Chimes Building renovation work set to wrap in early 2026

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SYRACUSE — The Allyn Family Foundation says the renovation work inside the Chimes Building at 500 S. Salina St. in Syracuse will continue through the first quarter of 2026. That’s according to Meg O’Connell, executive director of the foundation, who spoke with CNYBJ in an Aug. 23 telephone interview. “We have been approved by the […]

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SYRACUSE — The Allyn Family Foundation says the renovation work inside the Chimes Building at 500 S. Salina St. in Syracuse will continue through the first quarter of 2026.

That’s according to Meg O’Connell, executive director of the foundation, who spoke with CNYBJ in an Aug. 23 telephone interview.

“We have been approved by the City of Syracuse for our [demolition] permit and we are hopefully going to commence the beginning part of the construction on or around Sept. 15,” O’Connell said that August day.

The Hayner Hoyt Corporation of Syracuse will handle the renovation work, and in-ARCHITECTS of Syracuse is completing the design work for the project.

Plans call for renovating the Chimes Building into 152 mixed-income units with additional retail and office space on the first and second floors.

Besides the internal renovation work, those on the outside will eventually see the masonry repair on the building’s exterior and window replacements as well, O’Connell says.

The 152,000-square-foot structure has 12 floors. The Chimes Building is listed on the National Registry of Historic Buildings.

The project cost is about $48 million, says O’Connell, a figure that includes the building-purchase price. The Allyn Family Foundation, which is made up of members of the Allyn family, awarded a grant of $8.2 million to a nonprofit it set up called SEED Syracuse that handled the purchase. SEED is short for Social Equity Economic Development. The building purchase closed in July 2023.

As of July 2024, all the residential tenants, more than 30, had moved out after finding new apartments. The structure still has some commercial tenants that will remain in operation for the duration of the renovation project.

“There are some [residential tenants] who would very much like to come back … We did say if they wanted to come back when we were all done, let us know,” says O’Connell. “We will give them some preference to come back if they’d like to.”

A few of those residents moved over to the newly renovated Symphony Tower, she adds.

On the second floor of the Chimes Building, the Allyn Family Foundation hopes to find a nonprofit partner who might want to lease up to 3,000 square feet of office space. The first floor will have some commercial spaces available as the structure extends along West Onondaga Street, including the former Time Warner Cable space.

“We have been talking already with people … We have an LOI [letter of intent] with the CNY Film Hub to take up some of the space eventually and then we’ve just had other conversations with other potential tenants,” says O’Connell.

The foundation will also be partnering with Access CNY, committing up to 15 apartments to be available for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The 152,000-square-foot Chimes Building opened at the southwest corner of South Salina and West Onondaga Streets in 1929, becoming one of Syracuse’s “most prominent” office buildings, per the website of the Allyn Family Foundation. The structure was designed by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon architects, the same New York City firm that designed the Empire State Building two years later, the website says.

Café heads to Syracuse with new name and popular menu

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SYRACUSE — After a short hiatus, an eatery once based in Cazenovia is reopening with a new name, but the same great food, in Syracuse. Mother-daughter duo Tonya Duffy and Kyle Gunnip closed The Toast, a business they started in 2015, on May 11 and are reopening as Sugar Grove Café and Bakery. A lot

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SYRACUSE — After a short hiatus, an eatery once based in Cazenovia is reopening with a new name, but the same great food, in Syracuse.

Mother-daughter duo Tonya Duffy and Kyle Gunnip closed The Toast, a business they started in 2015, on May 11 and are reopening as Sugar Grove Café and Bakery.

A lot of factors are behind the move, Duffy tells The Central New York Business Journal. Originally, the restaurant and bakery did well in Cazenovia but began to struggle after experiencing staffing issues. As things began to slow down, Duffy started looking for a potential new location for the business.

About two years of searching eventually led her to 401 S. Salina St. in Syracuse. “We walked in and just felt like it was the right location,” she recalls.

Between plentiful foot traffic and nearby businesses, like the Landmark Theater and The Hayner Hoyt Corp., the street felt like a good fit for what Duffy and Gunnip wanted to do with a new location.

When they first started the business, the menu was full of specialty toast items — thus the name The Toast. However, most of those items were already gone from the menu and, since Gunnip had learned how to make French pastries, the menu had really evolved and grown.

