Onondaga County seeks proposals for new downtown hotel; to create hotel initiative

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Onondaga County plans to issue a request-for-proposals (RFP) to the private sector to build a convention-center hotel on a county-owned parking lot just east of the Everson Museum of Art in downtown Syracuse. In addition, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon plans to send a proposal to the Onondaga County Legislature to create […]

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In addition, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon plans to send a proposal to the Onondaga County Legislature to create a hotel initiative that will offer grants ranging from $50,000 to $750,000 to developers to help in closing funding gaps in new hotel construction and/or incentivize existing hotels to add rooms their current hotel stock.

McMahon on Tuesday morning spoke on the county-owned parking lot where a developer would build the future convention-center hotel.

Hotel RFP

McMahon went on to say that the county hopes to issue the RFP within 60 days to developers both in New York and across the country. The county will form an RFP committee to review the responses when they come forward.

“For years, we’ve heard from Visit Syracuse and our team at [ASM Global] about the need for connectivity with our convention center and a hotel. The Hotel Syracuse, now the [Marriott Syracuse Downtown] is a jewel in our community and helped fill that void,” McMahon said in his remarks.

But he also noted that due to the lack of hotel-room inventory, it’s “very difficult” for the convention center to book out any business and compete for conventions when you have a lack of inventory.

Hotel initiative

The proposal for the Onondaga County Hotel Initiative would use $4 million from the room-occupancy tax fund balance, McMahon said.

Besides helping the close funding construction funding gaps and helping existing hotels add rooms, the grant program could also help developers focused on adaptive reuse projects of old buildings with “different potential,” he added.

“Criteria will be established to grade each proposal, including but not limited to, the type of hotel and most importantly, how quickly it will come online and obviously looking at locations of regional significance as well,” the county executive said.

Onondaga County Community Development will operate the Onondaga County Hotel Initiative and will make funding awards “on a rolling basis.” Developers will submit documentation showing they have a viable project, financing in place, and identifying the project’s funding gap.

“We don’t know successful this will be. I know that many of us, including myself, think that this will be a start to potentially a second phase of this type of funding, but we know we need rooms. We need them now. We need to incentivize to get projects going not 24 months from now but, quite frankly, right now,” McMahon contended.

New initiative works to bolster microelectronics and semiconductor industries in New York

Small Business, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Manufacturing & Engineering, Mohawk Valley, New York News, Nonprofits, Subscriber Only, Technology

Empire State Development (ESD) has announced the launch of the Upstate Defense Initiative. It brings together ESD’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), CenterState CEO, the Griffiss Institute, FuzeHub, and Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families to support workforce development, bolster supply chains, and cultivate innovation and entrepreneurship in the state’s microelectronics

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Empire State Development (ESD) has announced the launch of the Upstate Defense Initiative.

It brings together ESD’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), CenterState CEO, the Griffiss Institute, FuzeHub, and Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families to support workforce development, bolster supply chains, and cultivate innovation and entrepreneurship in the state’s microelectronics and semiconductor industries. The initiative is funded through a $5 million award secured by NYSTAR.

“This innovative new program will increase the competitiveness of New York state manufacturers and grow industries that are critical to our nation’s defense,” ESD President/CEO/Commissioner Hope Knight said in a press release announcing the initiative. “From expanding talent pipelines and early-stage accelerator programs to building resilient local supply chains, each organization involved in the Upstate Defense Initiative will contribute their unique expertise to develop a dynamic ecosystem where microelectronics and semiconductor companies will thrive and create new opportunities for New Yorkers.”

CenterState CEO will work to strengthen and diversify the microelectronics industry talent pipeline by building capacity with regional training partners and expanding industry partnerships with employers and community organizations to ensure training and career outreach efforts align with industry needs.

The money will also support expanded regional training and pre-training programs to connect underrepresented individuals to high-tech careers. CenterState CEO’s new High-Tech Careers Bridge program will take a communitywide approach to help unemployed and underemployed individuals gain the necessary skills to enter industry-specific training and a career pathway.

CenterState CEO will also add expertise and capabilities to GENIUS NY, an accelerator program supported by ESD that awards $3 million annually to startups focused on uncrewed aerial systems, automation, and advanced air mobility, and to the Syracuse Surge Accelerator, which provides resources and support for BIPOC (black, indigenous, and other people of color) entrepreneurs wishing to start or grow tech and tech-adjacent startups.

