CNY Community Engagement Committee details Micron investment fund priorities

SYRACUSE — It’s a group that’s been working for more several months to identify community priorities and “create a framework for directing investments” for a multi-million-dollar fund that’s connected to Micron’s deal with New York State government. The Central New York Community Engagement Committee (CEC) on June 27 released a document with ideas for using the $500 million Green CHIPS Community Investment Fund. The fund is a requirement of the 2022 agreement between New York State and Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MU). As a requirement of Micron’s participation in the state’s Green CHIPS incentive program, the company established a $500 million Green CHIPS Community Investment Fund in partnership with Empire State Development. The group’s community-priorities document (CPD) represents a “community-driven and collaborative approach to guiding” the $500 million Green CHIPS Community Investment Fund, per a June 27 announcement from CenterState CEO. The document represents more than 13 months of community-driven engagement across more than 300 community organizations. It includes input from more than 12,700 Central New Yorkers and is intended to serve as a “guiding strategy to amplify the benefits” of Micron and New York State’s investments in Central New York. The CEC co-chairs, Melanie Littlejohn, president & CEO of the Central New York Community Foundation, and Tim Penix, VP of the Syracuse Educational Opportunity Center, released the following statement about the document. “The Community Engagement Committee set out with a clear mission to ensure our region’s future benefits everyone, especially those historically left behind. Through extensive outreach and thousands of community members’ input, we’ve crafted the Community Priorities Document. This is a roadmap for equitable growth in the wake of Micron’s transformative investment. This document represents more than just a plan, it’s a testament to our community’s collective voice and a model for inclusive development. As we move forward, we’re committed to turning these priorities into tangible progress, creating opportunities that reach every corner of Central New York. Our work proves that when a community comes together, we can shape our destiny in ways that lift us all,” Littlejohn and Penix said in the CenterState CEO announcement. Micron’s planned investment of up to $100 billion in New York, the largest private investment in state history, is expected to create more than 50,000 new jobs as a four-fab, chip-manufacturing complex is built over the next 20-plus years in the town of Clay. It’s believed the project “has the potential to fundamentally change the economic trajectory of Central New York,” and the CPD will “help secure ground-up community participation in the coming changes,” per the announcement. Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed the CEC to “identify community priorities and create a framework for directing investments” in areas such as education, community assets, housing, workforce development with an emphasis on underrepresented communities (women, people of color, rural communities, and veterans), childcare, transportation, and infrastructure.

Document highlights

The document identifies six priority areas, and they include education; workforce development; minority-, women-, veteran-owned business (MWVBE) and small business supports; housing; healthcare and family supports; and sustainable infrastructure. It also identifies immediate priorities that require resources in the short term. They include K-12 education, workforce development, MWVBE and small business support, housing and childcare. The CPD also provides “strategic vision for sustainable and inclusive growth” stemming from Micron’s investment in the region over the next twenty-plus years. The CEC intends to continue engaging local stakeholders to “revisit and update the document as needed” to ensure that it continues to “reflect the changing dynamics and needs of the community.” In addition, the priorities, principles, and core considerations detailed in the document will be used to help guide the $500 million Green CHIPS Community Investment Fund towards the communities’ most pressing needs and aspirations. “On behalf of Micron, I want to thank the Community Engagement Committee, Empire State Development, CenterState CEO, and every Central New Yorker who shared their voices to help produce the CPD,” April Arnzen, executive VP and chief people officer at Micron and president of the Micron Foundation, said in the announcement. “Our journey together in Central New York is just beginning. With the guidance of the CPD, we will build on Micron’s early investments already underway in the region and focus on impactful collaborations to support the community moving forward.”