POTSDAM -- The Potsdam College Foundation Board of Trustees has honored Sen. Joseph Griffo for securing full New York State funding for the SUNY Potsdam Performing Arts Center. The $55 million …
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POTSDAM -- The Potsdam College Foundation Board of Trustees has honored Sen. Joseph Griffo for securing full New York State funding for the SUNY Potsdam Performing Arts Center.
The $55 million project is drawing to a close as the college prepares for a Dec. 4 ribbon cutting ceremony to open the doors to the state-of-the-art facility. The foundation and alumni boards invited Griffo to join trustees for a preview tour of the building.
Potsdam College Foundation Board of Trustees President Lynne Boles presented Griffo with an honorary resolution thanking him for fighting for the Performing Arts Center funding, allowing the first new academic building in 40 years to be built on the SUNY Potsdam campus.
"Whereas, State Senator Joseph Griffo was instrumental in securing full funding for the Performing Arts Center project through the State University of New York Construction Fund Capital Plan, obtaining full funding for the $55 million project through unwavering negotiations with senior leadership in his first term on the New York State Legislature, now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Potsdam College Foundation, Inc. Board of Trustees, in its mission of advancing SUNY Potsdam, hereby conveys its profound gratitude to State Senator Joseph Griffo, without whom this vision would not be possible, for his steadfast support and commitment to creativity at the college, and in the greater North Country as a whole," the resolution says.
The nearly 100,000-square-foot Performing Arts Center will house the growing Department of Theatre and Dance, bringing world class arts opportunities to the North Country for both campus and community. The center will open for classes in January, with a grand opening celebration complete with special performances scheduled for April 2014.
"This $55 million investment represents both a commitment to the arts and the economy of the North Country," Griffo said. "The construction of this new Performing Arts Center has created an estimated 344 jobs and had an economic impact of $128 million. And when it opens, I'm certain it will be well used. There are three times as many students majoring in theatre and dance at SUNY Potsdam than there were a decade ago, and Potsdam has the distinction of offering SUNY's first theatre education degree. The venue will also be a prime attraction for artists from around the world who want to present their work in our area. I'm happy to have secured this funding."