Local veterans made the rounds this morning of Veterans Day services at locations throughout Genesee County. Starting at the Genesee County Park, they proceeded to the VA Medical Center, the NYS Vets Home, the Upton Monument, St. Jerome's and GCC.
Here are photos from the VA and from Upton.
Bottom photo is from GCC, where the college opened a lounge for student-veterans.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley said he's just received word that Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed today -- on Veterans Day -- a piece of legislation he sponsored to rename Route 98 from Attica to Lake Ontario "The Genesee-Orleans Veterans Memorial Highway."
Hawley said he was proud that the governor supported his request to rename the highway and that Cuomo signed the bill on Veterans Day.
"We should recognize veterans 365 days a year and this helps do that," Hawley said.
Senators Mike Ranzenhofer and George Maziarz sponsored the bill in the Senate.
"As a proud veteran myself and the son of a World War II veteran and the ranking minority member of the Veterans Affairs Committee in the Assembly, I thought it important to recognize what veterans have done for our country," Hawley said.
State Police and Sheriff's deputies are at a location on Bloomingdale Road where a person with a gun is apparently firing shots.
One officer said it sounded like a .22 rifle. Another said, "that last shot came from over by the woods, by the car."
The county's emergency response team (aka SWAT) is being dispatched.
UPDATE 2:39 a.m.: A reader who heard the start of the call said it began with the report of a domestic disturbance, with a female caller reporting the male half was threatening to kill her. A Mercy ambulance is dispatched, we believe as a precaution. Also Alabama fire is being assembled at its hall.
UPDATE 3:57 a.m. (by Billie): The ERT response is cancelled. Mercy medics and Alabama firefighters are back in service. No further information available at this time.
UPDATE 4:18 a.m.: At this point, we don't have any further information about what actually happened and how local law enforcment handled (or decided to handle) the situation. We will provide any updates that become available.
It's not hard to imagine there are possibly more victims locally of Sean Vickers, who is facing multiple felony counts of alleged child sexual abuse in Genesee and Niagara counties, said Det. Kevin Czora.
Vickers was indicted Friday on 10 more felony counts stemming for the alleged abuse of four victims from the 1990s to the 2000s in Batavia. The 44-year-old Geneva resident was originally arrested in May following an investigation by Batavia PD that started when Niagara County investigators brought information to local detectives about potential victims in the city.
Since Vickers lived in more than one residence in the county over the years, Czora said, it's possible -- if Vickers is the kind of monster the charges against him suggest -- that there are victims out there whom local investigators know nothing about.
"Currently, just by the numbers we're aware of, he's a serial abuser," Czora said.
That's why local investigators are asking anybody who knows anything about Vickers and possible victims to contact law enforcement.
To contact Batavia PD, call (585) 345-6350 or outside the city, contact your local law enforcement agency.
Vickers is accused of sexually molesting three boys in the Barker and Middleport areas last year. Last month he was indicated in Niagara County on six counts of predatory sexual assault against a child. He faces from 25 years to life in prison on the Genesee and Niagara counties charges.
At the time of his arrest, Vickers was already a registered Level 3 sex offender. He had a misdemeanor conviction for a sexual act in Monroe County and in 2009 he was convicted of a felony in New Hampshire for victimizing an underage boy there.
Last May, David A. Vickers, the 49-year-old brother of Sean, was arrested on a federal charge of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity. The charge carries a maximum possible sentence of life in federal prison.
David Vickers is accused of molesting a boy from Buffalo over a 10-year period and a Batavia boy over a five-year period, according to the Buffalo News. The first case allegedly began in 1989 and the second in 1999.
Sean Vickers allegedly introduced his brother to the Batavia boy.
When news broke of Vicker's arrest in May, the media reports prompted some people who are now adults to come forward and report they were allegedly abused by Vickers.
In the cases of those adults, however, the alleged crimes happened at a time when the state's statute of limitations on child sexual abuse was five years.