“The Toast name kind of didn’t fit anymore,” Duffy says. So, she knew that with a new location, she wanted to rebrand with a new name.

“Sugar Grove is one of my fondest memories as a child,” she says. It’s the name of the small town in West Virginia where Duffy grew up. The town inspired the name, and its general store — which she remembers from her childhood and that still exists today — serves as the inspiration for the café’s look.

Sugar Grove Café and Bakery’s interior features reclaimed wood and metals, vintage furniture, and repurposed light fixtures.

Along with décor, the 3,200-square-foot space that once housed the Vagabond clothing store needed a complete renovation to turn it into a restaurant. That included plumbing, electrical, adding a hood, and, of course, moving equipment from Cazenovia to Syracuse.

“It’s been a long haul,” Duffy quips, but it’s also been a labor of love. Now, all the hard work is paying off as the café gets ready to open. At press time, Duffy was waiting on final inspections before setting an opening date.

The business received a $190,000 loan from the Syracuse Economic Development Corporation to fund the project.

“As far as the menu goes, all of our pastries will be the same but better because we’re always adding new things,” says Duffy.

Sugar Grove Café and Bakery will be open seven days a week, serving breakfast and lunch. The café owners are keeping the huge sandwiches The Toast was known for, but adding a new twist to them, Duffy says. When you enter, diners will grab a paper bag that has a printed menu on it. A choose-your-own adventure of sorts, the bag allows diners to fully customize their sandwich from the bread to what’s inside it. After making their selections on the bag, they just turn it in at the register and wait for their food.

“We’re going to have draft lattes,” Duffy says.

Sugar Grove will also serve an array of baked goods and pastries including macarons, croissants, croissant doughnuts, muffins, cupcakes, cookies, Swiss cake rolls, and more.

“We do what we call wagon wheels,” Duffy says. Named in honor of her father, the wagon wheel is a rolled, filled croissant that’s dipped in chocolate or other tasty confections on one end.

The café will also have a small menu of cakes for order and will also offer catering options. Duffy is hoping to tap into the corporate market for pastry trays and the like. On Sundays, the café will feature a special brunch menu complete with mimosas.

The majority of The Toast staff have made the move to Syracuse, and Duffy hired about six new employees as well.

To get the word out about the new name and location, they have been regularly posting updates on both their Facebook and Instagram pages. Additionally, several TV news stations have expressed interest in covering the café once it opens, Duffy notes.

Project to expand the Syracuse Tech Garden continues

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

Targeting a 2025 completion SYRACUSE — Crews working on the expansion of the Syracuse Technology Garden at 235 Harrison St. are expected to complete the project in the second quarter of 2025. That’s according to Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, who spoke with CNYBJ on Sept. 5. The $32 million project is

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Targeting a 2025 completion

SYRACUSE — Crews working on the expansion of the Syracuse Technology Garden at 235 Harrison St. are expected to complete the project in the second quarter of 2025.

That’s according to Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, who spoke with CNYBJ on Sept. 5. The $32 million project is adding 46,000 square feet to the facility.

CenterState CEO on Aug. 9, 2023 hosted a groundbreaking event for the expansion project on the Tech Garden patio, across from the Marriott Syracuse Downtown.

Hueber-Breuer Construction Co., Inc. is the contractor on the Tech Garden expansion. Besides Hueber-Breuer, project partners include QPK Design of Syracuse, which handled the design work, and Eli Smith of E. Smith Contractors of Syracuse.

This renovation will add two additional stories to the Tech Garden and create a larger and more modernized space encompassing not only incubation, acceleration and support of tech startups, but also non-tech startups and small businesses run by founders from underrepresented populations, per the Tech Garden website.

“The superstructure for the vertical expansion is now done and they’re beginning the process right now of framing out the interior office spaces and conference rooms and elevators shafts … on the interior of the building,” Simpson says regarding the construction crews. “And they’ll continue to work on that until they’re ready to enclose the outside shell, which will happen … hopefully before the snow flies this fall.”

