eNews: November 2024

Dear eNews Reader,

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and will spend the holiday season doing what you enjoy. The weather has certainly taken a turn, reminding us that our extended Fall could only go on for so long. As we look after our neighbors in need this season, please know how thankful I am to be living in such a generous community.

Donna

Family & Children’s Counseling Services Expansion Complete

The long-awaited addition to Family & Children’s Counseling Services finally opened on Main Street in Binghamton earlier this month. After being postponed due to the pandemic, this will fill a critical need for mental health and addiction services in our community. I was proud to join together with my partners in government to provide grants to help get this project over the finish line.

More information about their services here.

Agricultural Needs Discussed at Budget Hearing

As Chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, I convened a hearing to discuss current and developing needs in agriculture ahead of next year’s budget. While significant investments have been made in the dairy and budding aquaculture industries, many challenges remain. We heard testimony from industry professionals about developing needs in agriculture with a specific focus on dairy, seafood and the cultivation of specialty and emerging crops and products such as hops, barley for malting and industrial hemp for fiber and grain.

Historic Pump House Pagoda Receives PAST Preservation Award

Mayor Marty Meaney and I were pleased to accept the 2024 PAST Preservation Award for the restoration of the Endicott-Johnson Pump House Pagoda. Built by E-J workers in 1929 to serve as a pump house for E-J’s nearby factories, the building ceased operation in the 1960s when E-J began trimming its area factory operations. The historic building was restored in 2019 with a new roof, windows with protective metal bars, a new door, and lights. It’s best known for incorporating numerous factory parts into the exterior of the building, including fire hose nozzles and shoe making equipment.

Honored with Plaque at Culinary & Event Center

A plaque was unveiled earlier this month acknowledging my work to help transform the Carnegie Library into SUNY Broome’s Culinary & Event Center. Once the home to the Broome County Library, the Center now includes production kitchens, a lecture hall for cooking demonstrations, a beverage lab for mixology classes, a computer lab, a dining room fabrication lab for the events management program, a community education cooking studio, event space, lounge areas, and office space. Thank you to all who helped make this happen. I was honored to receive this recognition.

Successful Downtown Thanksgiving Food Challenge

Our annual Thanksgiving Food Challenge went great this year, bringing in over 21,000 meals for the community. “Team University” held onto their title, winning the coveted Golden Yam Can Award for most meals donated for the second year in a row. “Team County” brought in the most pounds of food, winning the new Silver Sweet Pea Award. Our “Team State” had a good showing, along with “Team City.” Thank you to all who helped make this our most successful year yet.

Helping Celebrate Big Milestones

Earlier this month I joined local officials in celebrating the 125th birthday of the historic firehouse in Johnson City. Opening on November 1, 1899 in the Village of Lestershire, the Municipal Building Central Fire Station was a community hub for police, fire protection, recreation, and governmental offices. Now known as the Firehouse Stage, it is one of two anchors of the Goodwill Theatre’s multistage Performing Arts Complex.

I also presented Master Hidy Ochiai with an Assembly Citation in honor of his 85th birthday. He is a community treasure; someone who has positively impacted the lives of so many in our community and around the world. Attendees traveled from around the country to be at his party and to preview a new documentary about his life.