Community Foundation for South Central New York awards grants to regional nonprofits

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JOHNSON CITY, N.Y. — The Community Foundation for South Central New York (SCNY) recently announced it has made grants totaling $287,684 to 40 organizations in the region in its spring grant round. The successful grant applications, approved through a competitive volunteer panel and board-review process, are for a variety of capital projects, operations, and programming. […]

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NYSERDA launches 4th Commercial & Industrial Carbon Challenge

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News, Regional News, Subscriber Only, Technology

Makes $15 million available for clean-energy projects The fourth annual Commercial and Industrial (C&I) Carbon Challenge seeks to help to reduce carbon emissions at commercial and industrial businesses and institutions. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on May 13 launched the latest round of the C&I Carbon

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Makes $15 million available for clean-energy projects

The fourth annual Commercial and Industrial (C&I) Carbon Challenge seeks to help to reduce carbon emissions at commercial and industrial businesses and institutions.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on May 13 launched the latest round of the C&I Carbon Challenge, making $15 million available as part of Round XII of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Regional Economic Development Council initiative, which was announced on May 2.

The announcement supports New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 85 percent by 2050, NYSERDA said.

“The launch of this round of the C&I Carbon Challenge demonstrates the state’s commitment to investing in private-public partnerships that advance cleaner and more efficient building facilities and functions for New York’s largest energy users,” Doreen Harris, president and CEO of NYSERDA said in a release. “This funding will allow more energy intensive business owners across the state to take action to implement clean energy measures that will help them to realize cost-savings while reducing harmful emissions from their operations, in support of the state’s nation-leading climate and clean energy goals.”

The C&I Carbon Challenge is a competitive program that provides funding to large energy users to implement various cost-effective, clean-energy projects that reduce carbon emissions. The funding is available to eligible businesses and institutions including, but not limited to, manufacturers, colleges, universities, health-care facilities, and office-building owners in New York State.

Project proposals may involve a combination of energy or manufacturing-process efficiency strategies, carbon-capture technology, renewable generation, or energy storage.

“It is critical that we help the New York State manufacturing community source and use energy in a responsible way,” Randy Wolken, president and CEO of DeWitt–based MACNY, the Manufacturers Association, said. “NYSERDA’s Carbon Challenge continues to provide the means and guidance that larger consumers will need to drive carbon reduction, maintaining the leadership position that New York is known for.”

Funding is available through the state’s 10-year, $6 billion Clean Energy Fund, NYSERDA said.

Funding categories and applying

The state is providing funding under two categories. Category A has $10 million for proposals that incorporate key solutions such as beneficial electrification and reduced emissions related to manufacturing processes, to lower the applicant’s carbon footprint.

Category B has $5 million for proposals that employ energy efficiency, on-site clean energy generation, or any other greenhouse-gas reducing solution not identified in Category A.

The Challenge will provide awards ranging from $500,000 to $5 million to partially offset clean-energy project costs for the largest energy users in the state, with an aggregate 12-month average demand of 3-megawatts or greater.

The deadline to apply through the state’s consolidated funding application is July 29 at 4 p.m. The Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) guidebook and a list of additional resources available to REDC members are accessible at the state’s REDC website (https://regionalcouncils.ny.gov).

The state will select competition winners based on their plans for project implementation; institutional commitment to sustainability; overall level of greenhouse-gas emissions reduced; and their potential to “beneficially impact disadvantaged communities,” NYSERDA said.

NYSERDA’s scoring criteria for this solicitation provides points for greenhouse-gas emission reductions that occur in designated disadvantaged communities and deliver benefits in such communities. In addition, each application is reviewed and scored by members of each applicant’s respective REDC as part of the consolidated-funding application process, per the announcement.

NYSERDA expects to announce the fourth-round awards in late 2022.

Oneida County finalizes process of becoming AARP Age-Friendly Community

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UTICA, N.Y. — Oneida County recently finalized the process of becoming an AARP Age-Friendly Community. “Oneida County recognizes the importance of encouraging and promoting age-friendly planning and policies to address changing demographics and enhance independent living,” Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. said in a press release. “We are proud to receive this designation

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UTICA, N.Y. — Oneida County recently finalized the process of becoming an AARP Age-Friendly Community.

“Oneida County recognizes the importance of encouraging and promoting age-friendly planning and policies to address changing demographics and enhance independent living,” Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. said in a press release. “We are proud to receive this designation from the AARP and are committed to the continual improvement that supports active and healthy aging and sustains economic and social vitality. I commend our Office for the Aging and thank our partnering organizations for their hard work and dedication throughout the process of achieving this recognition.”

