Onondaga County lawmakers visited the Central New York Regional Market Wednesday to get an update on the market’s revitalization plans. A recently completed study funded by the county outlines how the market can turn itself around.
Some might remember the state comptroller’s audit from last spring revealed the beloved market had serious financial and operational issues. It prompted the firing of the director, the hiring of a new CEO, and an intervention from Onondaga County.
It's an unusual and complicated situation. The regional market is not a county entity. It's an independent authority with oversight from the state. Regardless, the legislature’s economic development chair David Knapp says they couldn’t stand idly by and watch the market flail. He's also co-chair of the county's agriculture council.
“As a legislature, we saw what this means to the community, what means to our local farmers, and folks that want to buy fresh local food," Knapp said. "We realized that we need to step up and be more active, at least in the short term to turn the ship around.”
The county executive has promised $4 million toward urgent infrastructure improvements, and market CEO Bill Fisher says he’s talking to the area’s state lawmakers to set aside funding in the upcoming budget.
“The state is the deep pockets and the one that understands that this is a multi county benefit," Fisher said. "So the ongoing appropriation is very important. But we think that more is needed. The last major round of funding was in 2000 that was led by New York State.”
The regional market serves seven counties. In addition to its popular retail markets, the location is a critical produce distribution hub. Fisher says one part of the revitalization plan aims to capitalize on that.
“We're going to need to build some modern distribution warehouses at the same time, there's an opportunity to build a food processing operation in a separate building," Fisher said. "This is something that will help the farmers, the produce companies, food entrepreneurs. That's been successfully attempted in other retail markets, hybrid markets around the country.”
Fisher says they are making a strong case to county, state, and even federal elected officials hoping to gain their support for the market as an agricultural and economic engine.
