Broome County hotel occupancy edges up in October

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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome County hotels registered a slight rise in guests in October compared to the year-ago month, while two other business indicators posted bigger increases. The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county moved up 1.4 percent to 64.9 percent in the 10th month of 2023 versus […]

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Onondaga County hotels saw business decline in October

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Onondaga County hotels posted a drop in three key benchmarks of business performance in October. The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county slipped 4.3 percent to 65.5 percent in the 10th month of this year compared to October 2022, according to STR, a Tennessee–based hotel

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Chemung Financial to pay Q4 dividend of 31 cents in early January

Banks & Credit Unions, Regional News, Subscriber Only

ELMIRA, N.Y. — Chemung Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: CHMG) recently announced that its board of directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of 31 cents a share of its common stock. The banking company will pay the dividend on Jan. 2, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Dec. 19. At Chemung

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Lockheed’s suburban Syracuse plant wins $9M U.S. Navy order

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SALINA, N.Y. — The Lockheed Martin Corp. Rotary and Mission Systems plant in the town of Salina has been awarded a nearly $9.3 million order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement from the U.S. Navy. This order provides for the development, building, test, and delivery of seven tactical radar processing benches and two full

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Southern Tier researchers, companies lead the way to greener concrete

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News, Nonprofits, Regional News, Subscriber Only, Technology

The average New Yorker probably doesn’t spend a lot of time thinking about recycling or about concrete — or about how those two things could possibly go together. However, a group of dedicated researchers and entrepreneurs in the Southern Tier have been thinking about all of those things — and doing something about it. Their

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The average New Yorker probably doesn’t spend a lot of time thinking about recycling or about concrete — or about how those two things could possibly go together.

However, a group of dedicated researchers and entrepreneurs in the Southern Tier have been thinking about all of those things — and doing something about it.

Their results are already having an impact on both the recycling world and the construction industry around the region, helping to mark the Southern Tier as a hot spot for green concrete.

The Alfred University Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology (CACT) is working with SQ4D, a Patchogue–based company that 3D prints concrete houses. Together, they are developing a glass aggregate that’s a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional concrete ingredients.

While the words are commonly used interchangeably, cement is actually just one of the ingredients in concrete. The other ingredients are water and some type of aggregate, says Collin Wilkinson, an assistant professor of glass science and engineering at Alfred. Often made of sand and/or crushed stone, the aggregate really is there to take up space and create more concrete volume, he says.

The problem is that mining for and then crushing and drying that aggregate isn’t always the most environmentally friendly process. That’s why CACT began working with SQ4D to find an alternative. As home to the Center for Glass Innovation, it’s no surprise researchers began looking to glass as an option, Wilkinson says.

Glass was a good choice — replacing about 20 percent of traditional aggregate — because it is made primarily of the same elements as limestone with a few added ingredients that don’t work quite as well.

“How are we going to modify this waste glass?” Wilkinson asks. That was the question they sought to answer.

The other reason to use waste glass? There’s a lot of it, he says.

The founders of KLAW Industries in Binghamton discovered that when they toured a recycling facility while still in college.

“We learned a lot of glass we recycle doesn’t actually get recycled,” COO Jacob Kumpon says. “Glass is very difficult to process.”

He and KLAW co-founders Jack Lamuraglia and Tanner Wallis, wanted to find a solution for that.

Their solution, Pantheon, uses waste glass that’s ground to about the same consistency as baby powder in place of a portion of the cement used to make concrete. Pantheon costs about the same as cement and uses the same tools and equipment, but the resulting concrete is proving to be about 11 percent stronger. Its creation also creates 97 percent less emissions than traditional cement production.

The City of Binghamton recently partnered with KLAW for $1.7 million worth of curb and sidewalk upgrades throughout the city. Barney & Dickenson Inc. of Vestal delivered the low-carbon concrete for the project and is a regular KLAW customer.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded KLAW and the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator $125,000 for its Energy Program for Innovation Clusters (EPIC) Prize Pitch Competition to expand low-carbon concrete throughout the state — funding that will help KLAW scale up its production of Pantheon.

Heading into 2024, Kumpon estimates KLAW will be able to create about 320 tons of Pantheon each month, while diverting 400 tons of waste glass away from municipal recycling facilities every month.