That doesn't mean, however, knowing about those alleged acts and gathering that evidence is a waste in the Vicker's case, Czora said. The more evidence gathered, the more it will help in the prosecution of the alleged crimes that aren't covered by the statute of limitations.
"We've reached out as best we can and now it's a matter of them reaching out to us to let us know what they're aware of and if they've been abused," Czora said. "Some of them, depending on the time frame, we may not be able to do anything criminally, however, there's always counseling, which every victim is entitled to even if the case is prosecuted or not."
For the adults who did come forward after the news came out, there was a sense of closure, Czora said.
"Each case makes the other cases that much stronger and it shows the seriousness and how far Sean Vickers has gone and how he damaged so many different lives," Czora said. "All that can be used later through the courts."
VIckers is currently being held in the Genesee County Jail on $500,000 bail or $500,000 bond. The judge in Niagara County ordered Vickers held without bail.
Even though there is a potential suspect in the murder of Bill Fickel, the case has still not been solved. There is somebody out there with information who can help.
A former Batavia resident arrested in May for allegedly sexually abusing children in Batavia decades ago was indicted yesterday on 10 more felony sexual abuse charges.
The indictment is the result of an ongoing Batavia PD investigation that has uncovered four more alleged victims.
Vickers is accused of sexually abusing the children over a 12-year period starting in the 1990s.
He was indicted on one count of a course of sexual conduct against a child, a Class B felony, two counts of predatory sexual assault against a child, a Class A-II felony, six counts of criminal sexual act first, a Class B violent felony, one count of sexual abuse, 1st, a Class B felony, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.
The 44-year-old Vickers was a resident of Geneva at the time of his arrest in May.
He was indicted later that month on a count of course of sexual conduct against a child in the first degree, a Class B felony. He was accused of engaging in two or more acts of sexual conduct, which allegedly included at least one act of deviate sexual intercourse with a child less than 13 years old. The alleged incidents occurred between Nov. 2, 2001 and April 16, 2002.
Vickers is being held in the Genesee County Jail on $500,000 bond or cash bail.
The investigation is being lead by Det. Kevin Czora.
The police remain concerned that there could possibly be more alleged victims in the community. To contact Batavia PD, call (585) 345-6350 or outside the city, contact your local law enforcement agency.
Trisha Riggi sent in this picture of Le Roy elementary school students who lined Wolcott Street in Le Roy to give the Oatkan-Knights a hometown send off for their big game in Rochester.
The Knights lost to Wayland Cohocton, but the whole community is proud of what they accomplished in 2013.
For generations, the Richmond name dominated civic life in Batavia.
Dean Richmond was one of the most successful businessmen of his generation -- from the time he inherited his father's salt works company when he was 15 until his death in 1866. Mary Richmond continued and grew her husband's business empire and served on numerous local boards and committees. Their daughter carried on the tradition of local involvement and leadership.
But by the mid-part of the 20th Century, the Richmond family had dispersed to other parts of the country, but still, the Richmond name looms large in Batavia.
There is, of course, the Richmond Memorial Library, and the Richmond Mausoleum in the Batavia Cemetery.
But sadly, the once grand Richmond Mansion -- actually built in 1839 by Col. William Davis -- was torn down by a short-sighted City Schools board in 1970. All that's left is a wrought iron fence surrounding a parking lot owned by St. Joseph's.
Now, at least, there is a historical marker on the site to commemorate the location of the mansion.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by two generations of Richmonds, Harold Richmond, above, with his sons Kyle and Alex with his wife Cheryl.
Harold Richmond said it's quite an honor to see his great-great-grandfather remembered and honored in Batavia.
"It's great that the family gets recognized," said Richmond, a resident of New Jersey. "The Richmonds aren't really any different from anybody else today. We don't have anybody of note in the family that I know of, but the fact that the city has maintained the history and recognized the contributions of Dean Richmond and his wife and his daughter is just amazing."
As for the destruction of the Richmond Mansion -- which local preservationists tend to think of a huge loss to the community -- Richmond was forgiving.