The expansion effort includes a 5,000-square-foot roof terrace for companies focused on uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to launch and test drones, a 3,000-square-foot meeting room with seating for up to 180, private tenant offices for 35 additional resident startups, coworking areas, an expanded hardware space for prototype and product development, and a new entrance, as outlined in an Aug. 9, 2023 announcement from the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“There’ll be a larger event space; some different size office suites for companies of different sizes; coworking space, absolutely; an outdoor patio and terrace overlooking Harrison Street, a terrace that is dedicated for our [uncrewed] systems and drone teams and companies in the building,” says Simpson.

When asked if CenterState CEO has heard from any businesses that would like to be part of the facility when the expansion is complete, Simpson says the organization is “absolutely” talking to tenants about space in the building.

“It’s our goal to build as robust a pipeline of potential tenants for when the building reopens as we possibly can,” says Simpson. “There’s definitely awareness in the ecosystem that this project is happening, and I think a lot of enthusiasm about the fact that we’re creating world-class space for these companies.”

As the construction effort continues, the Tech Garden building will be closed to the public for the entirety of the project. However, for the duration of the construction, The Tech Garden offices, tenants, and programs have temporarily moved across the plaza to the 8th floor of Equitable Tower 1.

Tech Garden expansion — The renovation project continues at the Tech Garden building at 235 Harrison St. in Syracuse as seen in this photo from Aug. 25.
ERIC REINHARDT / CNYBJ

Tech Garden role

Simpson believes the expanded Tech Garden will be a key part of CenterState CEO’s “forward-looking” economic-development strategy. He also feels the facility is a big part of the reason why downtown Syracuse is as “vibrant as it is today.”

He went on to say that if you think about the Tech Garden over the last 20 years and you look at downtown Syracuse, he believes the downtown area has “more than [1,200] or 1,300 employees” today whose companies started in the Tech Garden.

“That’s a lot of employees who are downtown buying lunch and maybe renting an apartment and just contributing energy and vitality to our city and as we look forward for the next 10 to 15 to 20 years, it’s critically important now more than ever that we create an ecosystem that will help start more businesses than we lose,” he adds.

Simpson contends that having a facility like the Tech Garden is one of the “most significant differentiating factors” between successful economies and those that are not successful.

“Do you start more companies than you lose, and that is a fundamental guiding principle to all of our work in the tech ecosystem and at the Tech Garden,” he says.

Simpson also notes that CenterState CEO is working to build some corporate partnerships in the expanded building, including sponsorship of spaces or naming certain areas of the facility and contributing both dollars and expertise.

Simpson on Sept. 5 told CNYBJ that he couldn’t yet name any of the partnerships but said they will be announced in the weeks to come.

Interstate 81 project Spencer Street bridge work (ER)

CNY drivers adjust as work is underway on I-81 project

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — Plenty of contractors are actively involved with different segments connected to the ongoing Interstate 81 (I-81) viaduct-replacement project. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) says four of the contracts focused on the project are currently in progress with more to come. “Central New Yorkers are resilient, so we tend to find

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SYRACUSE — Plenty of contractors are actively involved with different segments connected to the ongoing Interstate 81 (I-81) viaduct-replacement project.

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) says four of the contracts focused on the project are currently in progress with more to come.

“Central New Yorkers are resilient, so we tend to find a way around where there is construction, but we really haven’t seen significant delays on 81 or even on 481, which would cause people to take significant detours … but generally speaking, things are going very well from a delay standpoint,” said Dave Smith, NYSDOT region 3 director, when speaking with reporters on Aug. 5 at the Region 3 Signal Shop at 143 Sand Road in the town of Salina.

Major construction has been underway at the existing I-481/I-81 northern and southern interchanges (future I-81/Business Loop 81) for more than one year, with work on a third contract recently starting on Syracuse’s Northside and Inner Harbor, Hochul’s office said in a Sept. 4 announcement. A fourth contract, which begins construction of the community grid on Syracuse’s Eastside, was awarded in July, and a fifth contract, which will begin construction of the southern portion of Business Loop 81 by the end of 2024, is anticipated to be awarded in the coming weeks.

NYSDOT on Sept. 6 announced that the on-ramp from Genant Drive to I-81 southbound in Syracuse would be closed from Sept. 9 through the summer of 2025. The closure is necessary to facilitate the construction of on-and-off ramps from North Clinton Street to future Business Loop 81 southbound.