These new glass-based materials come at a time when there is a big push to decarbonize the construction industry. In New York state, a new “Buy Clean Concrete” mandate goes into effect in 2025, that will require environmental product declarations (EPD) for all concrete mixes used in qualifying state construction projects. The EPD must demonstrate that the concrete achieves an environmental impact below limits set by the state for contracts exceeding $1 million and using more than 50 cubic yards of concrete, or Department of Transportation projects exceeding $3 million that include at least 200 cubic yards of concrete.

FLLT easements protect Spafford property in Skaneateles Lake watershed

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SPAFFORD, N.Y. — The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) says it has protected 690 acres at Jackson-Noel Farms in the town of Spafford in Onondaga County. With almost two miles of scenic frontage on State Route 41, this is the biggest conservation project completed in the Skaneateles Lake watershed since the establishment of the state’s

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SPAFFORD, N.Y. — The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) says it has protected 690 acres at Jackson-Noel Farms in the town of Spafford in Onondaga County.

With almost two miles of scenic frontage on State Route 41, this is the biggest conservation project completed in the Skaneateles Lake watershed since the establishment of the state’s Bear Swamp State Forest, the FLLT said.

The property, which is owned by Bill Jackson and Jeri Noel Jackson, is now protected by three separate conservation easements held by the FLLT. The easements allow for continued agricultural use, require the maintenance of vegetated stream buffers, and conserve more than 200 acres of woodlands on the farm.

Located in an area of increasing development pressure, the property includes a number of fields and forests including steep hillside creeks containing 8,500 feet of streambank, the Ithaca–based FLLT said.

Several creeks on the property flow directly into Skaneateles Lake, the unfiltered drinking-water supply for 200,000 people, including the city of Syracuse.

The farm connects to a growing complex of conserved land within the Skaneateles Highlands including the FLLT’s Hinchcliff Family Preserve, one of the organization’s most well-visited nature preserves, which also connects to its High Vista Nature Preserve.

The farm is also located in close proximity to the Staghorn Cliffs — located on the east side of Skaneateles Lake, where the FLLT has conserved almost 2,000 feet of shoreline.

Additional conserved lands in this area include two state forests and about one dozen tracts of farmland protected with conservation easements granted to the FLLT, the New York Agricultural Land Trust, and Cortland County.

With the completion of this latest project, the FLLT has now conserved more than 2,945 acres within the Skaneateles Lake watershed.

Funds for two of three perpetual conservation easements to protect the property came from the state’s Farmland Protection Implementation Program, administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Additional funding for the third easement came from contributions to the FLLT’s Finger Lakes Forever capital campaign.

Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit future land use in order to protect the land’s conservation value. Lands subject to conservation easements remain in private ownership, on local tax rolls, and available for traditional uses such as farming and hunting, the FLLT said.

Upcoming study to gather data on New York vineyards

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Manufacturing & Engineering, Small Business, Subscriber Only

PENN YAN, N.Y. — Vineyards in New York can expect to receive a survey during the first quarter of 2024. The study will address an industry need for a range of accurate information about new acreage, bearing acreage, non-bearing acreage, varieties, tonnage, average price, and data by growing region. The Penn Yan–based New York Wine

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PENN YAN, N.Y. — Vineyards in New York can expect to receive a survey during the first quarter of 2024.

The study will address an industry need for a range of accurate information about new acreage, bearing acreage, non-bearing acreage, varieties, tonnage, average price, and data by growing region.

The Penn Yan–based New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) is partnering with Agency 29 to lead the statewide vineyard-survey initiative, according to a Nov. 28 announcement.

Ag Access and Deep Planet will also partner with NYWGF and Agency 29 on this collaborative effort.

Deep Planet — headquartered in London, England — is a global Agri Tech startup using machine learning and satellite imagery to help the wine industry adapt to climate change. The company has a U.S. office in Alameda, California, per its website.

NYWGF works to promote the image of New York grapes and wines to “responsibly benefit” farmers, producers, and consumers through innovative marketing, research, communication, and advocacy. Agency 29 describes itself as a brand-building firm with offices in Rochester and Geneva.

Ag Access conducts agricultural market research through a research-logistics process and its Ag Access insights community, according to the announcement. Ag Access is headquartered in Steelville, Missouri, per its LinkedIn page.