"Maintaining that mansion in the 1970s, with that orphanage going away, that's a huge financial burden on a community," Richmond said. "It doesn't shock or surprise me that they had to make that choice. It was probably a good financial choice at that time. It's sad that it couldn't have been sustained as a museum or Masonic lodge or something like that, but it's understandable."
Harold Richmond pointing to the crypt of his great-grandfather with his son Alex inside the Richmond Mausoleum.
The Richmonds, Harold, Kyle, Cheryl and Alex, with Sharon Burkel inside the Richmond Mausoleum.
There isn't much new to report from the overnight fire at Baskin Livestock in Bethany. I was out to the property this afternoon and firefighters were on scene dealing with hotspots and flare-ups.
Bethany Fire Chief Jeff Fluker hadn't even been home since arriving on scene shortly after 11 p.m. last night. He started to leave early this morning and then there was a small fire that broke out in the cyclone (it separates packaging from discarded baked goods).
I interviewed Fluker, but my phone died in the middle of the conversation, so no direct quotes here, working off memory.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
The main structure is largely intact, but it's too soon to estimate the extent of the damage and how much of the feed-processing equipment was damaged, but some of it was damaged.
We spoke about the water supply, which was definitely a problem, but for a fire this size, he said, with three ladder trucks going, even a public water supply would have a hard time keeping up. It takes 10 tanker trucks to service one ladder truck.
St. Joe's School in Batavia is organizing an assistance drive for the Baskin family following last night's massive fire at Baskin Livestock.
Electricity to the property was cut because of the fire and the school is primarily looking to make a food donation to the family, said Karen Green, principal of St. Joe's.
The daughter of Bill Baskin and Susan Blackburn attended St. Joe's.
“We are reaching out to the community to see if they can help us in providing some food for the Baskin family," Green said. "They are without electricity, they have 100 50 employees, we would like to see if we can gather food together from area businesses and we will take them out to the Baskins around noon today.”
Green said volunteers from St. Joes would pick-up donations or donors could leave their contributions at St. Joe's at 2 Summit St. in Batavia. The school's phone number is (585) 343-6154.
Previously: Major fire causes severe damage to one of Genesee County's largest ag businesses
A lack of public water along Creek Road, Town of Bethany, hampered firefighting efforts at Baskin Livestock on Thursday night after a barn fire was reported just before 11 p.m.
Bethany, Town of Batavia, Alexander and Pavilion fire departments all responded quickly after their fire tones sounded, but as the Baskin barn burned, most of the firefighters on scene could only watch while they waited for tankers to arrive and porta ponds to be erected.
Baskin is one of the largest ag-related employers in Genesee County, with more than 100 workers. The company specializes in converting waste baked goods into animal feed.
Owner Bill Baskin is popular in the local business community, beloved by his employees and was named 2011 Agriculture Business of the Year.
The fire appears to have started in a barn-like structure where trucks pull in to be loaded with feed.
The structure was completely destroyed.
While the fire spread into the adjoining production facility, it's unclear how much damage was done.
At one point during the fire fight, Baskin was pleading with fire chiefs to send in a hand-line crew through a doorway on the north side of the processing building.
"I know my building," he said. "You can save it if you send a crew in here."
It took some minutes, but crews were sent into the building through that door. The fire was pretty much stopped at that point.
Paul Kennedy, a former Dansville firefighter, was among the first people to see and report the fire. He and a friend had been out hunting when they saw the smoke.
"The heater between the two big buildings was on fire," Kennedy said. "It wasn't much at first, but it turned into something quick with the wind."
Minutes after Kennedy arrived on scene Baskin arrived, and Kennedy helped him pull trucks away from the building and close the doors on the back of the building.
Bethany Assistant Chief John Szymkowiak said a lack of water definitely played a role in making the fire harder to fight and contain.
"This fire had a big head start on us," Szymkowiak said.
This is the second major fire at Baskin Livestock in just about five years. In 2008, Baskin suffered a serious fire, but did rebuild.