“Contracts one, two, and three now all in construction … one and two last year and as you can see every day, if you drive around, you’re seeing changes out there and that’s simple indication that contractors are really getting a lot of work done,” Smith said. “And contract three just started within the last several weeks.”

Work associated with the fourth contract (I-690 on-ramp from N. Crouse Ave.) began in August. The fifth contract focuses on area from Van Buren St. down to Colvin St., Smith said

The state on Sept. 4 highlighted NYSDOT’s efforts in hiring local people to work on the contracts involved in the viaduct-replacement project. So far, 136 employees have been onboarded through the initiative and the goal is for each project contract to have locally hired workers representing at least 15 percent of its workforce.

As of Sept. 4, contract one is at 13 percent, contract two is at 17 percent, and contract three is at 11 percent, per the state’s announcement.

In the Aug. 5 session, Smith also told reporters, “Our website has a lot of information. We hope to roll out an app as well that people will be able to go to,” he said, noting that the NYSDOT public-information team is issuing public notices ahead of road closures and lane reductions.

New I-690 eastbound on-ramp

NYSDOT on the morning of Aug. 12 reduced I-690 eastbound to two lanes between the junction with Interstate 81 (I-81) southbound and exit 14 (Teall Avenue) for work connected to a project for a future on-ramp.

The lane reduction is expected to continue through the spring of 2025, NYSDOT said. It is necessary for the reconstruction of bridges over North Crouse Avenue and Lodi Street and the construction of a new on-ramp from North Crouse Avenue to I-690 eastbound as part of the I-81 viaduct-replacement project.

NYSDOT says drivers should anticipate travel delays and build extra travel time into their schedules.

Additionally, the entrance ramp from North McBride Street to I-690 eastbound in Syracuse was closed to traffic on Aug. 12-13 for the removal of the curbed island at the top of the ramp as part of the I-81 project.

North side, Inner Harbor work

The third contract focuses on the City of Syracuse’s Northside and Inner Harbor areas and will include a reconstructed North Clinton Street with new pavement, sidewalks, a shared-use path and on-and-off ramps from future Business Loop 81.

The work also includes three replacement bridges on Bear, Court, and Spencer Streets. These structures will be longer to fit over the expanded future Business Loop 81 and feature new sidewalks. Additionally, a shared-use path will be included on the Court and Spencer Street bridges.

Pedestrians and cyclists will have improved access to the Empire State Trail through a new shared-use path constructed north of West Bear Street. A view in one of the new renderings shows the existing shared-use path along the Empire State Trail, south of West Bear Street, reconstructed and with amenities that include a bike-repair station, bike racks, and seating.

Mohawk Valley Gives raises more than $5 million for nonprofits

Mohawk Valley, Education & Training, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Featured, New York News, Nonprofits, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

UTICA, N.Y. — The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties and UpMobility Foundation announced the third annual Mohawk Valley Gives event on Sept. 20

U.S. Commerce secretary, other officials discuss CHIPS workforce-training pilot at C-NS

Education & Training, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News, Subscriber Only, Technology

CICERO, N.Y. — Cicero-North Syracuse High School on Thursday hosted a roundtable discussion on Micron Technology’s (NASDAQ: MU) pilot program on career and technical-education opportunities. The program aims to help students get ready for thousands of new technical careers in the semiconductor industry by piloting a curricular framework, teacher training, and work-based learning opportunities in

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CICERO, N.Y. — Cicero-North Syracuse High School on Thursday hosted a roundtable discussion on Micron Technology’s (NASDAQ: MU) pilot program on career and technical-education opportunities.

The program aims to help students get ready for thousands of new technical careers in the semiconductor industry by piloting a curricular framework, teacher training, and work-based learning opportunities in 10 New York districts.

Those participating in the event included U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo; New York Gov. Kathy Hochul; Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT); April Arnzen, VP and chief people officer of Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU); and local union representatives and educators from C-NS, Syracuse, and Watertown.

Raimondo recalled the first time Weingarten brought the idea for such a program to her attention.

“She came to me years ago and said I have an idea. Will you work with me. I think if you’re going to be creating all these CHIPS jobs, we can work with public school systems training teachers to train students to get those jobs, and I said sounds good to me,” the Commerce Secretary said.