The Griffiss Institute will establish a STEM camp and experiential STEM workshops for high school students to encourage more young people to pursue tech careers. The programs will break down real and perceived barriers to careers in the defense and microelectronics industries and provide students with opportunities to meet regional companies and explore career paths.

The Griffis Institute also leads the only early-stage defense-industry accelerator, HUSTLE, which combines curriculum with seed-stage investments. Beginning this fall, the program will open its eligibility to microelectronics technologists and entrepreneurs who want to start or grow their ventures in the defense industry. Through this program, which works with pre-seed and seed-stage businesses, microelectronics company founders will have the opportunity to pursue investments of $200,000 or more.

The D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University is building a semiconductor hub focused on the veteran and military-connected community to provide education, resources, off-ramps to training, and employment placement for transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses.

FuzeHub, the statewide center for the New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership, is working to connect major defense contractors in New York with small to medium-sized businesses that can help address supply-chain issues and serve as permanent suppliers.

It is conducting an industry supply-chain needs and gaps assessment through direct engagement with manufacturers and will also identify companies with the technology, resources, and expertise to meet the identified needs and opportunities. FuzeHub will serve as a clearinghouse of relevant resources to facilitate new collaborations among companies statewide and reinforce the connectivity of the state’s defense and microelectronics ecosystem to reduce barriers to future growth.

ESD received the $5 million in funding through the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program, led by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.

ESD serves as the state’s chief economic-development agency and uses loans, grants, tax credits, and other forms of financial assistance to enhance private business investment and growth to spur job creation.

Syracuse law firm combines with Buffalo–based firm

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Featured, Health Care, Law, Accounting & Taxes, New York News, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — CCBLaw — a Syracuse law firm known for its work with health care, business, and labor and employment clients — has combined with Buffalo–based Lippes Mathias LLP. Eleven attorneys (including two set to be admitted on June 17), along with eight staff members, have joined Lippes Mathias as part of the move,

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — CCBLaw — a Syracuse law firm known for its work with health care, business, and labor and employment clients — has combined with Buffalo–based Lippes Mathias LLP.

Eleven attorneys (including two set to be admitted on June 17), along with eight staff members, have joined Lippes Mathias as part of the move, per the June 3 announcement. CCBLaw operates at 507 Plum St. in Syracuse.

With this combination, Lippes Mathias now has 195 total attorneys with 158 staff and 15 offices across the country.

“When we execute our growth vision, we continue to emphasize the right cultural synergies, and the match with CCBLaw is no exception,” Kevin Cross, Lippes Mathias’ managing partner and chairman, said in the announcement. “The new Lippes attorneys bring exceptional experience and capabilities that pair perfectly with our health care team — creating one of the largest health care practices outside of New York City. I’m proud to note that this expansion also marks a significant milestone in Lippes Mathias’ growth story as our national footprint of 15 locations now reaches every major New York market.”

CCBLaw provides legal and consulting services to health-care clients, including group medical practices, private practice physicians, dentists, and allied health professionals, hospitals, ACOs, physician organizations, independent practice associations, ambulatory surgery centers, and other facilities throughout the U.S., per the Lippes Mathias announcement.

“This is the right move at the right time, compounding value and opportunity for both groups,” Michael Compagni, former CCBLaw managing member and new Syracuse office leader, said in the release. “Our entire team is excited to join Lippes Mathias —well-known and regarded for its people-first approach to the business of law. Lippes’ emphasis on culture creates an environment where attorneys and staff thrive. We’re thrilled to be a part of a growing firm that is doing it differently.”

Marc Beckman, a founding member of CCBLaw, will co-lead Lippes Mathias’ health-care practice team alongside Brigid Maloney, a partner with Lippes Mathias.

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State acquires land near Ithaca, creating Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area

Southern Tier, Construction, Design & Real Estate, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Law, Accounting & Taxes, New York News, Nonprofits, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

LANSING, N.Y. — New York State has purchased a portion of the former Bell Station property in the town of Lansing in Cayuga County and announced its “permanent protection” as the Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The 287-acre Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area provides public access to 3,500 feet of shoreline on the east

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The 287-acre Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area provides public access to 3,500 feet of shoreline on the east side of Cayuga Lake in Tompkins County.