Fire companies from five counties -- Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, Wyoming and Monroe -- responded to the fire or provided fill-in support at local fire halls. All but three departments in Genesee County -- Alabama, Pemborke and Indian Falls -- responded to the fire scene.
Ladder trucks for the town and City of Batavia along with Le Roy helped fight the fire.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
UPDATE Friday 9:07 a.m.: Bethany Fire is dispatched to Baskin Livestock for a cyclone fire.
UPDATE 10:29 a.m.: The fire was put out about 20 minutes ago but they are still working on dousing some hot spots.
UPDATE 11:33 a.m.: Mutual aid is called from Town of Batavia Fire Department to assist Bethany in fighting a sawdust fire in the rafters of a structure.
UPDATE 11:40 a.m.: A tanker from Attica is called to respond.
UPDATE 11:52 a.m.: A tanker from Stafford is requested.
UPDATE 12 p.m.: Aid from Alexander is requested.
Bill Baskin pleading with firefighters to use a hand-line crew on the north side of the building.
Baskin, far right, and an employee showing a chief the situation inside a doorway on the northside of the building.
Perhaps one of the largest porta pond operations ever assembled for a fire in Genesee County.
Local law enforcement is on the scout for a white Jeep Cherokee that was seen leaving the scene of a barn fire in Livingston County.
The Jeep was last seen west on Walker Road, heading west into Genesee County.
The barn fire is now out, but no word on the extent of the damage.
The fire was reported within the past 30 minutes.
Law enforcement officials in Livingston County want to question the person or people in the vehicle in connection with a possible arson at the location of the barn fire.
The view of Batavia a space alien might get, as revealed by an image from Google Maps, tells pretty much the whole story of the community's economic struggles, Tim Tielman told members of the Genesee County Landmark Society last night at their annual meeting.
Right in the center of the city, Tielman said, is this big mass of gray. It's a dead zone, he said. It isn't built for the human animal. It's built for cars. That's no way to design a city.
It hasn't always been that way, of course. Tielman displayed a parcel map of Batavia at the end of the 19th Century. Downtown was filled with structures -- brick commercial buildings and hundreds of houses.
That's a city, he said, designed for human scale and one that is culturally and economically vibrant.
Tielman has worked tirelessly as a preservationist in Buffalo for decades. His list of accomplishments is impressive. Larkin Square, Canalside, the Lafayette Hotel, the Ellicott District, the H.H. Richardson Towers and the Webb Building, among other "saves" and restoration projects.
His work has been recognized in a John Paget documentary, “Buffalo: America’s Best-Designed City.”
The same kind of revitalization going on in Buffalo now could be Batavia's future, Tielman said.
If it's going to happen, it will be up to the preservationists, the people who understand human scale.
"One of the biggest issues every city faces is dead zones," Tielman said. "Batavia has dead zones up and down its streets. Dead zones are devoid of commercial activity. You chain too many dead zones together and you destroy your local community."
When you build your commercial district around the car, the district losses its appeal to pedestrians, and it's people walking and interacting that creates commercial activity and a sense of community.
"It isn't cars that make a place a commercial success," Tielman said. "It's a success (based) on how well the human animal can get about certain places. It's what appeals and what stimulates them to walk."
Batavia used to be that kind of city. From Harvester on the east to the Old Courthouse on the west, the old maps reveal, it was a walkable city.
Tielman used a Google Maps view to show Batavia today. Our picture above is from the county's GIS map. Below is a county aerial photo of the city from 1934 (a period, Tielman said, when Batavia was at its peak culturally and economically -- the 1920s through 1930s). Tielman used a turn of the century parcel map.
There's no reason, Tielman said, Batavia can't become that kind of city again.
He recommended the approach being used with Canalside now -- start small. That's how Joseph Ellicott started.
Canalside is the terminus of the Erie Canel at Lake Erie. Early development was small businesses in tents and small buildings. The larger, commercial brick structures came later. Tielman's suggestion is to start the commercial activity at an affordable pace, and it will grow.