Weingarten was referring to jobs resulting from the federal CHIPS and Science Act, which helped bring Micron to the town of Clay.

As her opening remarks continued, Raimondo said, “We’re going to do [such a program] here, and we’re going to expand … we’re putting almost $2 million into the initiative, to expand also to Minnesota and Michigan.”

Raimondo also told the gathering she had earlier met with Lucas Labonoski, a 10th grade student at C-NS, who told her that he wants to learn in a “hands on” way that will lead to an actual job in my community.

“And so that’s what we’re doing here,” she added. “We’re creating the CHIPS jobs and they will go to students who can learn in a hands-on way the skills that directly lead to a job. That’s what this is about.”

In her remarks, Hochul recalled her discussion with Micron’s leadership during the effort to get the company to come to the town of Clay. Micron’s CEO made Hochul promise that the workforce would be available.

“And of course, I said, no problem. We’re going to do it. This is New York,” Hochul said. “And today is about that. This is about planting the seed in young people and getting them excited about these careers that’ll lift their families out of their circumstances.

Guthrie Clinic joins campaign to protect health-care workers from violence

Health Care, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Law, Accounting & Taxes, New York News, Nonprofits, Southern Tier

CORTLAND, N.Y. — The Guthrie Clinic on Wednesday said it has joined the Respect and Heal campaign, an effort that seeks to protect health-care workers

AFT, RIT to use federal awards for semiconductor-workforce training initiatives

Technology, Education & Training, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Featured, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News

Two New York–based programs will use federal funding of more than $3.2 million to prepare New York high school and college students for careers in

State launches $10 million loan fund for entrepreneurs

Subscriber Only, Banks & Credit Unions, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Featured, Insurance & Financial Services, Law, Accounting & Taxes, New York News, Nonprofits, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York State has launched a new $10 million fund that will provide qualifying startup and early-stage companies with access to affordable term loans up to $100,000. The Main Street Capital program is part of New York’s broader State Small Business Credit Initiative efforts led by Empire State Development, the office of

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ALBANY, N.Y. — New York State has launched a new $10 million fund that will provide qualifying startup and early-stage companies with access to affordable term loans up to $100,000.

The Main Street Capital program is part of New York’s broader State Small Business Credit Initiative efforts led by Empire State Development, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul said. The program will “help bridge the financing gap experienced by many entrepreneurs” as they launch and grow their businesses.

It offers minimal payments for the first 12 months of the loan to give businesses “more flexibility” as they launch and grow. Loans will be up to six years with a fixed interest rate of 9.9 percent. In the first year, borrowers will pay less-than-interest-only, with no principal payments during that time.

“The Main Street Capital Program will boost and strengthen our small businesses, especially our minority and women entrepreneurs, creating jobs and investment in New York State,” Hochul said in the announcement.

This $10 million fund is a partnership between Empire State Development and Albany–based Pursuit, a community lender with a 70-year history serving businesses in all stages in New York State and beyond.

Pursuit is a firm with several New York locations, including a local loan officer and virtual office serving Syracuse.

“The Main Street Capital Program is a valuable resource for New York entrepreneurs, offering affordable-rate loans of up to $100,000,” New York State Assemblymember Albert Stirpe, Jr. (D–Cicero) said in the Hochul announcement. “The loan fund provides a more accessible financing option, particularly for socially and economically disadvantaged individual-owned businesses, as well as very small businesses with fewer than 10 employees. New York’s State Small Business Credit Initiative, led by Empire State Development, will help bridge the financing gap, empowering entrepreneurs to turn their dreams into reality and grow their businesses.”

Startups and early-stage businesses must complete a pre-application questionnaire. Based on their responses, they will be invited to complete a full application for the program, or they may be connected with their local Entrepreneurial Assistance Center (EAC) or Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for additional support, Hochul’s office said.

For more information on the fund, eligibility, and requirements, those interested can visit the program’s webpage.

Broome County saw robust tourism growth in 2023

Southern Tier, New York News, Nonprofits, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome County generated strong tourism growth in 2023, reaching record levels of visitor spending and economic impact, according to Visit Binghamton. The

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Targeting a 2025 completion

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