UTICA -Traveling the state in the days following his State of the State address, Governor Eliot Spitzer today visited Utica to highlight his vision for making New York a center for economic growth and opportunity by promoting livable communities. In Utica, the Governor visited the historic Stanley Theatre to highlight $100 million in Restore NY grants that will go to municipalities throughout the state to encourage economic development and neighborhood revitalization.

The City of Utica will receive $2.23 million to complete the restoration and expansion of the Stanley Theatre in Downtown Utica. The Theatre’s “World Stage” restoration will stimulate investment in Utica’s downtown and anchor the city’s effort to attract the arts, enhancing the cultural resources in the community. To date, over $15 million in federal, state, local and private funds have already financed the rehabilitation of this important cultural asset.

Stanley Theatre is one of 64 projects throughout the state receiving a total of $100 million in Restore NY grants. A total of $74 million was allocated to Upstate communities. Restore NY was designed to revitalize urban areas and stabilize neighborhoods in order to attract residents and businesses. Restore NY funds municipally-sponsored projects for the demolition, deconstruction, rehabilitation or reconstruction of vacant or obsolete buildings.

“Rebuilding the Stanley Theatre is important to revitalizing the Utica community and spurring economic growth downtown,” said Governor Spitzer. “Grants like these demonstrate our commitment to making communities across the state more livable and New York the best place to live, work, raise a family and run a business.”

First Lady Silda Wall Spitzer said: “The Stanley is an important cultural icon and anchor for this community, as I observed when I visited Utica this past summer. Its historic significance, majestic beauty and innovative refurbishment will meld the perfect blend of preservation and economic revitalization. With these funds, the Central New York Arts Council will be able to complete its goal of restoring the theatre to its original stature and stimulate investment in the downtown community.”

State Senator Joseph Griffo said: “I’m pleased that the Governor recognized that this continues to be an important project. The hard work and dedication to the Stanley pays off as it continues to fulfill its aim to be a nationally renowned cultural attraction and economic asset for Utica and Central New York.”

State Assemblywoman RoAnn M. Destito said: “I am thrilled that the Stanley Theatre will receive this Restore NY Grant which will help them complete their financial package for expanding the City of Utica’s premiere entertainment venue. The Stanley Theatre’s capital construction project is something all residents of the Mohawk Valley are very excited about. This downtown revitalization endeavor will spur more economic growth in the future, and the Central New York Community Arts Council has done a wonderful job to make this dream come true not only for those of us gathered here today but for future generations to appreciate and treasure.”

Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. said: “Gov. Spitzer has recognized what so many members of this community have recognized through their support of the Arts Council and Stanley Performing Arts Center: The Stanley project has the potential to serve as a catalyst for downtown redevelopment and the re-birth of Utica as a regional center for the performing arts. The Stanley is a major regional cultural and economic engine, a community landmark and a piece of our region’s past that is a catalyst to a better future. I thank the Governor for supporting this project.”

Utica Mayor David R. Roefaro said: “It’s visits like this from Governor Spitzer that demonstrate his real commitment to not only the needs of Upstate but the needs of Utica. The Stanley Theatre is the corner stone of our downtown. It is both the key to our growth and the key to our future sustainability. The City of Utica is proud to have Governor Spitzer fighting for our needs. This grant is both evidence of his hard work and his commitment to making Utica the Renaissance city we’ve deemed it to be.”

Daniel C. Gundersen, Empire State Development Upstate Chair, said: “We are very pleased to provide over $2 million in Restore NY funding for the restoration of the venerable Stanley Theatre. This project will help to spur investment in Utica’s downtown corridor while enhancing the community’s cultural assets. This is exactly the type of project that Restore NY was designed to support and we’re happy that this project will become a reality in the foreseeable future.”

Donna Donovan, President of Central New York Arts Council, and Ronald Thiele, Executive Director of Stanley Theatre, said: “On behalf of the Stanley Theatre Board of Directors as well as everyone involved with this landmark project, we are tremendously excited by Governor Spitzer’s critical support announced today for the Stanley Theatre Project located in downtown Utica. The Restore NY Funds committed to the Stanley Project are part of that keystone investment helping to revitalize our upstate New York communities by enhancing essential quality of life elements critical to expanding business development and business retention in our region. Projects like the Stanley are revolutionary in their ability to rejuvenate downtowns and provide the type of community backdrop for attracting the technology jobs and businesses.”

Other projects in the Mohawk Valley that will receive funding through the Restore NY program include:

● The City of Rome will receive $2.5 million for the Rome Cable Remediation and Revitalization Project. This project will make 50 acres of mixed commercial and retail facilities in downtown Rome available by demolishing the vacant, 240,000-square foot Rome Cable Building. The City of Rome, through its Community Brownfield Restoration Corp., has already invested nearly $2.3 million from the Department of Environmental Conservation and other agencies in clean-up and improvements to the site.

● The Village of St. Johnsville will receive $2.08 million for the St. Johnsville Industrial Revitalization. This project will make this industrial site ready for construction of a new industrial building by Cellect LLC, one of the Village’s largest employers. The funding will finance the demolition of a hazardous industrial building.

● The Village of Sharon Springs will receive $500,000 for the Spa/Bath International Resort and Pavillion Cottages. This project will preserve and rehabilitate the last remaining portion of the historic Pavilion Hotel (Cottages), one the mineral spring resorts in this area during the 19th Century. The Cottages are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as part of the Sharon Springs Historic District. The Cottages will be converted to market-rate condominiums.

● The City of Amsterdam will receive $2.5 million for the Mohasco Redevelopment Project. Funding for this project will remediate and reconstruct an urban Brownfield property in the center of the City of Amsterdam’s former factory district. This facility experienced a massive industrial fire in 1991 and has been vacant and deteriorating since that time. It will be re-used for mixed residential and commercial functions. Since the fire, the City of Amsterdam has already invested approximately $4 million into this clean-up effort.

● The City of Gloversville will receive $534,000 for the demolition of a vacant and structurally unsound church and attached office building at 59 South Main Street. It will be replaced with 45 units of market-rate housing by a local developer. The redevelopment of this site is critical to other redevelopment efforts in downtown Gloversville.

This is the second round of funds from a pool appropriated in the 2006-07 State budget. Restore NY was designed as a competitive process with specific criteria. Strong emphasis is placed on projects from economically distressed communities across the state with priority given to projects that leverage other state or federal redevelopment, remediation or planning programs such as Brownfields or Empire Zones. Round III of the program will begin in 2008.