He suggested the Genesse County Economic Development Center has it's economic development priorities backwards. The $1.7 million in tax breaks given to COR Development to lure large national chains to Batavia could have been used more productively to help start 50 small businesses downtown.
He called small businesses the "farm system" for greater economic growth. Communities that lose their ability to encourage and attract entrepreneurs stop growing.
There was a time when each small community was unique and the competitive advantage each had was that you had to be from the city to know how to get around the city and prosper in the city, then urban planners started coddling the national chains, creating a sameness in each community so the chains would be comfortable opening businesses there. That's helped destroy the small businesses that used to make cities and towns vital.
Tielman helped lead the successful fight against Bass Pro building at Canalside.
Rather than trying to attract national chains, Tielman suggested, planners and economic development agencies should be creating environments were local small business owners can thrive.
"Retail is important in a city," Tielman said. "It's not a primary economic activity, but it's important to bring people out, to have people in the streets, people who bump into each other and make it lively. Dense cities, dense streets, create economic activity."
When people visit a city, they want to see other people, smiling people, he said.
"If they see glum people on the streets, or worse, no people on the streets, but just tumbleweeds rolling down Main Street, they're not going to want to come back," Tielman said. "They're not going to want to move there. They're not going to want to move or start a business there."
And these days, Tielman noted, people don't even need to visit your city to form an impression. They can use Google Maps and Street View.
Tielman used the Google Street View image below to illustrate his point.
Tourists, prosective residents, and most importantly, site selectors for semiconductor companies, are going to look at a picture like this and conclude Batavia isn't a very attractive place to be. There's no signs of life. There's no economic vibrancy.
Handing out tax breaks to bring in a Dick's Sporting Goods doesn't fix this problem.
Tielman pulled up this Google Maps view of Batavia again and noted the one area of Old Batavia still left, the block between Jackson Street and Center Street, south of Main Street. It's the only part of Downtown that is still densely built.
"This is the kernel from which you can hit the reset button on Batavia," he said. "You can start here and work backwards toward that which you once had."
Links:
Winston A. Lockhart, 18, of 3 Lewis Place, Batavia, is charged with littering. Batavia PD officers Frank Klimjack and Darryl Streeter allegedly observed Lockhart toss a lit cigarette onto the parkway on Lewis Place. The officers reportedly asked Lockhart to pick up the cigarette and dispose of it properly. After he refused, the officers arrested Lockhart for an alleged violation of the Batavia Municipal Code.
Miguel Angel Dejesus, 66, of Perry Road, Pavilion, is charged with forcible touching. Dejesus is accused of forcibly touching the genital area of a woman. He was jailed on $2,000 bail.
Alexander Colon-Colon, 19, of Swan Street, Batavia, is charged with sexual misconduct. Colon-Colon is accused of having sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old female. Under state law, a 15-year-old is unable to consent to sexual conduct.
Philip C. DeGraff, 45, of 81 Walker Road, Perry, is charged with aggravated harassment, 2nd. DeGraff allegedly threatened to kill another person. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.
Sharon E. Herdtner, 51, of 25 North St., upper, Batavia, is charged with disobeying a court mandate. Herdtner allegedly refused to appear for the Grand Jury after being served a subpoena at Batavia PD headquarters on Oct. 28.
For 42 years members of two churches in Bergen have come together for Easter services on a hill in town.
When it was private property, there was never an issue with the annual service. Now, however, as of this year, the property is owned by the county.
Legislator Ray Cianfrini said today he is worried that somebody could sue the county over allowing a religious service on the property, or some "fringe group" (lack of a better term, he said) might demand equal access to a county park and say a precedent has been set.
"While I support the church and this service, I think there are some legal issues that will have ramifications," Cianfrini said.
County Attorney Chuck Zambito said, yes, it's possible allowing the service could lead to somebody filing a lawsuit.
"I don't think there is anything wrong by allowing them to hold the service," Zambito said. "You may get challenged and you may loose. You may have to abide by whatever happens."
The legal concern prompted Cianfrini to vote no on a resolution before the Ways and Means Committee to authorize the churches to hold the services.
