Hochul breaks ground on $34.7 million project to upgrade agricultural facilities at the State Fairgrounds

GEDDES, N.Y. — Work is underway on a $34.7 million project to improve agricultural facilities at the State Fairgrounds in Geddes.

The project represents the fourth phase of improvements at the New York State Fairgrounds, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday at the Fairgrounds.

Hochul cut the ribbon at a ceremony celebrating the opening and full return of the 2022 New York State Fair.

The project, already underway and to be completed in 2025, is “highlighted” by a 1.5-acre greenhouse, which will be located near the Exposition Center, Hochul’s office said. It also includes a new show space for goats, a new sheep barn and wool center, a new horse barn, a new concession stand, streetscape improvements to Restaurant Row, the Fair’s street of permanent concession buildings, and various infrastructure improvements.

These improvements build on more than $125 million in renovations and new construction since 2015, which marked the first significant investment in the 132-year-old fairgrounds in more than 80 years, Hochul’s office said.

“I couldn’t be happier to be celebrating the full return of our New York State Fair this year, and today, I am excited to begin nearly $35 million in improvements that will help make the Great New York State Fair even greater,” Hochul said. “The upgrades we are making today will showcase and promote New York’s one-of-a-kind agricultural industry, as we continue to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the country to the Fair each year.”

Hochul’s remarks came during Governor’s Day, the traditional opening day of the Fair. She was also awarded the 4-H Distinguished Alumni Medallion, an honor given to an “accomplished alumnus who embodies the life-changing impact of 4-H,” her office said.

Hochul, who participated in Cornell Cooperative Extension’s 4-H program throughout her childhood, is the first sitting governor to receive this award, it added.