Gov. Pataki affirms commitment to CU's new Ag and Tech Park at Geneva

By Linda McCandless

Two hundred new jobs in agriculture, food and biotechnology science and research may be created in the next three years through a government-supported research park that will be developed by Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, along with state and local partners.

The three-phase plan to establish the Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park in Geneva, was announced by New York Gov. George Pataki on Wednesday, March 20, at a press conference at Cornell's Geneva experiment station.

New York Gov. George Pataki, center, discusses the future benefits of the planned Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park in Geneva, during a news conference at Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, March 20. Behind him, from left, are: station Associate Director Robert Seem; state Sen. Michael Nozzolio (R-53rd Dist.); Ontario County IDA Executive Director Mike Manikowski; and Geneva City Manager Rich Rising. J. Ogrodnick/NYSAES/Cornell

"The park is an outstanding example of government and higher education working together to create new jobs for our economy," Pataki said. "This investment will help ensure that emerging agriculture, food and biotech industries continue to grow right here in upstate New York." The initiative, which is expected to take 15 years to complete, may lead to a total of 880 new jobs in Ontario County, said the governor.

The park will be located on Pre-Emption Road in Geneva in Ontario County, adjacent to the experiment station. The announcement follows legislation signed by Pataki in November 2001 allowing SUNY to transfer 74 acres of land to Cornell for development of the park in exchange for an equivalent amount of nearby farmland.

Construction for the first phase of the park -- including roads, utilities and site development -- will begin by this summer and lead to the construction of a 20,000-square-foot incubator building followed by a 30,000-square-foot multi-tenant research facility. This phase is expected to cost $7.5 million in public funds.

The finished park project will include approximately 375,000 square feet of new building space constructed by private businesses and government agencies that, it is hoped, will want to locate in the park to take advantage of the research and development expertise at the Cornell agricultural experiment station and other universities and colleges in the region. Technology transfer and commercialization from the university environment to private development will be a key component.

Robert Seem, associate director of the Geneva experiment station, said the park's creation will allow the station to fulfill its mission "to serve, enhance and expand the agriculture and food businesses in New York. As part of the state university system (SUNY), we have an educational mission. As part of the land-grant colleges of Cornell University, we have a research and extension mission. As a New York state institution, we have a commitment to keep businesses strong and innovative and make the state a leader in the fields we serve."

Station director James E. Hunter, who is president of the Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park Corp., said, "The governor's support is the base upon which we have been able to leverage federal and private funding for the park." U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds already has secured $895,000 in federal funding for the project. In addition, the park has been awarded a $298,800 capital grant from the Empire State Development fund, which has triggered an additional $448,000 in federal support.

The plan is part of Pataki's initiative to redouble efforts to create jobs upstate, the governor said. "We are looking for partnerships not only between government and the private sector, but also with our university and college system to create a three-legged stool where we have the ability to attract the investment, the entrepreneurs and the risk-takers to create the jobs of the 21st century." The research park will "combine the strength of New York government with the strength of Cornell and the entrepreneurial spirit of the people of Geneva and Ontario County." Pataki said he had planned to visit the park site in November 2001, but wasn't able to because of other commitments, including many related to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

State Sen. Michael F. Nozzolio (R-53rd), who accompanied the governor March 20 and who holds two Cornell degrees, a B.S. (1973) and an M.S. (1977), noted: "Ezra Cornell, who founded Cornell, was a former New York state assemblyman -- like myself and Pataki before me." Remarking that members of the state assembly "sometimes do things right," he said, "I believe that Ezra Cornell would be very happy in this marriage of Cornell and economic development."