Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. announced that he has written a letter to Gov. David Paterson calling for an advanced semiconductor packaging research and development center that will be built as part of a recently-announced IBM expansion project to be located in Oneida County. The facility is projected to cost $150 million to build and is estimated to create 675 permanent jobs.

“Placing this facility in Oneida County would bring closure to the deep concerns among many of our residents over the fate of a State-promised Data Center,” Picente wrote. “Two years ago, this facility – and 200 jobs associated with it – was promised to this area. That promise has yet to be fulfilled. Oneida County continues to look to Albany for action that will fulfill the promise of tangible steps to bring high-paying technology jobs to our region. Working in partnership with our region to site this new facility in Oneida County will show the type of leadership, action and concern for our region that the people of the Mohawk Valley and Upstate New York have been seeking for the past two years.”

Picente said the facility would fit with the county’s long-term economic development strategy. “We are working to grow a stronger technology sector, and this project could give us a great boost,” Picente said. “Because we are a region where so many people face economic insecurity, because we have a number of assets that can make this a great location, and because we have a promise of jobs from Albany that has never been realized, I think we should be given the strongest consideration as a site for this new facility. That’s why we are taking a pro-active role.”

Picente’s letter says, “We happen to believe that there is a lot more to our region and its technology base that your predecessor never took the time to understand or appreciate. Over the past decade this region has made major strides to forge closer ties to the R&D capability present at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) that anchors Griffiss Business & Technology Park. We are also working to solidify stronger linkages with the impressive work being done at Albany Nanotech and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University at Albany to create a high technology corridor that extends along I-90 and connects the Utica-Rome and Central New York region with the burgeoning nanotechnology and semiconductor developments that have made New York the go to location for this important technology cluster.”

“All of our local leaders are working in partnership to revive our economy through developing our technology sector,” the letter says. “SUNY IT is a growing center of expertise in cybersecurity, information technology and microelectronics. SUNY and MVCC are currently jointly working on cutting-edge NSF-funded research. … the semiconductor packaging research and development center – with its projected $150 million in construction costs and 675 permanent, high-paying jobs – offers our region an opportunity to take a major, tangible step forward that can serve as a catalyst to further growth in the technology sector and as a springboard in our efforts to attract the kinds of former residents and visitors you met recently as you ran the Boilermaker. Furthermore, siting this center in Oneida County will help leverage investments like that made at the CAT at SUNYIT to encourage an AMD-like decision at the Marcy NanoCenter at SUNYIT site. Marcy NanoCenter was the runner up location as part of AMD’s global search, and they aptly termed the Marcy site as a world class location.”

“Oneida County has all the key elements for success,” the letter adds. “Our urban core areas have tremendous broadband capacity to meet the needs of any high tech enterprise. The Thruway is five minutes from downtown Utica, making travel across the State and beyond extremely easy. The availability of low-cost, high-quality housing and an outstanding quality of life makes this area an attractive place for employees and their families to live. Further, locating in Oneida County helps extend the tremendous Tech Valley concept along the path of the historic Mohawk Valley, blazing a new trail of growth and opportunity along the path of what once was America’s frontier. Oneida County has a wide variety of attractive sites for the facility. We have outstanding educational facilities and a workforce that can meet the challenges of this new project. By siting this R&D facility in Oneida County, New York State can add an impressive Western point to the Triangle of Opportunity developing in Upstate New York for the semiconductor industry. In short, Oneida County is an ideal location for this new semiconductor packaging research and development center.”

“Selecting Oneida County as the site for the semiconductor packaging research and development center will give New York an outstanding facility with top-quality workers, and bring our community good jobs that can help our region continue the revitalization we have begun,” Picente wrote. “I know that Albany hasn’t forgotten about the Mohawk Valley, but action is needed to convince my friends and neighbors that New York State’s focus on economic development doesn’t end at Exit 24 which appears to be the growing sentiment to those of us who live in what is truly Upstate New York. I believe that your administration should borrow a page from the success that the European Union had in revitalizing the economies of Ireland and later portions of the eastern bloc countries by targeting key technology investments in those European regions. Today, Ireland is one of the strongest economies in the world and the eastern bloc countries have made substantial progress in developing its economy. New York State needs to provide the same level of attention and commitment to Upstate that to date has been sporadic and inconsistent. I know that you are committed to reversing the state of decline in the Upstate region, and I believe you have a wonderful opportunity to be known as the Governor who truly focused on Upstate.”

The letter concludes: “My office and Mohawk Valley EDGE invite you and IBM to visit the Marcy site as we to help you further explore this concept to help our region embark on a recovery that will propel our communities into a brighter, better future.”