Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that major construction has begun on a $38.1 million project to transform the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport into a world-class travel hub and a welcoming gateway for the entire Finger Lakes Region. The modernization project, which was awarded $18 million from the Governor’s $230 million Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization Competition and $16.8 million in federal funds, will enhance the passenger experience by reimagining the main terminal area to create a more efficient, coordinated facility that helps get travelers where they need to faster and with fewer hassles. The project also calls for a complete upgrade of the terminal’s Veterans Area and the creation of a Frederick Douglass Legacy Area to honor the visionary abolitionist who called Rochester home.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the Governor's remarks is available here.
PHOTOS of the event will be available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Thank you so much. Commissioner Dominguez, we are so fortunate to have you leading an agency that a lot of people don't think about every day. They may not think about that the roads and the bridges are functioning, that our airports are looking spectacular and functioning well, but you are at the center of everything that makes this state run so efficiently and effectively. I want to give you a special round of applause. We have been through so many winter storms together and flooding events and trying to repair the damage of Mother Nature when she is unleashing her fury on us, as she often does here. Thanks for being a champion of all things that move here in New York. Let’s give another round of applause.
I've always believed in the power of making first impressions, right? You have one chance to make a first impression. And for visitors who come to a region, their first impression is when they touch down on the plane, step out in the airport, and have a chance to see whether it's a community that believes in itself, has a sense of pride, that they matter, or a facility that has been disinvested and just lost its luster.
I'm so proud because of what we're announcing here to today, the completion of a massive project that we unveiled a couple of years ago to say that this area truly believes in itself, as I do. So, give yourselves a round of applause for showing for others that this is a place that matters. And for people who live here, it's not a first impression, it's the biggest welcome home that they'll find. And again, it changes the psychology of a community. When you invest in places like this, and you get that sense that wow, that's really fantastic, that's cool, I mean look at these renderings, look at what we've achieved here. The Finger Lakes, Monroe County, Rochester, they all matter tremendously, and they matter so much to me.
And I want to thank the people who've always believed in this area. It's been a long journey. Those of us who are considerably older than the rest of you remember the good, the decline, and now we have to come back. And it is extraordinary as someone from Buffalo who always looked at envy at Rochester, you need to know this. My dad and grandpa worked at the steel plant. They were the blue-collar workers and Rochester had the white-collar shirts, the white collars, right? Think about the legacy industries here. Bausch + Lomb, Eastman Kodak, and all those companies that were powerhouses here, that people just started when they were young and finished their careers. This is what we did here in Upstate New York – all across.
And then global competition. Companies went elsewhere. We lost people. Our greatest export became our human capital. But I will say, I know the leaders here, they never ever gave up in believing in this community, investing in this community, saying no, we matter, don't forget us. And now you have a Governor who actually knows Rochester. First upstate Governor in 100 years, this is not new to me. I don't need a GPS to come here. This is my home, and I'm so proud to be able to make investments to transform this airport into a modern, efficient, welcoming space.
But again, it doesn't happen without the people of a community standing up and saying, “Help us. We have a plan. This is our vision.” I also want to thank, in addition to the Commissioner, Jeremy Cooney, who is now the Transportation Chair. Do not underestimate the power of this position in the state government. Anything you want, you go to him. He'll give out his cell phone right afterward, I'm sure. My other partners in government, Assemblymember Jen Lunsford. Thank you for being here, Jen. Great to see you. And of course, as a former county official down the road in Erie County. I love my county officials, and I’ll be introducing Adam Bello in a moment, but thank you for helping steward and shepherd this project through from the very beginning and Jamie Romeo, our former County Clerk — where's Jamie? At the end of the aisle there. Hi, Jamie.
Yeah, Yversha Roman, the Monroe County Legislature President, give a round of applause as well there. We got to thank all of our county legislators. All the county legislators, please raise your hand. I know there's a lot of you, county legislators — great to see you, and of course — the business community matters. Bob Duffy representing the face of business the CEO of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce and the Finger Lakes REDC co-chair. Thank you for being a friend for so many years. And of course, you need the team on the ground here, Andy Moore, the airport director who helped visualize the possibilities of what we could do here, and all of my local team who helped make that happen. Vinnie Esposito and others who are always part of these important projects, and guess who builds this, right?
They don't just get built when you want them to build, the Rochester building and construction trades — let's give them a round of applause for their work, and Grant Malone who's here today. Congratulations. Speaking of the importance of the men and women of labor, I do want to acknowledge we lost an important labor leader just this past week, Dan DiClemente. They’ve asked me at Council 66 just to take a second to let his family know that he's forever with us, and his contributions will never be forgotten. So, that's a hard hit for our community here.
So, it's Friday. I'm back in Rochester, I was here on Monday and it's hard to leave. It's hard to leave a place that has so much energy, and it started out with this incredible opening of Constellation Brands’ global headquarters, a Fortune 500 company right in downtown Rochester.