“This historic collaborative effort is designed to accurately document New York State’s grape acreage,” Sam Filler, executive director of NYWGF, said in a news release. “Each of our partners brings unmatched expertise in different areas, and we are confident that will result in an invaluable report for our community. It is critical to the industry’s continued strategic growth that stakeholders have this data to inform planting, investment, research, and marketing decisions. We are proud to champion this process for all New York growers.”

Data collected from the vineyards will create a baseline for changes in New York’s grape industry. Survey data will facilitate strategic decision-making for both NYWGF and the private sector, as well as provide benchmark figures required to compare New York State with key domestic and international wine-growing regions.

This survey will gather data in 2024 and 2025 with the goal of ensuring an “accurate and consistent” record of acreage and grape varietals grown throughout New York state. The intention is for the survey to continue into the future beyond these two years.

“We’re thrilled to work with NYWGF and grape growers from across the state to develop this critical information,” Maureen Ballatori, founder and CEO of Agency 29, said in the release. “We’re looking forward to collaborating with Deep Planet, who will use satellite data to provide a statewide scan to identify all vineyards, and Ag Access to conduct the agricultural market research through a proven research logistics process.”

“New York’s wine industry continues to set itself apart as a leader in innovation, research, and growth, producing some of the very best wines in the world,” New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball said. “At the Department, we’re proud to be able to support the work of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation as they kick off a new statewide Vineyard Survey. This is a critical effort that will help us to better meet the needs of the industry moving forward so that our wineries and grape farmers can continue to thrive.”

This project is made possible by grant funding from the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. It will be the first comprehensive statewide vineyard survey conducted since the 2011 survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Herkimer County IDA receives $270,000 grant for brownfield inventory

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HERKIMER, N.Y. — The New York State Department of State has awarded $270,000 in Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) funding to the Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency (HCIDA), the agency announced. Herkimer County contains an estimated 150 brownfields, including 52 documented contaminated sites, impacting more than 450 acres in the county’s urban centers, according to HCIDA.

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Syracuse, MVCC to expand clean-energy workforce training

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Federal funding aids the effort Syracuse University (SU) and Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) plan to expand workforce-training programs for students entering the clean-energy workforce. The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the schools a total of $1.3 million in federal funding, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) announced on Dec. 5.

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Federal funding aids the effort

Syracuse University (SU) and Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) plan to expand workforce-training programs for students entering the clean-energy workforce.

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the schools a total of $1.3 million in federal funding, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) announced on Dec. 5. It’s funding Schumer secured in the Infrastructure & Jobs Law, his office said.

“Syracuse University and MVCC are being recognized

and rewarded as leaders for their growing clean energy workforce training programs, and now new [federal] funding through our Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law will help power the next generation of students to get the skills they need to secure these highly in-demand careers in Upstate NY,” Schumer said in a news release. “This $1.3 million will help our students get the hands-on, real-world training they need to succeed in careers from HVAC to advanced engineering.

Schumer further explained that the investment will bring Syracuse University into an “exclusive” cohort of only 10 Building Training and Assessment Centers (BTAC) in America with $900,000 in funding to grow their clean-energy jobs programs.

It also means $440,000 for MVCC as the newest addition to the Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) program to help expand the school’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and advanced-manufacturing programs.

The DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) manages the IAC program, and the Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) manages the BTAC Program.

MESC focuses on accelerating America’s transition to a resilient, equitable energy future through $20 billion of direct investments in manufacturing and workforce development. SCEP works with state and local organizations to accelerate clean-energy technologies, catalyze local economic development and create jobs, reduce energy costs, and avoid pollution.

Syracuse University funding

Schumer explained that the Syracuse University Building Training and Assessment Center (SU-BTAC) will use its funding to educate and provide hands-on training for up to 15 engineering students and 20-30 building personnel while performing 10-15 building assessments focused on reducing the energy burden and carbon emission each year.

Specifically, the SU-BATC will train both undergraduate and graduate students in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC); building-energy management systems; Internet of Things-based monitoring and innovative assessments; machine learning-based smart controls; and more.

The SU-BTAC will work with several regional entities, companies, and labor unions to identify and assist potential commercial and institutional building clients and provide a variety of high-quality job training pathways.