The property includes a variety of fish and wildlife habitat including multiple streams, wooded hillsides, and extensive fields, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul said in announcing the acquisition from the Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) of Ithaca.

“Preserving this area will not only reduce erosion and the threat of harmful algal blooms, it will enhance hunting, fishing, and wildlife-watching opportunities in the region for generations to come,” Sean Mahar, interim commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), said in the state’s announcement. “DEC commends our partners at the Finger Lakes Land Trust and NYSEG for their efforts to advance creation of the new Cayuga Shores WMA to protect this unique lakefront parcel and the habitats it supports.”

Recent history

In 2021, Hochul worked to shift a planned public auction of the New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) Corporation’s former Bell Station property and help protect the largest privately owned shoreline parcel along Cayuga Lake, per the governor’s office.

The DEC, FLLT, and NYSEG collaborated to facilitate the permanent protection of the property and maximize public access.

In 2022, FLLT purchased the 487-acre property from NYSEG following an outpouring of individual donations totaling $500,000 and in partnership with the Park Foundation, which provided a $2 million loan.

In its May 24, 2022 announcement about the Bell Station property acquisition, FLLT said it planned to “sell the lakeshore portion of the property to the [DEC] to be managed for recreational uses including hiking, cross country skiing, wildlife watching, hunting, and fishing.”

DEC recently finalized the state’s purchase and is establishing the Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area (WMA) with $2.5 million from the State’s Environmental Protection Fund.

The former Bell Station property is recognized as a priority project in New York State’s open-space plan and designated as future public access conservation land in the Town of Lansing Comprehensive Plan.

FLLT is expected to retain about 200 acres of the easternmost portion of the property and use it to produce renewable solar energy.

Former North Country housing authority director and her mother plead guilty to theft

Law, Accounting & Taxes, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, New York News, Nonprofits, North Country, Subscriber Only

WEST CARTHAGE, N.Y. — A former West Carthage Housing Authority (WCHA) executive director recently pled guilty to stealing more than $48,000 from the organization, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli has announced. Jan Hoffman, who served as executive director of the government-funded apartment complex for low-income senior citizens and individuals with disabilities from 2016-2021,

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Jan Hoffman, who served as executive director of the government-funded apartment complex for low-income senior citizens and individuals with disabilities from 2016-2021, pled guilty to third-degree grand larceny in Jefferson County Court.

Hoffman’s mother, Katherine Pais, who was also charged in connection with the theft, pled guilty to fourth degree corrupting the government. Pais served as the WCHA accounts-payable bookkeeper from 2016-2020.

“Hoffman and Pais brazenly diverted funds meant to support seniors and individuals with disabilities to line their own pockets,” DiNapoli said in the announcement. “Thanks to the partnership between my office, Jefferson County Attorney Kristyna S. Mills, the HUD inspector general, and the state police, they have been held accountable for their actions.”

DiNapoli’s office — along with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General — began an investigation into all monies controlled by Hoffman after an anonymous tip. The investigation found she had been making personal purchases with WCHA funds since 2016. In total, Hoffman made more than $48,000 in personal purchases including retail purchases, personal cell-phone bills, and groceries. Additionally, she submitted more than $1,000 in false reimbursements, DiNapoli’s investigation revealed.

Through her role as the accounts-payable bookkeeper, Pais facilitated and concealed the theft. In this role, she was responsible for reviewing claims and preparing checks for payment. According to DiNapoli, Pais not only knew about Hoffman’s continuous theft and failed to report it to the WCHA board, but she also made the illicit payments and falsified business records to cover for her daughter.

Both defendants are due back in court on Aug. 6 for sentencing.

“The individuals charged in this case stole funds from unsuspecting citizens, using the money for their own personal benefit,” New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said in the announcement. “We will not tolerate the conduct of those who take advantage of their position to steal money that was meant to benefit people in need. I commend everyone who worked on this case, our members and all our partners, who have now ensured that the two people responsible for this crime are held fully accountable.”

Herkimer College announces sixth class of police training graduates

Education & Training, Featured, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Mohawk Valley, New York News, Nonprofits, Subscriber Only

HERKIMER, N.Y. — Herkimer College graduated its sixth class from its Phase I Pre-Employment Basic Training course at a ceremony held May 30. The course is offered in partnership with the Little Falls Police Department. Seven of the eight graduates have already secured employment with a law-enforcement agency, where they will complete the remainder of

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