The county was officially designated as an Age-Friendly Community by both the AARP and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2016 after it committed to facilitate the Livable Community planning process. That initiative resulted in a series of activities used to identify community needs and gain input from stakeholders, including older adults, to create a planning document to be used community wide.

The Livable Community Project, led by Oneida County, included several key partners including the Parkway Center, the Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties, and the Health Foundation of Western and Central New York. A steering committee helped identify gaps, priorities, and solutions essential to enhancing the livability for local residents of all ages.

The eight areas of livability, as outlined by the WHO, are outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication and information, and community and health services.

The county’s action plan calls for an array of steps to address issues in each of these areas.

The action plan for civic engagement aims to expand opportunities for everyone to have meaningful employment and volunteer opportunities by creating a volunteer resource center, increasing opportunities for paid employment for older adults, and providing information on pre-retirement planning and post-retirement opportunities.

The social participation action plan calls for increase opportunities for people to connect and feel welcome in the community by raising awareness of the age-friendliness of area events, bridging cultural and language gaps, and working to better promote the area’s events.

To improve access to outdoor spaces and public buildings, the plan includes zoning and design requirements to promote accessibility, improving access to public spaces, and improving walkways and streets for ease of use.

The plan to create an environment to improve community health includes efforts to educate people on available health services, training to address the needs of an ethnically diverse population, and emergency planning that accounts for older community members.

The housing plan calls for supporting aging in place, home repair services for seniors, creating a senior housing director, and making sure wheelchair ramps are installed for accessibility.

Transportation-improvement plans include educating residents on the available transportation options, implementing the Complete Streets program to make streets safer for shared users, and creating transportation options for western Oneida County.

The action plan also includes initiatives to make information for services easy to access for all residents, provide education on new technologies, include older adults in decision-making processes, and promote age-friendly businesses.

The county completed the final phase of the initiative when the Oneida County Board of Legislators adopted a resolution to ensure ongoing commitment and focus on the livability areas in May. The resolution codifies the activities involved in the planning process, including steering committee recommendations, county-wide survey results, and various focus group findings.

“As the month of May, known as Older Americans Month, annually recognizes the needs and values of our seniors nationwide, this resolution confirms that Oneida County values health across all policies and the needs of its elder population.”

City Center renovations continue as HII says it plans to move in

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

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — HII (short for Huntington Ingalls Industries) says it plans to create more than 80 new jobs when it becomes a tenant at City Center in downtown Syracuse, which is currently undergoing renovation work. The effort includes work on the building’s façade in downtown Syracuse in a structure that was once home to

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The effort includes work on the building’s façade in downtown Syracuse in a structure that was once home to Sibley’s department store.

HII expects to be operational in the new space in the first quarter of 2023. The firm will occupy 50,000 square feet of renovated space in the building located on South Salina Street, Empire State Development (ESD) announced May 26.

The company’s Mission Technologies division will serve as an anchor tenant in the repurposed space. Its website indicates HII’s Mission Technologies division is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

The Hayner Hoyt Corporation is currently working to renovate the building into a mixed-use facility that will include office, commercial, and retail space, along with residential units.

ESD is assisting HII with the revitalization of the South Salina Street location with up to $3 million through the Excelsior jobs tax credit program. The Syracuse Industrial Development Agency also assisted with the project. The total cost for the project renovation has been placed at $5.5 million.

HII operates a sensor and embedded design center in Syracuse, which the company describes as its “Electronic Warfare (EW) and RADAR Center of Excellence,” per its website. HII also has operations in Rome.

About HII

HII is a global engineering and defense-technologies provider “with a 135-year history of trusted partnerships in advancing U.S. national security,” ESD said.

HII focuses on matters that include artificial intelligence; cyber and electronic warfare; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); unmanned systems; and nuclear and environmental services, per its website.

HII “leads the industry in mission-driven products that support and enable a networked, all-domain force,” ESD said. Headquartered in Virginia, HII has a workforce of 44,000.

“With our nation’s increasing demand for mission-critical advanced technologies, we are committed to investing in and expanding our research and development capabilities,” Andy Green, HII executive VP and president of Mission Technologies, said. “Our expanded presence in New York will ensure our continued support to our customers’ missions today and into the future.”

NYSDOT works to secure contractors for I-81 project phase one

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Now that the federal and state governments have given their final approval, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is now focusing on securing the contractors to handle the first phase of the $2.25 billion Interstate 81 (I-81) viaduct-replacement project. “We will have five separate contracts that we will put out

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“We will have five separate contracts that we will put out to bid in the next year,” Mark Frechette, NYSDOT’s I-81 project director, said during the May 31 announcement.

