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Le Moyne working with NYC firm to raise $40 million for athletics, wellness
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Le Moyne College has entered into a five-year agreement with the firm Legends to raise $40 million to support the upcoming renovation of the Thomas J. Niland Jr. Athletic Complex. “This partnership will benefit the entire campus community,” Le Moyne President Linda LeMura said in the school’s announcement. “The planned renovations to […]
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Le Moyne College has entered into a five-year agreement with the firm Legends to raise $40 million to support the upcoming renovation of the Thomas J. Niland Jr. Athletic Complex.
“This partnership will benefit the entire campus community,” Le Moyne President Linda LeMura said in the school’s announcement. “The planned renovations to the Niland complex will add to and upgrade our fields, fitness and wellness facilities used by students, faculty and staff, as well as those living in the neighborhoods surrounding campus. Working with Legends will allow our advancement and innovation team to continue to focus on academics and other key areas of fundraising.”
Mike Behan, who graduated from Le Moyne in 2005, is the president of Legends’ college division, the school noted.
Founded in 2008, New York City–based Legends describes itself as a “premium experiences company” with six divisions that include global planning, global sales, hospitality, global partnerships, global merchandise, and Legends IQ.
Legends launched its philanthropy practice in 2017 and has built a “successful fundraising track record,” Le Moyne said.
The firm has worked with the University of Notre Dame, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Southern California, Villanova University, and the Rose Bowl. All told, the company has assisted in maximizing revenue associated with more than $2 billion in new and renovated facility projects.
The company’s IQ division provides the “business intelligence driving and informing its work.”
“I’m excited that we are bringing in a global leader to help us achieve our goals in the athletics, fitness and wellness areas,” Jim Joseph, VP for advancement and innovation and dean of the Madden College of Business and Economics, said in the school’s announcement. “Working seamlessly as one team, advancement and innovation and Legends will also procure resources for athletic scholarships and other athletic-focused endowment funds.”
In addition to working on donations to fund the immediate athletics needs, the Legends approach is to develop a “sustainable fundraising model” to provide for annual gifts going forward, “building a culture of athletic philanthropy that will develop a pipeline” for major gifts in the future.
“It brings me great pride that Legends has the privilege to partner with Le Moyne, my alma mater,” Behan said. “This is a transformative time for Le Moyne given its recent move to Division I. We look forward to supporting the College in reaching new heights!”
Excellus opens new Utica regional office
UTICA, N.Y. — Excellus BlueCross BlueShield celebrated the opening of its new Utica regional employee office with a ribbon-cutting event with the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce on July 31. The new space, located at 301 Wood Park Drive in Clinton, serves the health insurer’s more than 500 regional employees. “During the pandemic, the world
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UTICA, N.Y. — Excellus BlueCross BlueShield celebrated the opening of its new Utica regional employee office with a ribbon-cutting event with the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce on July 31.
The new space, located at 301 Wood Park Drive in Clinton, serves the health insurer’s more than 500 regional employees.
“During the pandemic, the world of working only in an office changed for us at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, just like it did for so many,” Utica Regional President Tony Vitagliano said in a news release announcing the new office. “We found that many of our employees prefer working from home and productivity as well as employee satisfaction both remain very high, reducing the need for an office with a large footprint.”
The new space replaces the region’s previous office space in the LaPolla & Ford Business Park in Utica and was designed with today’s changing workforce in mind. The new office has more collaborative space and fewer traditional cubicles.
“Our team has designed a new, modern facility with a forward-thinking design that encourages our employees to come in and meet as groups either formally or informally,” Vitagliano said.
The office also incorporates technology that allows for hybrid meetings between those on site and those working remotely. “We pride ourselves on being flexible and adaptable to today’s changing workforce, and I’m proud of the investments that we have made as a company to work with our employees to create a welcoming environment with a positive work-life balance,” he added.
Speakers at the ribbon cutting included Excellus President/CEO Jim Reed, Vitagliano, Greater Utica Chamber Executive Director Kari Puleo, and State Assemblymember Brian Miller (R-C, New Hartford).
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and employs more than 4,200 people. The nonprofit health plan serves 1.5 million upstate New York members.