The county acquired the property for one of its new emergency communication towers associated with the construction of the new 9-1-1 system.
Bob Bausch, who represents Bergen, sought approval of continuing access to the property for the Easter service.
The churches conducting the service are the First Presbyterian Church of Bergen and the United Methodist Church of Bergen.
"It's an hour service or less once a year and it's very, very meaningful to them," Bausch said.
The church leaders claim, Zambito said, that the person who owned the property 42 years ago placed a covenant on the parcel to ensure the churches would always be allowed to hold services there.
Zambito said he can find no such covenant filed with the deed and there's been no recording of any such contract.
On the other hand, the previous property owner -- Time Warner -- and the current surrounding property owner -- the Monroe County Water Authority -- have always allowed the services.
In fact, the water authority provides the churches with a key to its locked gate at the base of the hill and service-goers now have a paved road up the hill that's normally to service the Time Warner's communication tower.
Legislator Ed Dejanerio said he is concerned about any liability the county might have from the use, so legislators added a requirement to the resolution that the churches purchase appropriate insurance for the event.
The committee passed the resolution approving the services 3-1.
Crews apparently from U.S. Gypsum have been working recently at the corner of Hutton Road and Judge Road in Oakfield.
The location is adjacent a site of a large depression that appeared in the roadway a year ago.
Crews appear to have dug four shafts into the ground and are pouring cement down the shafts.
The supervisor on site couldn't speak about the project and referred The Batavian to a company supervisor. That person has yet to return our phone call.
It's never been officially confirmed, the location is rumored to be an abandoned U.S. Gypsum mind shaft.
UPDATE 5:20 p.m.: Jim Perry, plant manager called. A few weeks ago, the company drilled some holes to take a look in the old mine that is at that location. They are no filling the holes and putting in grout to "shore things up," Perry said. The company is working with the DOT and DEC on the project. Asked if their exploratory drilling found any issues he said, "there were no surprises."
Press release:
Vibrant Batavia and the Batavia Ramparts Squirt Travel Hockey Team will be assisting residents in a fall clean-up on November 10th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We will cover the following streets: parts of Bank Street, parts of North Street, Tracy Avenue and parts of Hart Street.
The clean-up will consist of: leaf raking, debris clean up and removal of pumpkins, corn stalks and hay bales. Trucks will be provided by volunteers to transport the pumpkins, corn stalks and hay bales to the waste Center that day. For residents interested in removal of these items that are unable to participate, please leave them by the street so we know you wish for us to take them. Volunteers should bring their own rake, gloves and, of course, dress appropriately for the weather.
Invitations were distributed to these residents to inform them of the clean-up effort. Terri Clingerman, a Bank Street resident, helped go door to door on Monday. Clingerman said “this is a great way to get people out of their houses and make it a collaborative effort to do a neighborhood clean-up, while getting the chance to meet neighbors." We will also promote this event through our Facebook page to remind residents of the event.
Bob and Char Grimm, residents of 59 Tracy Ave., will be hosting a lunch for all of the volunteers and residents from the streets included in the clean-up. Lunch will be held at noon and will be provided by Vibrant Batavia. We welcome all that wish to come out and meet with your neighbors.
Grimm said, “I am happy to host along with volunteering my time for a street-wide clean up. ... this is a great opportunity for our youth to take part in a community service effort, as it teaches them how to work together as a team."
The intent of this clean-up is to open the lines of communication between these specific neighborhoods and work toward getting these residents interested in working on future activities.
Vibrant Batavia is a community network organized to celebrate the past, build on the present and to create a more vibrant future. The volunteers work side-by-side with the City of Batavia, NeighborWorks® Rochester and the business community to strategically improve the City's neighborhoods and to promote a livable community of choice.
For more information about Vibrant Batavia or NeighborWorks contact Leanna Di Risio at leanna@vibrantbatavia.com or by phone at (585) 738-7388.
