It was imploded Saturday to make way for the fairgrounds renovations. Work will begin Monday as it needs to be done by the Syracuse National show in July.
Here are a couple of photos I took at Saturday's implosion.
For another look, go to https://youtu.be/m4LppjKbx4Y and check out this video from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office. You can also check another video by going to http://www.localsyr.com/news/local-news/raw-video-state-fair-grandstand-demolition.
You also can see some GoPro video of the implosion by going to https://youtu.be/bHVEL9Vmtps
Here are the governor's remarks while he was at the fairgrounds Saturday:
Happy New Year to everyone.
We are getting ready to go back to work in Albany soon and we are laying out an agenda for the legislature. We are going to continue doing what we’re doing and that is continue focusing like a laser on Upstate and bringing jobs back to Upstate New York and that’s a big part of what today is all about.
We already announced over these past few days, an Upstate economic agenda for upstate New York. We’re going to continue to cut taxes which is, I believe, the key in bringing upstate back economically. We’re going to cut the tax rate for small businesses from 6 down to 4.5 percent. That’s going to make a big difference.
We are going to continue to invest in job-creating activities across Upstate New York. We’re going to freeze the tolls on the New York State Thruway so we keep the cost of doing business down. We’re here with Commissioner Ball, of the Department of Agriculture. All agriculture vehicles on the Thruway won’t have to pay a toll on the Thruway, so farms could have a big boost.
We are going to invest again in the I Love NY campaign which has already created 100,000 jobs for Upstate New York. So a lot of good news, a lot of good work and progress and today is symbolic of even more.
The State Fair, really is in many ways, a metaphor for Upstate New York. It’s where we get together, it’s where we show the state-of-the-art in what we’re doing, where we show off to each other and to the other states all around this country.
The State Fair is a great institution and the truth is, it needs advancements. It has not had the kind of investment it should have had over the past few years. Parts of it were not competitive anymore like the grandstand, which brings a great sense of nostalgia. You get as old as I am – I have been coming here for many, many years, so there is a real sense of nostalgia about it.
But especially from the grandstand's point of view, we would have had to invest a lot of money to make it safe again. We would have had to change the entire venue to make it competitive for acts to come. And the county, thanks to County Executive Joanie Mahoney, has built a great new amphitheater which is exactly state of the art, so – this is going to be part of the new fairgrounds,, and that’s how I see it. It’s not that it’s a loss. This is about progress and this is about going forward and this is a big step.
I also want to announce today that I’m going to propose to my colleagues in the legislature to spur tourism in Upstate New York and to spur economic development in Upstate New York, I want to invest $200 million in Upstate airports to make them state of the art, so we get more flights, more business coming in to Upstate New York.
And when you put all these pieces together, its really going to be an exciting year for Upstate New York.
Now on the grandstand, you know everything I know about blowing up a grandstand, which is – there is the plunger. That’s all I know.
I also know that you will hear a two-minute warning siren. There will be a one-minute warning siren, and then there will be a countdown. The plunger will then be pushed. There will then be a slight delay. And then there will be an explosion that brings down part of the grandstand, which will then facilitate the demolition of the grandstand.
It is the first time I’ve been part of blowing anything up, physically anyway. I blew up a few things in Albany but not like this.
So I’m excited to be here and again it’s a beginning of a new year, it’s a beginning of a new environment, a new economy for upstate New York. I’m pleased to be with all my colleagues, my legislative colleagues, my local officials, all my friends, and all the people who turned out today to see this. So we now will begin, and we’ll turn it over to the engineers to do what they have to do and we will assembly around the plunger and we’ll get to work. Thank you.
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