
Downtown Revitalization Along the Canal:
The D.R.I. Program and Waterfront Redevelopment
AN ERIE CANAL BICENTENNIAL DISCUSSION
September 27, 2018
SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY
Marano Campus Center
Auditorium Room 132
OPENING SESSION
Welcome and Introduction of Keynote: SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley
Keynote Address: John Maggiore, Director of Policy, Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
Comments on the D.R.I. Program and Canal-Front Redevelopment:
Kisha Santiago-Martinez, Deputy Secretary of State for Planning, Development & Community Infrastructure, NYS Department of State
Overview of Panels / Itinerary:
Brian U. Stratton, Director, NYS Canal Corporation and SUNY Oswego Alumnus ‘79
PANEL DISCUSSION 1:
Downtown Revitalization and Waterfront Redevelopment—
The Mayors’ Perspective on the D.R.I. Program
Moderator: SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley
Panelists:
Hon. William J. Barlow, Jr.—Mayor, City of Oswego
Sage Gerling—City Manager, City of Geneva (on behalf of Mayor Ronald L. Alcock)
Matthew J. Andrews— Deputy Director of Community Development, City of Rome
(on behalf of Mayor Jacqueline M. Izzo)
Laurie DeNardo— Village Trustee / D.R.I. Co-Chair, Village of Watkins Glen
(on behalf of Mayor Samuel Schimizzi)
BREAK
PANEL DISCUSSION 2
Revitalization Projects and Themes in D.R.I. Canal Communities
Moderator: Robert M. Simpson, President and CEO, CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity (introduced by SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley)
Panelists:
Paul Stewart / Oswego—President, Oswego Renaissance Association (Downtown Housing; partnership with Geneva)
Ryan Wallace/Geneva—Qwiksolar/Solar Home Factory (Lake Tunnel Solar Village)
Judy McKinney-Cherry / Watkins Glen—D.R.I. Co-Chair (FLX Works—mixed-use projects, with apartments for young professionals and an incubator kitchen for food related start-ups)
Kiva VanDerGeest /Rome—Community and Economic Development Planner, City of Rome
Student Perspective: Following the panel presentations, SUNY Oswego students will ask questions of the panelists relative to their age cohort’s housing and community preferences. Students may also address SUNY Oswego’s Fresh Water for All inter-disciplinary curriculum.
Concluding Comments:
SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley
Canal Corporation Director Brian U. Stratton
RECEPTION TO FOLLOW AT OLD CITY HALL RESTAURANT
WATER STREET, OSWEGO, NY 13126
OSWEGO D.R.I. PROJECT TOUR CONDUCTED BY MAYOR WILLIAM J. BARLOW



“The canal tugboat Urger has served the New York State Barge Canal for more than a century and until very recently has been a highly effective traveling educational exhibit” said Mark Peckham, maritime historian and retired director of the NYS Bureau of Historic Sites. “The Urger symbolizes the pride New Yorkers feel about the National Historic Landmark canal system. It is essential that she continues to be maintained and operated with pride” according to Dan Wiles president of the Board of Directors of the Canal Society of New York State, “The 1901 Urger already had a storied career even before plying Barge Canal waters in the 1920’s serving as a fishing boat on Lake Michigan. As one of the State’s maintenance workhorses, its presence overlaps nearly all the years of the Barge Canal, now celebrating its centennial. It has been appreciated by generations across these many years and across New York State. It is one of the essential links between that past and the future. We all need it to continue this mission on the waterway, being shared by communities throughout the Canal Corridor” In addition to the effort to save the Urger, the League is also calling on the Canal Corporation and the New York Power Authority to work with stakeholders to develop a plan for the remainder of the fleet of historic canal vessels, which currently numbers 57.



