The
Great New York State Fair will host a public workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. May 6 at the state Fairgrounds as it begins the
process of determining elements that will be part of the first major
renovation of the fairgrounds in a century, acting
Fair Director Troy Waffner said.
The workshop will take place in the Martha Eddy Room at the Art & Home Center on the Fairgrounds. The public is invited.
“We
are committed to an open and transparent process in order to determine
how to best use the land we have to accomplish Governor Cuomo’s goals of
better promoting New York agriculture and increasing
tourism at the Fairgrounds year round. The Fair means so much to so
many people and it’s important that their voices are heard. I look
forward to hearing from our constituency at this event and can’t wait to
get the ball rolling on this once-in-a lifetime
project,” said Waffner.
The
meeting will be conducted by the lead consulting firm in charge of the
project, M.J. Engineering and Land Surveying of Clifton Park. There
will be a brief overview of the process to
be used, followed by the listening session.
It will begin with formal
comments from stakeholder groups. Public comments will take place after
the completion of formal comments. Members of the public who wish to
speak will be asked to sign up at the door.
Speakers will have three minutes to offer comments. The meeting will
end promptly at 8 p.m.
Members of the public who wish to comment on the project but cannot attend the hearing are welcome to send their comments to
comment@agriculture.ny.gov.
This
will be the largest project carried out at the fairgrounds since the
construction of its historic central buildings in the early 20th
Century. A key goal is to attract more people
to the annual 12-day event, which is already one of the largest state
fairs in the nation.
The fairgrounds have called 375 acres of land in
the Onondaga County town of Geddes their home since 1890.
The
New York State Fair, operated by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, runs this year from Aug. 27 to Sept. 7.
In
addition to the annual New York State Fair, the Fairgrounds host dozens
of agricultural events throughout the year, including some of the
Northeast’s most prestigious horse and livestock shows.
