Shea’s Performing Arts Center will get $7.5 million in New York Power Authority funding to support its $30 million renovation of its main theatre, while Upstate Niagara Cooperative will quadruple its allocation of low-cost hydropower from the Niagara Power Project.
The dual announcements are part of a series of economic development awards from the state’s New York Power Authority, designed to spur nearly $267 million in private capital investment in Western and Northern New York. A total of $10 million in NYPA funding was awarded for community and cultural institutions in the Buffalo Niagara region.
Shea’s got the biggest award for its plan to construct a four-story, 19,850-square-foot addition on the rear parking lot at 439 Pearl St., behind the theater. The project would create a grander entrance and would provide more interior space for additional bathrooms, concessions at each level, event space and three high-speed elevators, as well as a stair tower, lobby and box office
It also would include large sidewalks, new lighting, digital signage and displays, and a new outdoor patio, plus a U-shaped vehicular drop-off loop.
“The renovation and improvement project will enhance the theater’s accessibility and capacity, ensuring that Shea’s remains a dynamic hub for the performing arts,” said NYPA President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll. “Investments like these not only preserve our cultural heritage but also stimulate economic growth and enrich the community.”
Another $2.3 million was awarded to the Ralph C. Wilson Park Conservancy for the city’s $200 million project to redevelop the former LaSalle Park into Ralph Wilson Park. The money will support the $11.6 million construction of a 10,000-square-foot multi-use space, with offices, storage spaces, public restrooms, and a maintenance facility. It will serve as a base for the conservancy’s operations, maintenance, security, administration and programming.
And the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, which operates the Buffalo Science Museum, will get $562,000 for its $2.8 million interactive exhibit about the science of sport, including wellness, physics and psychology. The Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bandits – all owned by Terry and Kim Pegula – are partnering with the museum to highlight the use of STEM in sports.
The money comes from a fund that uses the proceeds from the sale of unused hydropower from the Niagara Power Project to help fund economic development projects in the region.
Separately, Upstate Niagara will get nearly 4.2 megawatts of low-cost Niagara hydropower for its $255 million expansion project in West Seneca, where it will construct a 165,834-square-foot addition to its 222,851-square-foot plant, built in 2005 and located at 3200 North America Drive. That will allow it to double its production of Greek yogurt and cottage cheese to meet consumer demand, while streamlining the production process.
The project will create 125 new jobs, on top of 226 current employees at the plant. Upstate currently uses 1.4 megawatts of low-cost power from Niagara, which is available to companies within a 30-mile radius of the facility
Reach Jonathan D. Epstein at (716) 849-4478 or jepstein@buffnews.com.
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Jonathan D. Epstein
News Business Reporter
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