OnaJava Coffee & Soul Café holds soft opening in long-vacant South Salina Street building
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — OnaJava Coffee & Soul Café held a soft-opening event on Friday in the redeveloped former Sumner Hunt building at 1555 S. Salina St. in Syracuse at the intersection with East Kennedy Street. The event represented a “revival” of the original OnaJava on the city’s South side 20 years ago. It “will be
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — OnaJava Coffee & Soul Café held a soft-opening event on Friday in the redeveloped former Sumner Hunt building at 1555 S. Salina St. in Syracuse at the intersection with East Kennedy Street.
The event represented a “revival” of the original OnaJava on the city’s South side 20 years ago. It “will be a space focused on building community through food, coffee, music, poetry, and art,” the City of Syracuse said in its advisory about the Friday event.
The coffee house will begin operations serving breakfast, lunch, and coffee in mid-August, per a Home HeadQuarters Inc. announcement about the OnaJava project.
Home HeadQuarters developed the mixed-use property into new affordable apartments on the upper level. It also selected owner and neighborhood resident Reggie Pickard to occupy the updated commercial space on the main level with OnaJava.
“We were so captivated by his vision for this building,” Kerry Quaglia, founder and CEO of Home HeadQuarters, said in his remarks at Friday’s event.
The OnaJava coffee house is part of Home HeadQuarters’ effort in redeveloping the 1,600-square-foot property that also includes two 3-bedroom apartments on the second level. The City of Syracuse, Empire State Development, and the Allyn Family Foundation provided funding for the project.
The coffee-house project has a total value of more than $225,000, per the City of Syracuse website. The city also awarded the initiative $50,000 in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Pickard grew up around coffee, food service, and entertainment. His mother owned a restaurant in Syracuse in the early 1990s. Before that, his family managed entertainment at the Pan American Village at the New York State Fair. He also operated the original OnaJava Coffee & Soul Café on the city’s Southwest side 20 years ago, per the Home HeadQuarters announcement about OnaJava.
“My heart goes out to everyone that’s here today. The spirit is great. I just love it,” Pickard said in addressing the gathering at the Friday soft opening.
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Onondaga County awards Miss Prissy’s $100K grant for Syracuse restaurant renovation
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Onondaga County has awarded Miss Prissy’s a grant of $100,000 to help renovate its first stand-alone restaurant at 431 S. Warren St. in Syracuse. Miss Prissy’s, an original vendor at the Salt City Market, specializes in Southern soul food, including sassy shrimp and mac-n-cheese. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon announced the grant
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Onondaga County has awarded Miss Prissy’s a grant of $100,000 to help renovate its first stand-alone restaurant at 431 S. Warren St. in Syracuse.
Miss Prissy’s, an original vendor at the Salt City Market, specializes in Southern soul food, including sassy shrimp and mac-n-cheese.
Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon announced the grant during a noon-hour event inside the restaurant space on Thursday. The funding is part of the county’s Hospitality Support initiative.
In his remarks, McMahon told the gathering that the renovation work will begin Aug. 5, and Jennifer Mullane of Redev CNY will serve as the general contractor on the project. Dwyer Architectural handled the design work on the project.
Miss Prissy’s hopes to begin serving customers in the South Warren Street space in November, McMahon added.
The new home for Miss Prissy’s will include more than 3,000 square feet with table and bar seating for about 70 guests and a meeting room.
In speaking with reporters after the ceremony, Dreamer Glen, co-owner of Miss Prissy’s, said the restaurant had to vacate the Salt City Market because it needed more space.
“We’ve been working hand-in-hand with the City and the County, and the community has been very supportive, which led us to this place,” Glen said. “The permitting process and the road to get here was long but here we are, and I’m super excited to be able to bring Miss Prissy’s to downtown Syracuse.”
Miss Prissy’s co-owner Cyrus Thornton also spoke and introduced the speakers at the announcement, including McMahon and Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh.
