CUOMO AND TOP HUD OFFICIALS JOIN WALSH, PIRRO AND BERNARDI IN SYRACUSE FOR DAY AND ANNOUNCE $18 MILLION IN ASSISTANCE

SYRACUSE, NY - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo and senior HUD officials today relocated the Department's headquarters to Syracuse for a day and announced $18 million in HUD assistance to strengthen the city's economy.

Cuomo was joined by Congressman James Walsh, Onondaga County Executive Nick Pirro and Syracuse Mayor Roy Bernardi at a series of "HUD For A Day" events designed to strengthen HUD's successful partnership with Syracuse and resolve outstanding issues to accelerate HUD funding for programs in the city.

Cuomo announced: 1) A $5 million Neighborhood Revitalization Grant to Syracuse. 2) Final approval of $3 million in HUD loan guarantees for businesses locating in the Crossroads Commercial Park. 3) A $7.6 million Community Development Block Grant for Syracuse. 4) A $2.1 million HOME Investment Partnership Grant to Syracuse. 5) $268,000 in Emergency Shelter Grants for Syracuse. 6) Technical assistance to develop a strategy to demolish, rehabilitate and redevelop abandoned buildings in downtown Syracuse. 7) HUD sponsorship of three conference in Syracuse this year on housing and economic development. (SEE FACT SHEET FOR DETAILS)

Today's visit was the 10th HUD For A Day that Cuomo has held around the nation since becoming Secretary in 1997, to enable him and his top staff to spend a day in an area to meet with their counterparts and visit projects receiving HUD assistance.

HUD officials visiting Syracuse came to learn first-hand how they can work with the community to help create jobs, spur economic development and expand the supply of affordable housing in the city.

"Congressman Walsh asked me to come to Syracuse to hold HUD For A Day, and I was glad to accept the invitation," Cuomo said. "Congressman Walsh, County Executive Pirro and Mayor Bernardi are all powerful advocates for the people of Syracuse. I look forward to continuing to work with them to open new doors to opportunity and prosperity for more central New Yorkers."

"Some people say the best days of Syracuse and all of upstate New York are in the past, but I say the best days are in the future," Cuomo added. "Our job on all levels of government is to work with the business community, community groups, and people living here to make this region a 21st century economic powerhouse. We're getting this job done because we're turning our backs on political partisanship and emphasizing a pragmatic partnership that is building better lives for hard-working families."

Congressman Walsh said: "I invited Secretary Cuomo to bring his top staff to Syracuse to help the city and HUD learn more about each other and work better together. By coming here, Secretary Cuomo is showing that he is committed to building a better future for Syracuse and all its people."

Mayor Bernardi said: "On behalf of the people of Syracuse, I welcome Secretary Cuomo and his team to our city. Once again, Secretary Cuomo is showing that he is a friend of Syracuse and is committed to helping this city."

County Executive Pirro said: "Onondaga County, Syracuse and all of upstate New York look to HUD and Congressman Walsh as important partners. We are working toward a common goal of strengthening our economy, creating jobs, and improving housing for our people."

HUD officials joining Cuomo for the day included: Assistant Secretary for Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner William Apgar; Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development Cardell Cooper; Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Harold Lucas; Deputy Chief of Staff Todd Howe; Counselor Howard Glaser; Director of the Center for Community and Interfaith Partnerships Father Joseph Hacala; Director of the Office of Lead Hazard Control David Jacobs; and Secretary's Representative for New York and New Jersey Bill de Blasio.

Cuomo and the other HUD officials began the day by meeting with representatives of community and business groups for a community roundtable discussion at the Southwest Community Center. Cuomo and the senior HUD officials traveling with him then went their separate ways, to visit sites throughout Syracuse.

Cuomo signed a lease for HUD's new Storefront Office in Syracuse (see separate release), spoke to the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce and Metropolitan Development Association, and presided at a closing roundtable session at the Southwest Community Center.

HUD FOR A DAY IN SYRACUSE:
DETAILS OF $18 MILLION IN HUD ASSISTANCE FOR SYRACUSE

Here are details of the $18 million in assistance that Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo announced for Syracuse during his HUD For A Day visit, on a trip arranged by Congressman James Walsh:

• A $5 million Neighborhood Revitalization Grant to Syracuse. The grant will allow the city to pursue comprehensive community development initiatives in blighted and distressed neighborhoods. The HUD funds can be used for a broad range of initiatives, including: buying and rehabilitating single-family homes and apartments; demolishing abandoned buildings; economic development and job creation initiatives; and infrastructure improvements.

• Final approval of $3 million in HUD loan guarantees for businesses locating in the Crossroads Commercial Park, formerly the Syracuse Rigging and Winkleman sites. The new businesses are expected to create about 200 jobs. The loan guarantees complement a $1 million HUD Brownfield Economic Development Grant that will be used to acquire two vacant industrial sites, demolish the existing structures, clean up environmental contamination, and develop the site as an industrial park.

• A $7.6 million Community Development Block Grant for Syracuse to carry out a wide range of community activities including economic development, job creation, planning, improvement of public facilities, building rehabilitation, and services for low- and moderate-income families.

• A $2.1 million HOME Investment Partnership Grant to Syracuse to implement local housing strategies that will increase homeownership and affordable housing opportunities for low-income families.

• $268,000 in Emergency Shelter Grants for Syracuse for renovation, major rehabilitation, and conversion of buildings for use as emergency shelters for homeless people. Funds also may be used for essential social and homeless prevention services.

• Technical assistance to Syracuse through HUD's College of Experts to assess the number of abandoned buildings within downtown Syracuse, including the Powellson and NYNEX buildings. Working closely with the city, HUD's experts will facilitate an analysis and action plan to demolish, rehabilitate, and redevelop abandoned building sites. HUD will also assist the city in identifying potential financial resources and funding alternatives to assist with the abandoned buildings action plan.

In addition, Cuomo presented a previously announced grant of $190,337 to the SUNY/Health Science Center in Syracuse for research on lead hazard control. The Center will use the grant to determine whether windows and doors with lead-based paint generate lead-contaminated dust in homes. Answering this question will help to reduce the cost of controlling lead-based paint hazards.

Cuomo also said HUD will sponsor these three conferences later this year in Syracuse:

• A housing conference in May or June. Cuomo and Walsh will bring together residents, community-based development organizations, private industry, and local government officials from the Syracuse metro area, along with leading national housing experts. Those at the conference will discuss Syracuse area housing needs and identify best practices and model approaches to address them.

• A statewide economic development and tourism conference in autumn. The conference is intended to foster a partnership with public and private entities in upstate New York and to create jobs and better utilize HUD's resources and economic development tools. In addition to attracting new investments, the conference is intended to facilitate joint marketing and outreach.

• A regional conference of leaders of religious groups and community organizers from throughout New York, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The conference will be called Creative Partnerships in Housing and Economic Development: Building Communities of Hope and Justice. HUD's Center for Community and Interfaith Partnerships will host the conference to explore ways to create jobs and housing in economically distressed areas.