If that's not a shot in the arm, if that's not a symbol of confidence, that is now going to have a contagious effect on other companies that are thinking about where they want to go — “Why did they go there? Let's examine what they have there.” Plenty of natural resources, the beauty that is unsurpassed, the talented workforce, the ideas and innovation that come out of a region that's been built on this, that built companies for decades and decades because of the creativity of its people.
That's why they're here and that's why others will follow and that's why we need a world class airport to welcome them. So, this matters extraordinarily. Also, we get a chance to showcase what we have here: the Strong Museum of Play. I've been going for many years since my kids were little, and now they have kids. What a transformation there as well. If I could just have a couple more hours, I'd love to just go play today. That's where I want to spend my time. It just reminds us all, to a core, we're children. We all have this sense of just fun and connecting with families. It's a beautiful place.
And when you go to the zoo, or you go to a Red Wings game, you go to Highland Park — I know this place has so much. And again, I've seen the ups and downs. We are up my friends. We are so up and we're going further. We are soaring now with this incredible project that we can talk about, and this growth of this achievement — it’s happened over seven years ago, this was started. The entrance, the security checkpoint, the concessions — they’re transformed forever. Someone who's not visited here in a number of years, their jaws will drop when they walk through those doors. They truly will, and that's the kind of experience you want people to have. That sense of wonder like, “Wow, this is happening in Rochester.” So, as I mentioned, it's the first thing you see, it's the last impression you have. If you're a visitor and you're deciding to say, “I want to bring my business here. Do I want to invest here? Do I want to become part of the supply? Do I want to be part of this whole ecosystem?” Because let me tell you this: the ecosystem has changed dramatically in this region. Yes, Rochester has always been that hotbed of innovation, but now it's expanding outward.
Think about what's happening with semiconductors. Just a short jump down the road, other parts of our State have an hour and a half for their daily commute one way. So, no one thinks anything like Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo. What we're doing with artificial intelligence, what we're doing with semiconductors and micro income — the ripple effect, the spin off effects.
I'm telling you, my friends, you're going to look back at this moment in history and say, “That's when everything shifted rapidly.” We're blasting into the future and projects like this – the $230 million we've announced statewide, but also, the $18 million directly for Rochester – a $38 million project. We are finally starting to say we're getting it done. No more renderings. No more pretty pictures. It's real. It's coming to life and that's why I’m so proud to be here. Our local partners, our federal partners, our Congressman Joe Morelle couldn't be here today, but there's always federal money behind these products. Let's thank him for being such a great champion and again. We’re going to bring in natural light – a sense of awe a sense of beauty and something that this area has always long deserved.
It also gives us a chance to honor our heroes – our returning veterans that they have a place. That they feel at home and welcome, and I will tell you having served on the Armed Services Committee and meeting with people in the theater of combat in Afghanistan. When they come back, they're often forever changed. They need some time to just decompress. And their first time coming off the plane back home, because we send a lot of people, a lot of people are proud Americans, and they want to serve their country. They come from our rural areas, the Finger Lakes, this county. They just need a place. Just a place to meet their families perhaps for the first time in a long time. So, we're offering that to them. That's showing who we are as a people. It's showing our priorities. What we value. We value the service of the one percent of Americans who step up to defend the 99 of the rest of us. So that's why I'm so proud of this as well.
Also honoring our past history as well. Frederick Douglas – I was here not that long ago to look at the statue and the mural and just people who may not know this history. We all take it for granted, right? The rest of the world needs to know these stories. He's known as a national leader, but he's ours. We have to continue to remind people what we have up in this area – not far from Seneca Falls. And leaders of the women's rights movement started here – Susan B. Anthony. So, this is such a proud point for me to brag about. You don't know how often I brag about this area when I'm elsewhere. So, we're going to continue reminding people of this legacy, the stories and making connections smoother.
Commissioner announced it is about connecting people and places. That's what we do with projects like this. And I'm so delighted that we could offer this gift to the community. It's really a gift. And let them know how much we care. It makes a tangible difference in people's lives. So, my friends, we're ready for takeoff. We're ready to soar and there's no stopping us now. So, thank you very much for being patient. Let's sing this through and again a whole new era has unfolded here today in Rochester. Thank you.
A county executive who has made a profound difference in his community. Do not take that for granted. I've been in politics for many decades. There are a few who stand out as true leaders who get their communities through the toughest of times with something that is rather unique in politics – an undying spirit of optimism.
When have you ever seen Adam Bello when he wasn't smiling? He is one of the happiest, most genuinely forward-thinking visionary, but also just has that sense of can do in his spirit. And that's something that helps lift all of us up. I treasure our friendship and your leadership, and we are blessed to have you.
Ladies and gentlemen, your County Executive, Adam Bello.