Governor Kathy Hochul attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the M&T Bank Center in Schenectady, New York. The new venue is expected to host a variety of events, including concerts, hockey games, and family shows.
During her remarks, Governor Hochul highlighted the significance of the project for the region and praised local leaders for their commitment to revitalizing Upstate New York. She recalled visiting the site when it was still an old GE facility and noted its transformation as a milestone for the community.
The Governor acknowledged several individuals involved in the project. “What a visionary — you will go down in the history books of the transformation of Upstate New York because of your vision. When you come to a place as I did with Gary McCarthy many years ago, and looked at this site, and saw the old GE facility, and remembered all the great jobs that had just driven this community to new heights back at that era when everything was coming through Upstate New York, and we had the Erie Canal,” Hochul said.
She also spoke about overcoming economic challenges faced by communities across Upstate New York: “But, you don’t have to be just from Buffalo to know what Upstate decline looked and felt like. I mean, you had every community from Buffalo, to Schenectady to Albany, and it takes people who have a lot of fortitude, strength, a vision to carry on despite decades and decades of nothing happening and adversity.”
Hochul recognized Dave for his role in advancing the project: “Dave, you are truly someone I admire immensely. I knew I could not ever see you again and not be at this event today. You started talking about it years ago and said, ‘Governor, you’ll be there.’ And so, proud to be here with you and all the other leaders…”
She mentioned support from state legislators in making investments toward such projects: “I’m glad to team up with the State Legislature and continue the investments we’ve made in this extraordinary project. So — it’s also not just about the excitement, and the attractions and putting Schenectady on the map — it’s also the jobs that are created.”
According to Hochul’s remarks at the event, approximately 2,500 people worked on constructing or supporting activities related to this development.
The Governor emphasized her ongoing commitment to promoting both upstate and downstate regions: “So, I will continue to be that advocate to represent both parts of the State… but also making sure that people know what we have here that was not here a few short years ago.”
She concluded by noting how construction continued despite pandemic-related disruptions: “And to get this done in the aftermath of the pandemic… people just put life on hold and you did not — you powered through this…”
The opening of M&T Bank Center marks another step in efforts aimed at boosting economic activity in Schenectady.