Press release:
Today, in a letter to the Board of Directors of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), U.S. Senator Charles Schumer pitched Upstate New York as the international center for the growing semiconductor- and chip-fabrication industry. Schumer touted several Upstate locales and specifically pointed to the newest potential mega-site (1,250 acres) for chip fab, the Genesee County Science, Technology, and Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP).
Schumer highlighted the development of Upstate New York’s nanotech sites, underlining the many advantages offered by the Luther Forest Tech Campus, the Marcy Nanotech campus, and now the Genesee County STAMP site. Schumer, who recently hosted the SIA at a Capitol Hill briefing with newly elected senators, urged the 18 semiconductor industry CEOs who comprise the SIA Board to consider Upstate New York sites, including STAMP, when establishing their next semiconductor manufacturing and research facility, citing advantages like access to affordable power, and world-class research universities and proximity to a large qualified workforce.
“The STAMP site will join existing hubs like the Luther Forest Tech Campus and Marcy Nanotech campus, and will become the second semiconductor mega-site in New York State, bolstering the state’s reputation as the preeminent destination for high-tech semiconductor research, design, and development,” Schumer said.
His letter to industry leaders was released in advance of the 2013 Annual Semiconductor Industry Association Dinner, to be held on November 7th in San Jose, California, when representatives from STAMP will make a presentation to the Board of Directors to outline the advantages of the site. Representatives of other New York centers, including Marcy and Luther Forest will also be present.
Schumer continued, “Thanks to decades of joint public-private investments in infrastructure and education, and a talented workforce, Upstate New York is the number-one place to establish semiconductor manufacturing in the nation. The promise of the Genesee County STAMP site only adds to New York’s reputation as fertile ground for high-tech and, specifically, semiconductor manufacturing. Simply put: the high-tech manufacturing sector has the potential to remake Western New York and the entire Upstate economy, delivering a new generation of middle-class jobs. It has already begun in the Capitol District, is spreading to Utica, and is poised to take-off in Western New York, too.
"Upstate New York’s proximity to transportation and energy networks, its access to the creativity and large workforces of major metropolitan cities, and its world-class technology and engineering universities are exactly what the semiconductor industry needs to ensure national and global success – and I made that known to the CEOs of the leading companies.”
In his letter, Schumer highlighted the unique advantages various Upstate New York State sites, including Genesee County’s STAMP site, provide to the semiconductor industry. The industry has benefited from the State’s advanced transportation networks, industrial infrastructure, and utilities at its other leading semiconductor sites. Schumer explained that the STAMP site would continue with this trend, offering close access to Interstate-90, high-capacity electric transmission lines, a large-scale high-pressure gas line, and the New York Power Authority’s hydropower low-cost electricity zone.
These assets ensure that the semiconductor factory would receive robust utility capacity, redundancy, and reliability at competitive prices, in some cases at a 75-80 percent market discount. The STAMP site is also situated between the Rochester and Buffalo metropolitan areas, which contain international airports, active customs stations, and a 2.1 million workforce population.
Last year, Schumer successfully advocated on behalf of STAMP by calling on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide necessary wetlands permit assurances so that STAMP’s developers could advance the site’s development and begin marketing the site to prospective tenants. Schumer has also taken a lead advocacy role for the semiconductor industry in the 113th Congress, which has led to the passage of major immigration reform legislation and a long-term reauthorization of the federal helium reserve, a critical lifeline for semiconductor manufacturers.
The growth of the semiconductor industry in Upstate New York has also been encouraged by the region’s strong research and educational base. The State is home to some of the world’s leading technology and engineering universities, including the University of Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE), the Rochester Institute of Technology, the University at Buffalo, the University of Rochester, and Cornell University — all of which are spearheading efforts in research, commercialization, workforce development, and collaboration in the high-tech and semiconductor fields.
Schumer called on the SIA companies to consider the advantages offered by the New York’s high-tech resources, and mega-sites like STAMP primed for development, when choosing the location of their next chip fab. Schumer noted that the long-term development of the STAMP site would bring long-lasting, stable jobs to New York and make the region a hub of high-tech manufacturing.
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