Syracuse,
NY – April 2015 / Newsmaker Alert / The Great
New York State Fair will host a public workshop as it begins the process
of determining the elements that will go into the first major renovation
of the grounds in a century, Acting Fair Director Troy Waffner announced
Wednesday (April 29).
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The
workshop will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6 in the Martha
Eddy Room at the Art & Home Center on the Fairgrounds. The public is
invited.
“We are committed to an open
and transparent process in order to determine how to best use the land
we have to accomplish Governor Cuomo’s goals of better promoting New York
agriculture and increasing tourism at the Fairgrounds year round. The Fair
means so much to so many people and it’s important that their voices are
heard. I look forward to hearing from our constituency at this event and
can’t wait to get the ball rolling on this once-in-a lifetime project,”
said Waffner.
The meeting will be conducted
by the lead consulting firm in charge of the project, M.J. Engineering
and Land Surveying of Clifton Park, NY. There will be a brief overview
of the process to be used, followed by the listening session. It will begin
with formal comments from stakeholder groups. Public comments will take
place after the completion of formal comments. Members of the public who
wish to speak will be asked to sign up at the door. Speakers will have
three minutes to offer comments. The meeting will end promptly at 8:00
p.m.
Members of the public who
wish to comment on the project but cannot attend the hearing are welcome
to send their comments to comment@agriculture.ny.gov.
In her recent State of the
County Address, Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney presented a vision
for this $50 million state-funded project intended to bring the nation’s
first and oldest state fair into the modern age while tying it into the
overall redevelopment of the western shore of Onondaga Lake and Geddes/Solvay
area. Among the possible elements are an expanded horse show arena, ice
hockey complex, and permanent RV park, along with infrastructure improvements.
It is also aimed at growing
the Fairgrounds’ off-season business. The Fairgrounds hosts more than 100
private and public events each year, including large trade shows, vehicle
and equipment sales, and equestrian and other animal-related events run
by private vendors.
This will be the largest
project carried out at the Fairgrounds since the construction of its historic
central buildings in the early 20th Century. A key goal is to attract more
people to the annual 12-day event, which is already one of the largest
state fairs in the nation. The fairgrounds have called 375 acres of land
in the Onondaga County town of Geddes their home since 1890.
The New
York State Fair, operated by the New
York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, runs from August
27 – September 7, 2015. The Fair’s mission, reflected in its theme, “Summer’s
Best in Show,” is to showcase the best of New York agriculture while providing
top-quality entertainment.
In addition to the annual
New York State Fair, the Fairgrounds host dozens of agricultural events
throughout the year, including some of the Northeast’s most prestigious
horse and livestock shows.
The home of the Great New
York State Fair is a 375-acre exhibit and entertainment complex that operates
all year. A year-round
schedule of events is available on the Fair’s
website. Find The Great New
York State Fair on Facebook, follow @NYSFair
on Twitter, and enjoy photos from the Fair at Flickr.com/photos/nysfair.
Also, New Yorkers are invited to send their ideas for the Great New York
State Fair at statefairideas@agriculture.ny.gov.
Media Contacts:
Joe
Morrissey
Public Information Officer
NYS Department of Agriculture
& Markets
518-457-0752
Dave
Bullard
Public Relations
New York State Fair
315-487-7711 x 1377 |