He went on to say that NYSDOT “purposefully” sized these contracts so that they’re at least small enough for local contractors to bid on them. The department also plans to spread the contracts out by a couple months each.

“This maximizes the ability of our local contractors,” Frechette said. “If they don’t get contract one, they can bid contract two. If they don’t get contract two, they can bid contract three, and so forth.”

Frechette noted that NYSDOT still has plenty of work to do with final design details, the local hiring initiative, and competitively bidding all five contracts. The department also needs to negotiate with the contractors on topics that include schedules and commitments that will be maintained during the construction phases.

All five of the contracts will be finishing close to the end of 2025. The first phase will last about three years through 2025 and the second phase begins in 2026 and will be done by the end of 2028, according to Frechette.

“The phase one work is all preparatory work we need to rip out the interstate right behind us. So, the I-81 viaduct does not come out of service until … close to the end of 2025 when these first five contracts are going to be done,” Frechette said.

Final approval

The six-year, $2.25 billion project to replace the elevated viaduct of I-81 through downtown Syracuse is set to get started this fall.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) on May 31 signed the final documents for the project.

NYSDOT posted the formal record of decision (ROD) during the week of June 1.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) on May 31 announced the signing of the formal ROD for the project. The signing means construction on the community-grid alternative will begin this fall.

Frechette called the record of decision a “major milestone” for the I-81 project.

“It is the final selection of the … community grid alternative, not only by the state of New York but also by the Federal Highway Administration,” Frechette said.

Frechette joined NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez who announced the signing in speaking with reporters across from Erie Canal Museum and under the elevated portion of I-81.

Besides Frechette, additional members of the NYSDOT team working on the project also joined Dominguez for the May 31 afternoon announcement.

“Construction will begin later this fall on the community grid alternative,” Dominguez said in her remarks. “This has been a long time coming, to say the least. But, out of all of the options that we thoroughly studied, the community grid alternative represents a generational opportunity for the city of Syracuse and its surrounding communities.”

At $2.25 billion, it represents the largest upstate New York project that NYSDOT has undertaken, she noted.

As part of the $2.25 billion project, the existing elevated structure will be replaced by a new Business Loop 81 with an integrated community grid that will disperse traffic along local north-south and east-west streets. Portions of Interstates 481 and 690 will also be reconstructed to accommodate high speed traffic going around and through the city.

Survey: Rising prices contribute to U.S. restaurant industry’s decline in April

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U.S. restaurants saw a 4 percent decline in consumer visits this April compared to a year ago, according to a new survey report from the NPD Group. Restaurant traffic in April was 11 percent below the pre-pandemic level in April 2019. The 1 percent increase in consumer spending at restaurants in April versus a year

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U.S. restaurants saw a 4 percent decline in consumer visits this April compared to a year ago, according to a new survey report from the NPD Group.

Restaurant traffic in April was 11 percent below the pre-pandemic level in April 2019. The 1 percent increase in consumer spending at restaurants in April versus a year ago was more a reflection of higher prices than increased use of restaurants, according to NPD’s daily tracking of the U.S. foodservice industry. Food inflation and rising costs increased the price of a food-service meal by 9 percent in April of this year compared to April 2019, NPD said.

Online and physical visits to quick-service restaurants declined by 4 percent in April compared to a year earlier and are 6 percent below the April 2019 pre-pandemic baseline. Traffic to full-service restaurants, which had the steepest declines during the pandemic, was down 3 percent this April compared to a year ago, which is 31 percent below April 2019 visits.

Rising restaurant prices have had the most impact on lower-income households and households with kids, the survey found. For consumers in households with annual incomes under $50,000, their restaurant visits declined by 11 percent in April 2022 compared to the same month a year ago. Traffic from households with kids under age 6 was down 8 percent and decreased by 9 percent for households with kids ages 6-12 in April versus a year before. Visits from groups with kids, from the same home or not, were down 14 percent from a year ago, while traffic from adult-only groups was up 1 percent this April compared to April 2021.

“Rising prices put pressures on consumers that contribute to the restaurant industry slowdown. For many consumers, it’s more affordable to eat at home,” David Portalatin, NPD food industry advisor and author of “Eating Patterns in America,” said in a release. “This is when operators need to demonstrate their value to consumers struggling with inflation and be solutions-oriented to help consumers meet needs across life stages.”

NPD says it is a global market information company offering data, industry expertise, and prescriptive analytics to help clients understand today’s retail landscape and prepare for the future. It serves more than 2,000 companies worldwide.