Trail and boardwalk project complete in the Nelson Swamp Unique Area in Madison County
NELSON, N.Y. — Crews have completed work on the half-mile Chittenango Creek boardwalk accessible-trail project through Nelson Swamp Unique Area in Madison County. The trail and boardwalk “meander through a mosaic of low-lying wet meadows, deciduous woods, dark groves of cedar and pine,” and the upper portion of Chittenango Creek as it winds toward Lake
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NELSON, N.Y. — Crews have completed work on the half-mile Chittenango Creek boardwalk accessible-trail project through Nelson Swamp Unique Area in Madison County.
The trail and boardwalk “meander through a mosaic of low-lying wet meadows, deciduous woods, dark groves of cedar and pine,” and the upper portion of Chittenango Creek as it winds toward Lake Ontario, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said in its announcement.
The $760,600 boardwalk project was funded through the state’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).
“DEC is thrilled to join our town of Nelson partners to dedicate the accessible, collaboratively designed Chittenango Creek Boardwalk that will provide convenient recreational opportunities at the remarkable Nelson Swamp Unique Area in Madison County,” Dereth Glance, director of DEC region 7, said in the announcement. “The boardwalk project connects people of all ages and abilities to the Nelson hamlet area and boasts scenic overlooks of the creek and bench seating to soak in the wonderous sights and sounds of this lush wetland.”
The 979-acre Nelson Swamp Unique Area is about 20 miles southeast of Syracuse featuring more than 400 cataloged species of plants, including several species of orchid. The area is also known to support a diverse population of breeding birds as well.
The DEC recently added 7.5 acres to the unique area following a donation by the Town of Nelson government that included a 0.2-mile section of trail and boardwalk completed by the town in 2021.
The full 0.5-miles of accessible trail is now part of a 1.3-mile pedestrian walkway loop connecting local businesses, town offices, natural resources, and town parkland. The DEC worked with the Town of Nelson, Nelson Swamp Trail Committee, and Nelson Streetscape committee to design the new trail and boardwalk to support the community’s connectivity vision, the department said.
“Through our partnership with DEC, the Chittenango Creek Boardwalk trail provides the public with access to the ‘uniqueness’ of Nelson Swamp Unique Area and our community with connectivity throughout the hamlet,” Nelson Town Councilor Jennifer Marti said. “The project places Nelson on the map for the beauty of our outdoors and the potential that our location offers for smart growth into the future.”
ADDISON, N.Y. — A former clerk-treasurer for the Steuben County Village of Addison government will serve between three and nine years in state prison for stealing over $1.1 million from the village. That’s according to a news release from New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, issued jointly with the Steuben County District Attorney Brooks
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ADDISON, N.Y. — A former clerk-treasurer for the Steuben County Village of Addison government will serve between three and nine years in state prison for stealing over $1.1 million from the village.
That’s according to a news release from New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, issued jointly with the Steuben County District Attorney Brooks Baker and the New York State Police.
Ursula Stone pled guilty on May 29 to felony corrupting the government, admitting to abusing her position to steal more than $1 million during her 19-year career. She will be sentenced on Aug. 7 by Judge Chauncey Watches of Steuben County Court. Judge Patrick F. McAllister of Steuben County Supreme Court ordered the forfeit of her pension, which paid out $1,920 monthly, as part of her agreed-upon sentence.
“Public service is a privilege and a duty,” DiNapoli said in the release. “Those who abuse their positions and betray their communities undermine the integrity of the government and risk losing their right to a public pension. For nearly two decades, Ursula Stone took advantage of her position and the trust of Addison residents to shamelessly steal over a million dollars.”
The investigation into Stone began after DiNapoli’s office audited the village in 2022 and found Stone had been running the financial operations of the village with no oversight. She prepared payroll, maintained manual leave records, and processed health-insurance buyouts and unused leave payments, with no review or approval from the mayor or any other village official.
Upon further investigation, his office found that checks from the Addison Central School District to the village were not deposited into the village’s accounts. A joint investigation by DiNapoli’s office, the State Police, and the Steuben County District Attorney’s Office determined that Stone stole dozens of checks payable to the village, which she converted to certified bank checks and cashed.
Investigators also found she gave herself unauthorized pay raises, took time off without deducting it from her leave credits, and wrote herself checks for unauthorized health-insurance buyouts from village funds. She was also cashing out unused vacation time since 2004, an option that was only available to employees who resigned or retired.
