Schumer: New Tryon Business Park & Incubator Could Transform Fulton County Economy

Press Release

Today, at the former Tryon Detention Facility in Johnstown, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) to provide federal funding to Fulton County to transform the former Tryon Juvenile Detention Center, which has sat abandoned and unused for over three years, into a new technology park and business incubator. Schumer explained that Fulton County plans to transform the 515-acre property into a series of shovel-ready sites for businesses to move into and a hub for business incubation. Schumer pushed the NBRC to provide the federal funding the county needs to turn the central building on the Tryon campus into a business training center run by Fulton Montgomery Community College. The county needs these federal funds to complete a series of renovations that will convert the building into lab and classroom spaces for a new Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Trades Program. Schumer said that bringing this trade program to the Tryon Facility will jump-start the entire project and encourage more start-up businesses and jobs to come to Tryon, which would be a major economic boost for the entire region.

"Getting a new business training and incubation center up and running in the middle of the old Tryon Detention Center is exactly what is needed to jump-start this bold, ambitious plan to turn the facility into a bustling hub for business and innovation," said Schumer. "The entire Tryon project -- and the new incubator at the center of it -- has the potential to attract new companies, create new jobs and completely reinvigorate the local economy. That is why I am urging the Northern Border Regional Commission to provide the federal funding Fulton County needs to make necessary renovations to the main campus building and turn this project into a reality."

Schumer continued, "Fulton Montgomery College already has plans in place to turn part of this building into lab and classroom space for its new Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Trades Program, and we must do all we can to make this happen. There is a real need for workers in these fields, and the sooner this program can get off the ground at Tryon, the sooner FMCC will be able to provide more local students with the skills needed to fill a host of jobs around the region."

Schumer explained that Fulton County has applied for $120,000 in federal funds through the NBRC that would help it to transform the former Tyron Juvenile Detention Center. The detention center has sat unoccupied for over three years and plans are in place to turn it into a new technology park and business incubator. The federal NBRC funding the County has applied for would allow the county to renovate the central building on the Tryon campus into a business training center. This center would be run by Fulton Montgomery Community College. However, significant repairs need to take place before FMCC can convert the building into a lab and classroom space for its new Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) Trades Program. Specifically, the building's heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, water, wastewater and electrical systems have been shut down since 2011. These systems must be restarted and repaired to make them operational. In addition, over the course of the time these systems have been turned off, the combined effect of heat and humidity and the lack of an operational ventilation system resulted in moisture damage and mold forming inside the building, that must be removed before the building can be reused. The classrooms, laboratory, and workshop space will also need to be cleaned and painted before the HVACR Program can become operational.

"Fulton County appreciates Senator Schumer taking time out of his busy schedule to visit the Tryon Technology park and Incubator Project and personally see the dedicated efforts of Fulton County, IDA, FMCC and others to repurpose the former Tryon Campus into shovel ready sites for new businesses and the development of a Regional Business Training and Incubator Center Complex," said James Mraz, Planning Director, Fulton County. "We are grateful for the Senator's support of the IDA's application to the Northern Border Regional Commission. It is hoped that through the Senator's support, this grant will be approved and FMCC and the IDA can proceed with this developing this important educational initiative to create a Heating/Ventilation/Air Conditioning/Refrigeration Trades Program in the Regional Business Training and Incubator Center Complex at Tryon."

Schumer said that this new business training center has the potential to inject life back into the local economy by preparing local residents to fill a number of open positions in HVACR fields. Many HVACR companies in the region have expressed concern about the worsening shortage of workers trained in the HVACR trades and are working with FMCC to provide this training by creating and operating the Trades Program. Local businesses in the area will also be able to use the space to provide training for their employees and staff. Schumer also said that this new training center will be the centerpiece of the entire Tryon redevelopment and propel new businesses to open up shop at the facility.

In 2011, New York State closed its Tyron Juvenile Detention facility, and the closing resulted in the loss of hundreds of local jobs. Ever since the closing, Fulton County has been working to turn this space into an economic hub for the county and region. The Tryon Campus consists of 515 acres of land, upon which approximately 40 buildings are located. The site already had municipal water and wastewater services to it as well as electricity and fiber optic services, making it a prime location for revitalization and repurposing. Fulton County, in conjunction with the Fulton County Industrial Development Agency, proposed transforming Tryon from a juvenile detention facility into shovel-ready sites for new businesses.

In January, after almost three years of work, the title to the former Tryon Campus was transferred over to the Fulton County Industrial Development Agency. This year, Fulton County secured a $2,000,000 grant from Empire State Development to replace certain water and sewer infrastructure and rebuild a section of the internal access road. This work began in June 2014 and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. These infrastructure improvements will result in the creation of approximately 300 acres of shovel-ready sites. Schumer noted that the Tryon Technology Park and Incubator Center will be strategically located within New York State's Tech Valley, centered between three key high-tech projects, including the College of Nanoscience and Engineering in Albany, Globalfoundaries in Malta, and Marcy Naocenter in Utica. Schumer also said that this entire project is a key component of the "Jump Start Fulton County" initiative that the county announced in the fall of 2013. Jump Start Fulton County is a series of economic development initiatives the County is undertaking to try and create new jobs, grow its tax base and strengthen the region's economy.

Schumer was joined by Jim Mraz, Fulton County Planning Director; Dustin Swanger, President of Fulton-Montgomery Community College and Rick Argotsinger, Chairman of the Fulton County Board of Supervisors for a tour of the facilit.

Following the tour, Schumer held a meeting with community leaders, including members of the county Board of Supervisors, the Fulton Montgomery Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and the local CEO Roundtable, at Fulton Montgomery Community College.

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