HUNT Real Estate ERA looks to grow with new acquisition

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CAMILLUS, N.Y. — In a move that adds 52 new agents, with a collective sales volume of $130 million in 2021, HUNT Real Estate ERA acquired Procopio Real Estate of Solvay on May 24. All 52 real-estate agents at Procopio will join HUNT’s Camillus branch at 4801 W. Genesee St., Suite 3. Procopio, serving the

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CAMILLUS, N.Y. — In a move that adds 52 new agents, with a collective sales volume of $130 million in 2021, HUNT Real Estate ERA acquired Procopio Real Estate of Solvay on May 24.

All 52 real-estate agents at Procopio will join HUNT’s Camillus branch at 4801 W. Genesee St., Suite 3. Procopio, serving the area since 2011, sold 705 units valued at $130 million in sales volume in 2021. It had been based on Milton Avenue in the village of Solvay.

“I’ve enjoyed getting to know Frank Procopio and have a new appreciation for the effort required to double your business nearly every year, which Procopio has been doing,” Dave Evans, HUNT’s regional VP for CNY said in a news release. “Many of his agents have had similar growth in their sales, which is impressive. I look forward to working with Frank and his team to continue building upon their success.”

The acquisition boosts HUNT’s number of agents in Central New York to about 250, a 25 percent increase, according to Dan Mirsky, chief marketing officer. Companywide, parent company HUNT Real Estate Corp. has about 1,700 agents.

“We are always in the market to acquire brokerages that we are aligned with culturally and it provides financial gains for both parties,” Mirsky tells CNYBJ in an email. The success of Frank Procopio’s firm made it an attractive acquisition, he noted.

“Procopio has developed advanced lead-development strategies that have helped his agents grow rapidly,” Mirsky said. “We expect to continue these strategies to benefit his agents as well as our existing HUNT agents.” In 2021, HUNT ERA’s sales volume totaled $3.84 billion.

Frank Procopio, who founded his agency in 2011, said he is excited to join the HUNT organization and learn from its leaders. “By joining forces, not only will we be able to provide a better customer experience, but we’ll also be able to offer more to our real-estate agents, as well as those at HUNT.”

Procopio will actively work with HUNT as a consultant and a real-estate sales professional, Mirsky said.

“We are thrilled to welcome Frank and his team to HUNT,” said Charlie Hunt, COO for HUNT Real Estate Corp. “Their unique approach to the consumer, along with lead generation, will be a great addition to our existing infrastructure. We are looking forward to providing a superior real-estate experience to more and more residents of Central New York through the combined efforts of HUNT and Procopio.”

HUNT Real Estate ERA operates 55 branch offices in New York, Massachusetts, and Arizona. Its New York offices include locations in Camillus, Cazenovia, Cicero, Manlius, Liverpool, New Hartford, and Oneida. HUNT also operates a commercial brokerage, mortgage-banking firm, insurance agency, and title agency.

Syracuse Downtown Living Tour again set for late September

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — People who are interested in the annual Downtown Living Tour should make plans for the final Saturday in September. This year’s event is planned for Sept. 24, Laurie Reed, director of marketing for the Downtown Committee of Syracuse Inc. tells CNYBJ in an email. The group is still working on securing the

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Syracuse firm brings new apartments to downtown Utica

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Regional News, Subscriber Only

UTICA , N.Y.— As the revitalization of downtown Utica continues at a furious pace, it became clear to one Syracuse development company that all those new businesses meant there would be more people around that needed a place to live. Lahinch Group, LLC is in the final stages of an almost year-long certified historic renovation

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Lahinch Group, LLC is in the final stages of an almost year-long certified historic renovation of the former Utica Commercial Travelers of America Building that will add 32 new housing units to the market, as well as commercial space already home to one anchor tenant.

Salina-based Barton & Loguidice, D.P.C. became the building’s anchor tenant when it opened its newest office there in mid-May. The engineering, planning, environmental, and landscape-architecture firm leases nearly 8,000 of the available 10,000 square feet of commercial space on the first floor of the building. The Utica Observer-Dispatch plans to open its new office in the building in August.

The building, located at 70 Genesee St., is also part of the historic Bagg’s Square district, and Lahinch Managing Member Joseph Gehm said he could just see the potential and vision for that area.

The building is just down the street from Utica Coffee Roasting Co. and steps away from several restaurants. It’s a short walk or an even shorter commute to the new Wynn Hospital of the Mohawk Valley Health System that will open in downtown Utica next year. The building is also close to Routes 5, 5S, and 12 along with the Thruway, making it an ideal location for commuters.

“It’s a fantastic location,” he notes. That’s why he snatched up the building, which had been mostly vacant for several years, and began the renovation project last summer. Hueber Breuer Construction Co., Inc. and Morrisroe Lynn Development LLC, both of Syracuse, are Lahinch’s partners in the $10-million project. Bonacci Architects of Utica served as project architect.