Stone retired in March 2023 and, before submitting her resignation letter, wrote herself a final check for $26,613, which was not authorized by the board. The board stopped payment on the check before Stone was able to cash it.
In total, investigators said she stole $1,171,362 from the village.
“The magnitude, scope, duration, and pervasiveness of this criminal activity is absolutely stunning,” District Attorney Baker said. “For nearly two decades, Ursula Stone abused the trust of the people of the village of Addison, using her position to steal from their taxes, their schools, and their community. The impact of her criminal acts on this community has been and will be felt for decades.”
Under her sentence agreement, Stone will pay full restitution along with her prison time and pension forfeiture.
“The sentencing of Ms. Stone demonstrates the vital collaborative work of our law enforcement partners focused on the same goal; holding those who break our laws accountable,” New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said. “The victims in this case are the people of New York who put their trust in this former village of Addison employee.”
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OHA awarded $3 million state grant for renovation project
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) will use a $3 million New York State grant for a renovation project at its building at 321 Montgomery St. in downtown Syracuse. New York State Assemblyman William Magnarelli (D–Syracuse) secured the grant funding for the OHA project. The project will involve installation of better air conditioning,
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) will use a $3 million New York State grant for a renovation project at its building at 321 Montgomery St. in downtown Syracuse.
New York State Assemblyman William Magnarelli (D–Syracuse) secured the grant funding for the OHA project.
The project will involve installation of better air conditioning, humidity controls, and the renovation of its research center, which is a “huge resource for the community,” Lisa Romano Moore, executive director of the OHA, said.
“We hold multiple collections from artwork to newspapers to clothing,” Romano Moore said. “All of those are to be stored in the spaces that need good environmental controls.”
Romano Moore spoke with reporters outside the OHA on Thursday morning. She noted that the project’s total cost will approach about $4 million and private donations will also help pay for the renovation effort.
The project also involves adding some bathrooms and a kitchen on the second floor, so that OHA can accommodate more public programming in its space. The project will also involve adding better internet-connectivity technology as well.
The project should take about a year to complete. OHA is in the final stages of reviewing project designs from IPD Engineering and still needs to choose a contractor for the project.
“Hopefully by the fall, we’ll be underway with construction,” Romano Moore said.
OHA occupies the former Bell Telephone building that Romano Moore described as previously serving as the “largest switchboard on the East Coast,” and the building includes photos and equipment from those days.
“The building itself is a historic building. We’re in a historic district of the city, so this is a really important time for us to make some changes,” Romano Moore said.
Broome-Tioga Workforce NY to open a satellite office
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome-Tioga Workforce NY will open a satellite office at the Broome County Library at 185 Court St., with hours every Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Aug. 9. Broome-Tioga Workforce NY operates two One Stop American Job Centers to assist local businesses with recruiting and training and to provide people
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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome-Tioga Workforce NY will open a satellite office at the Broome County Library at 185 Court St., with hours every Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Aug. 9.
Broome-Tioga Workforce NY operates two One Stop American Job Centers to assist local businesses with recruiting and training and to provide people with career advice, resume help, and training assistance. The offices are located at 501 Reynolds Road in Binghamton and in the Tioga County Human Services building, 1062 Route 38 in Owego.
“This partnership is vital to fulfilling County Executive Jason Garnar’s mission of eliminating the public’s barriers to life-changing services,” Broome-Tioga Workforce NY Executive Director Robert C. Murphy said in a press release announcing the news. “People who could benefit most from our services, many times, have limited access to transportation. Making our services consistently available to folks who lack transportation is vitally important, not only to the job seekers, but to employers in the community trying to find valuable employees as well.”
“Our mission at the Broome County Public Library is to serve as a community hub for downtown Binghamton and all of Broome County,” Library Director Josias Bartram said. “Partnering with Broome-Tioga Workforce NY will be a big step towards fulfilling this mission by providing the resources and services that our community needs to thrive.”
Broome-Tioga Workforce NY is a partnership between Tioga and Broome counties, the New York State Department of Labor, and the regional business community to help business recruit and retain workers, assess and respond to current and future workforce needs, and help individuals seeking career opportunities.
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