology solutions, supply chain, and leasing at Toyota Material Handling North America, which includes The Raymond Corporation.

Early Owego Antique Center co-founder dies at age 68

Small Business, Southern Tier, Subscriber Only

OWEGO — Early Owego Antique Center co-founder and longtime Binghamton University employee Cornelia Dana Mead died on April 12, at the age of 68, after a six-year battle with ovarian cancer, the multi-dealer antique store announced. Mead provided leadership and financial expertise at Early Owego Antique Center since 2013. She was also the co-founder, co-owner,

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Cleantech Strategy seen as a blueprint for Southern Tier

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Small Business, Southern Tier, Subscriber Only, Technology

It’s viewed as a “blueprint” for how the Southern Tier can “cement its role” in upstate New York’s clean-energy and high-tech future. Southern Tier regional economic-development leaders on April 29 announced the release of the New York Southern Tier Cleantech Strategy. The report highlights key industries the region can attract business growth by pairing existing

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It’s viewed as a “blueprint” for how the Southern Tier can “cement its role” in upstate New York’s clean-energy and high-tech future.

Southern Tier regional economic-development leaders on April 29 announced the release of the New York Southern Tier Cleantech Strategy. The report highlights key industries the region can attract business growth by pairing existing resources and research capabilities with additional infrastructure expansion and workforce-development programs.

The key industries include renewable-energy storage development, clean-transportation manufacturing, and semiconductor packaging. The effort seeks to create a wide range of jobs and economic opportunities that will “provide upward mobility for current and future residents for years to come.”

New York City–based Newmark Group (NASDAQ: NMRK), a global development consulting firm, produced the report.

The study was commissioned by industrial development agencies, or IDAs, that make up the eight-county Southern Tier, as defined by the state’s regional economic-development boundaries. A summary of the New York Southern Tier Cleantech Strategy is available at https://theagency-ny.com/economic-development-resources

“Upstate New York is experiencing a high-tech renaissance that will redefine the state’s economy and help lead the nation’s tech boom for decades to come — and the Southern Tier deserves a place in that transformational growth,” Stacey Duncan, CEO of the Leadership Alliance, said in the announcement. “I have put down roots here, raising my family in this region because I believe in our potential to generate new opportunities for future generations. With this blueprint, we have a clear path to follow to ensure that the Southern Tier soars.”

Leadership Alliance is a partnership between Broome County Industrial Development Agency/Local Development Corporation and the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce.

The New York Southern Tier Cleantech Strategy builds on the region’s “growing reputation” as a hub for energy-storage research, development and manufacturing, while also positioning it as a key future supply-chain location for semiconductor and other high-tech businesses that are rapidly growing along the Thruway corridor to the north.

Site development

The Newmark study underscores the importance of developing a range of sites that can host new industries, from repurposing existing manufacturing and logistics facilities to developing untapped locations that can be tailored to companies’ needs.

Experts gave high marks to key sites that include the Broome Technology Park, a proposal that is aimed at creating a new sustainably focused technology park that attracts businesses in advanced electronics, semiconductors, test packaging, and related supply chains, as well as life sciences and agricultural processing.

Another site, the Cornell Business & Technology Park in Tompkins County, is a “prime flagship location for leading-edge businesses,” with access to one of the state’s and nation’s top research universities and a highly educated graduating workforce that “high-tech businesses need.”

Other sites include Wayland Business Park in Steuben County, Southern Tier Logistics in Chemung County, and the former Matco building in Tioga County.

The next steps for strategy implementation include ongoing coordination with higher-education institutions like Binghamton University and Cornell University; NYSEG, the region’s utility provider; workforce practitioners; and other stakeholders on matters pertaining to necessary site and infrastructure upgrades, as well as development of a marketing plan to promote regional strengths.

“Economic development is very competitive and fast paced. While the region as a whole has a strong manufacturing, engineering, sales and R&D base to support and further develop the cleantech supply chain, we need to continue to move forward to remain competitive,” Joe Roman, executive director of the Chemung County Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA), said. “Addressing the shortage of sites and buildings that have the proper infrastructure and other amenities that companies desire is extremely important to our region and our growth in the cleantech space. Cleantech will be one of the pillars of economic development efforts in the future and will provide more opportunities for employment which will help keep younger generations here.”

Roman also serves as president of Southern Tier Economic Growth (STEG).