The remainder of the building, which was mostly open-floor office space, has been converted into mostly one-bedroom apartments. “We’re going to have 32 apartments on floors two through five,” Gehm says. The units all have top-of-the-line kitchen cabinets and custom closets.

The building has two parking lots, and will also feature a fitness room, basement storage units, charging stations for electric vehicles, and a community room with a kitchenette.

“We expect to have folks moving in in mid- to late June,” Gehm adds. Lahinch is currently in the process of marketing the units to potential tenants.

“It’s been pretty well received,” Gehm says, adding that he expects to potentially fill the building by the end of summer.

A second development

Lahinch is already at work on a second building in Utica, this one at 600 State St., that will include 64 apartments along with a number of retail tenants. Brooklyn Pickle of Syracuse is already confirmed as a tenant, and Gehm hopes to make another tenant announcement soon.

“I think there’s a lot of promise for Utica,” Gehm says of his firm’s decision to take on projects there. “We’re very optimistic. You can just see it now.”

Citing the new hospital, the recently opened Wolfspeed silicon-carbide wafer fabrication plant, and the Nexus Center multi-surface sports complex under construction, Gehm said it’s hard to ignore the growth happening in the city.

“I think they’re doing all the right things,” he says.

Headquartered at 102 W. Division St. in Syracuse, Lahinch Group is a real estate and development company that also provides property management and brokerage services. The company operates a number of other mixed-use office and residential properties in the Syracuse area and has several more in development.

Syracuse preps for next phase of renovations to JMA Wireless Dome

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Before officially announcing JMA Wireless as the new naming-rights holder on the Dome, Syracuse University said it also has plans for additional renovation work on its on-campus stadium. In its April 20 announcement, Syracuse said it wanted to “embark on the next phase of its work to enhance, elevate and expand the

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In its April 20 announcement, Syracuse said it wanted to “embark on the next phase of its work to enhance, elevate and expand the stadium experience.”

This includes a complete reseating, a new publicly accessible event facility and an upgrade of the entire digital infrastructure. The university will begin work this spring, with some of it scheduled to be complete as early as this September.

The next phase of renovations follows the recently completed $118 million renovation project at the Dome. Those renovations included a new fixed roof, a vertically hung scoreboard, the installation of air conditioning, and new sound and lighting systems.

Those renovations have “improved the visitor experience and further positioned the venue and Central New York to compete nationally for large concerts, events and NCAA regional competitions,” Syracuse University contends.

It notes that the $118 million renovation project was “funded entirely” by the university and private philanthropy.

Next phase of work

Syracuse University’s April 20 announcement didn’t include a cost estimate for the additional interior renovation work, but recent media reports indicated the New York State budget included $20 million for the project.

Specifically, the renovation work will include a transition from bench seating to individual/fixed seating inside the venue.

The new seating will not only “improve comfort” but will also “enhance accessibility for patrons with disabilities,” the university contended. Syracuse plans to make the Dome’s existing bench-style seating freely available to high-school stadiums and venues across New York.

Syracuse also plans to build an on-site and publicly accessible event facility. The school will design and construct a roughly 25,000-square-foot addition on the east end of the Dome to infill the space between the Dome and the Barnes Center at The Arch.

The new space will provide an “improved fan experience, expanded event and gathering space, and upgraded accessibility,” Syracuse said. The addition will make the Dome “more competitive with other peer venues” across the U.S., the university contends.

Syracuse also plans to upgrade the Dome’s digital infrastructure, improving connectivity offerings for fans and other users of the Dome.

“We’ve completed a huge transformation here over the past couple of years, and because of that, we have a more competitive venue and we’ve seen more satisfied patrons, more concerts adding us to their tour stop,” Pete Sala, Syracuse University VP and chief facilities officer, said. “With our new digital infrastructure combined with a complete re-seating and construction of the new event facility, the JMA Dome is going to be a premiere destination in Central New York.”

Sala was speaking at the May 19 naming-rights announcement inside the JMA Wireless Dome.

In his remarks, Sala also noted the work that JMA Wireless conducted at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, the home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Charges and the site of Super Bowl LVI.

Sala said he spent some time there last fall and said JMA’s work made SoFi “one of, if not the, most high tech … cutting edge athletics and entertainment venues in the country.” And he believes Syracuse’s partnership with JMA Wireless will make the Dome “better than that.”

“Our team is gearing up for this exciting work,” Sala said. “We have the best campus community, [and] the best fans. Our ultimate goal is to give them the best experience possible every time they step foot in the JMA Dome.”

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