A task force created in November to prioritize the next round of potential improvements to the state fairgrounds has less than a month to presents its recommendations to Governor Cuomo.
The State Fair brought in a record-breaking 1.1 million people this year thanks in part to a $50 million investment made last year. The 21-member task force is considering expanding transportation options and addressing the configuration of the parking lots among other things. Spokesperson Dave Bullard is looking forward to the possibilities.
“The overarching project goal is to continue the progress created by the governor’s initial $50 million investment.” he said. “And Set the fair and fair grounds up to become even more viable 12 month business and provide even stronger economic growth for the region
Bullard says one of the topics the task force is exploring is reinforcing the relationship between the Amphitheatre and the fair.
“It’s one topic of many. We have lots of other topics that the task force has been looking at.” Bullard said. “They’re going to take their time and try to weigh out the pro and cons and come up with the items to fit under the governor’s $50 million request that would generate the most return for the dollar.”
Improvements to the fair this year included a new Main Gate, wider spaces for vendors, and a redesigned Midway. Bullard says although some of the new plans from the task force may take a few years to implement, there are some that can be completed in the short term.
“The idea obviously is to continue to roll that benefit forward to get better every year one way or the other,” Bullard said.
The Task Force will hold several meetings in the future as they get the proposal ready and encourage the public’s input to improve the fairgrounds. They can be reached via email statefairideas@agriculture.ny.gov.
