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Empire State Development announces $4.4 million for projects spurring economic opportunity across New York

by jmaloni

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Tue, May 13th 2014 11:45 am

Empire State Development's board of directors has approved more than $4.4 million to support six economic development projects in the Western New York, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Mohawk Valley, North Country and New York City regions. The funding will leverage more than $5.6 million in private and additional public investments to support businesses, improve important infrastructure and lay the groundwork for future economic growth and job creation.

"Under the leadership of Gov. Cuomo, we are making targeted investments that are supporting major economic development projects across New York state," said Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Kenneth Adams. "From supporting the creation of business parks and technology centers to advancing the manufacturing industry, these projects are creating jobs and building a solid foundation for future growth."

The ESD board approved the following Regional Economic Development Council grants:

Elmira College (Southern Tier Region - Chemung County) - $2,250,000

Buffalo Center for the Arts and Technology- (Western New York Region - Erie County) - $800,000

The Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology, a not-for-profit corporation providing adult and youth educational services, will use a grant of up to $800,000 for a portion of the cost of renovating its facility to expand training opportunities.

BCAT offers adult health sciences training to unemployed or underemployed Buffalo residents, and its youth programs are geared towards at-risk Buffalo teenagers, aiming to increase graduation rates and prepare them for real-life experiences following graduation.

The project involves interior renovations of the 14,000-square-foot garden level and first floor of Artspace Buffalo, mixed-use buildings that provide 60 units of affordable housing for artists and their families, and the acquisition and installation of furniture, fixtures and equipment necessary to establish the BCAT operation.

The completed BCAT facility will include classrooms, labs, work spaces, a meeting room, library and offices utilized for two co-located, scholarship-based, core programs: an after-school program and an adult training program. The project is expected to provide training and life skills to more than 350 Buffalo high school students and 150 underemployed or unemployed adults within three years of completion of the project.

Western New York Science, Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Park - (Finger Lakes Region - Genesee County) - $670,783

Amsterdam IDA (Mohawk Valley Region - Montgomery County) - $225,000

Plattsburgh Airport Water Infrastructure (North Country Region - Clinton County) - $200,000

The board approved the following urban and community development grant:

New York City Economic Development Corporation- (New York City Region - All NYC Counties) - $300,000

The next meeting of the ESD Board of Directors will occur in June.

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