Dozens of people — from adolescents to the elderly — packed the cafeteria of the the Institute for Technology at Syracuse Central (ITC) Wednesday morning, for the first session of the Micron Community Engagement Committee.
The committee comprises 15 representatives of organizations that include Micron, the Onondaga Nation, National Grid, the Syracuse Educational Opportunity Center, the Refugee Assistance Program at Syracuse City School District, Veterans Affairs Syracuse and the Food Bank of Central New York.
They'll be working together with Empire State Development (ESD, the state's department of economic development) to "identify priorities for inclusive growth and benefits to the greater Central New York region through a Community Priorities Document," according to a release from the agency.
Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration adds that the document will "guide strategies in areas such as supporting underrepresented populations, workforce development, childcare and housing."
The community members who filled the ITC cafeteria, and spilled out into the hallways, first heard from Micron and local and state economic development leaders, before dividing into breakout sessions, to discuss and write down their hopes and concerns, and pass them along to the committee.
Some community members called the event a PR stunt, while others praised the committee for wanting to listen to them, including Jay Subedi. He says he’s excited about more high-paying jobs locally, but not about increased traffic in Clay, which is his home as well as the site of the future plant.
The former refugee and businessman said he's also worried about "the climate impact in the neighborhood. Pollution. The shortage of the big grocery stores and supply chains in my neighborhood, and the affordability."
Already, he says, all the home prices are "skyrocketing."
In terms of environmental impact, Micron recently said that, among other things, it will use up to 48 million gallons of water daily at its plant once it's fully up and running. As for high wages, Micron hasn't released many details about salary ranges for the future local employees.
Other community members who spoke at the engagement session said they'll be watching to see if Micron makes good on its pledge to support urban agriculture, academic development (especially in math and science) for area youth, and even the company's projected gym and daycare facilities.
Micron says it will use all of the community feedback to assess short- and long-term economic needs. Of which there are many, says Me’Shae Rolling, Executive Director of the Upstate Minority Economic Alliance, "particularly with our high rate of poverty."
"So they're going to have to sift through a lot of data and dissect that data and analyze it," said Rolling, "in order to get a good grasp on the needs in the community. "
But the head of what is commonly referred to as the chamber of commerce of minority businesses is optimistic, given what her organization has heard in meetings with the tech giant.
"Micron has been quite intentional about making clear that they wish to be inclusive in terms of their supplier diversity chain," said Rolling.
At the event, Kevin Younis, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Deputy Commissioner of ESD, said beyond the 9,000 jobs that Micron has said it's bringing to the Syracuse area, "there's another 40,000 that come with supply chain."
The ESD, says Younis, is studying what and who comprises that supply chain that will be a part of producing and distributing Micron's microchips: "Where are they? What are their workforce needs, because they're going to be different than what Micron’s? What are their housing needs?"
That study, Younis said, has already begun, "in partnership with the state's Economic Development Organization, and Economic Development Corporation. And our goal is to get out there and secure as much of [the] supply chain opportunities here in central New York and in New York State."
The next community engagement session is tentatively set for October, say organizers, and will hopefully take place in a space twice the size of ITC's cafeteria, in order to accommodate everyone.
Correction: The story originally referred to the event as the first Micron community engagement session. It was the first Micron Community Engagement Committee session.