“I am grateful that Senate Majority Leader Schumer recognizes the value in programs that leverage Syracuse University’s intellectual capacity to address societal needs and global challenges,” Mike Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation at Syracuse University, said in the release. “We at Syracuse University are going well beyond the traditional classroom education to provide our students with relevant experiences and training that can solve some of the most important environmental problems of our day. This kind of federal funding is an investment in the future, and the education and training it supports will pay back dividends in terms of a healthier community and climate.”

MVCC funding

MVCC will use its award to work with its regional Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and other community and industry partners to provide assessments to local manufacturers while training students for HVAC and advanced-manufacturing technician roles.

The college will also develop and disseminate training modules to manufacturing workers in clean-energy techniques. It’ll also work with local partners to expand pre-college training programs, with a focus on serving Utica’s low-income communities.

Over the three-year span of the initiative, MVCC envisions the creation of 60 new jobs, the reconfiguration of 90 existing positions, the development of 15 courses, and the enrollment of at least 100 trainees.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to Senator Schumer for championing investment in both physical and human infrastructure. Through the Mohawk Valley Industrial Assessment Center, we are confident this funding will drive Upstate NY towards a sustainable future, generating clean energy jobs and tackling workforce challenges,” MVCC President Randall VanWagoner said. “This initiative underscores our dedication to innovation and community collaboration, promising a transformative influence on our students and the entire region.”

Construction starts on Camp Hollis project in Oswego

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OSWEGO, N.Y. — Construction is underway on a project to protect Camp Hollis in the town of Oswego from future flooding and high-water events. Camp Hollis is a summer camp for children, providing recreational opportunities for more than 2,000 at-risk youth per year, as well as the location for private events, the New York State

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OSWEGO, N.Y. — Construction is underway on a project to protect Camp Hollis in the town of Oswego from future flooding and high-water events.

Camp Hollis is a summer camp for children, providing recreational opportunities for more than 2,000 at-risk youth per year, as well as the location for private events, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said in its Nov. 30 announcement.

Once complete, this climate-resiliency project will stabilize nearly 450 feet of Lake Ontario shoreline and prevent further erosion and encroachment of the bluff toward the camp’s facilities, “helping to ensure the historic camp remains open for campers and visitors,” the DEC said.

“New York State is mitigating the impacts of our changing climate and protecting communities across the state from the effects of extreme weather,” Basil Seggos, DEC commissioner, said in the announcement. “DEC is a proud partner in advancing the REDI mission here in Oswego County to keep the doors of Camp Hollis, a local treasure, open for generations to come.”

New York State awarded Oswego County $500,000 in grant funding to support the project through the state’s Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI). Wave and horizontal ice pressure, generated by severe storms, continuously eroded the toe of the bluff causing sloughing and intrusion of the bluff in toward Camp Hollis’s playing field and facilities and creating a hazardous condition for camp visitors.

The project’s resiliency elements include the installation of an onshore riprap revetment system with regraded slope. In addition, the area between the revetment and the slope will be vegetated to minimize potential erosion loss and protect the toe of the bluff.

DEC is the lead agency, overseeing permitting and implementation of the project.

“I commend the efforts to make important upgrades at Camp Hollis and I’m pleased to see this initiative is getting under way,” New York State Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay said. “The Lake Ontario shoreline stabilization project will preserve nearly 450 feet of space and ensure the physical integrity of the area remains intact. This financial investment into Camp Hollis is good news for the community and a worthy commitment from the state.”

“The goal of the REDI project at Camp Hollis is to maintain, sustain, and protect our Lake Ontario shoreline and our facilities from various weather patterns,” Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup said in the DEC announcement. “As you know, Oswego County is known for our harsh winters and high winds. Severe storms on the Lake Ontario shoreline have caused erosion to the bluffs along Camp Hollis, in which the REDI project will address.”

About REDI

New York State established REDI in the spring of 2019 to increase the resilience of shoreline communities and bolster economic development in the region. The move was “in response to the extended pattern of flooding along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River,” the DEC said.

The state established five REDI regional planning to identify local priorities, at-risk infrastructure and other assets, and public safety concerns. The committees are comprised of representatives from eight counties: Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga, Oswego, Jefferson, and St. Lawrence.

Through REDI, the state has committed up to $300 million, to benefit communities and improve resiliency in regions along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

Since the creation of the REDI program, 134 REDI funded local and regional projects have gotten underway, including 27 projects in the design phase, 23 projects in the construction phase, and 83 projects completed, the DEC said.

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