The strategy looks to build off recent investment through programs like the Upstate NY Energy Storage Engine, Federal Tech Hub designation, and New Energy New York program. Recent private-sector announcements demonstrate the region’s ability to attract new investment in the clean-technology sector.

They include the expansion of BAE Systems in Endicott to combine the latest energy storage technologies with critical aircraft electronics and plans for Siemens Mobility to locate in Elmira to manufacture high-speed rail.

VIEWPOINT: The Time is Now for Binghamton’s Clinton Street

Business Mentors, Southern Tier, Subscriber Only

Early in my career in public service, I knew that Binghamton’s Clinton Street was special. With its historic bones, walkable footprint, affordable neighborhoods, and eclectic mix of shops and eateries, Clinton Street really was the best kept secret in our community. Thanks to the recent announcement of a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant

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Thanks to the recent announcement of a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant award, the state’s flagship revitalization program, the secrets of Clinton Street are no more — the City of Binghamton is launching a new chapter for this historic commercial district.

Since making the Clinton Street Neighborhood Business District a key long-term economic-development focus of my administration, and even before winning the DRI award, Binghamton has been joined by partners who share our vision.

Known as the “backbone” of our First Ward neighborhood, Clinton Street is where history meets opportunity, with new businesses establishing roots and finding not just financial success, but also a sense of belonging with a tight-knit community of neighbors and customers. Boarded-up storefronts are starting to come alive, and long vacant lots have new plans for redevelopment.

iA, a national pharmaceutical technology firm, sited its headquarters directly off Clinton Street, bringing 80 jobs to the corridor and securing iA’s future in Broome County.

Firomar, a company that makes high-efficiency building materials, moved into a defunct power plant, repurposing a vacant, city-owned asset and establishing a state-of-the-art clean-energy manufacturing operation with 40 jobs in its first phase and $4.6 million in building improvements and new equipment.

Significant housing development is underway, with 120 units in progress at the long-vacant site of a former printing press lost to fire in 1997, 150 units are proposed at the former car dealership at the Clinton Street gateway from downtown, and local nonprofit developer First Ward Action Council was recently awarded New York State support for dozens of units with a mix of rehabilitation and new build.

Businesses like The Ward, a new tavern at the site of a former troubled establishment; Collect Binghamton, a collectibles store bringing traffic from near and far; and Parlor City Vegan, a hip café with local, vegan options, are welcoming a new generation of visitors to the First Ward.

All these projects joined the longtime Clinton Street staples — Rogers Trucking, Kovarik’s Hardware, the Old Union hotel bar and restaurant, Antique Row, the Boys & Girls Club, and Robot City Games, the largest arcade of its kind in New York state — to further solidify Clinton Street as the Southern Tier’s next great downtown.

Recognizing the need for infrastructure improvements in the area, the City of Binghamton also took action. With the area’s many railroad bridges in disrepair, the city held our rail providers accountable, pushing them to invest millions over the last three years to repair crumbling overpasses and replace deteriorating bridge spans. We invested in a new public parking lot to support area establishments and provided grants to building owners willing to invest in their facades.

Meeting with area residents, we found they mirrored the spirit and resilience of the neighborhood — eager to be part of developing an investment plan. This led to an actionable playbook, demonstrating what revitalization can look like when it’s driven by community vision and backed by strategic investment.

Beyond Binghamton’s borders, Clinton Street’s revitalization will help the Southern Tier region achieve broader goals in job creation and affordable housing. These new investments will benefit thousands of residents in this working-class neighborhood and create a new regional destination in a walkable commercial corridor.

I’m confident Clinton Street will help us deliver on regional priorities in economic development and continue to raise Binghamton’s profile at the state level.

The revitalization of Clinton Street is an ambitious but achievable task. The plan calls for investment in new housing, mixed-use storefronts, streetscape enhancements, public art and façade improvements, all of which tap into the unrealized potential of Clinton Street.

Clinton Street’s time is now. We can’t wait to get started and put into motion the projects and revitalization that residents deserve because Clinton Street isn’t just coming back — it’s leading the way.

Jared M. Kraham is the 51st Mayor of the City of Binghamton. Contact Kraham at MayorKraham@cityofbinghamton.gov. For more information on the revitalization of Clinton Street, contact EconomicDevelopment@cityofbinghamton.gov

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