Schenectady, N.Y. — The Schenectady County Metroplex Board of Directors met today and approved funding for two projects in downtown Schenectady.
The first project is a major upgrade to the marquees at Proctors. Metroplex will provide a $97,000 grant toward the $193,000 cost of restoring the thirty year old marquee facing State Street. A smaller marquee at the rear of the theater facing Stratton Plaza will also be upgraded.
Olson Signs and Graphics, based in Scotia, will rebuild the marquees using LED graphics that will allow Proctors to stream video with information about shows and attractions at the theater complex which includes the 2,600 seat main theater, the 450 seat GE Theater, Key Hall and other meeting space which together hosted more than 1,700 events drawing over 650,000 people to downtown Schenectady last year. Proctors is the leading performing arts venue in the Capital Region.
Philip Morris, CEO of Proctors said, “It is amazing the great look and excitement of the many new business signs on State Street. Through this project, Proctors will be able to add to the energy and look with modern graphics within our historic marquees.”
The Metroplex Board also approved spending up to $175,000 to construct a new median on Washington Avenue that will create a permanent pedestrian traffic link between Schenectady County Community College (SCCC) and downtown Schenectady. A temporary barrier was put in place last year after the new 260 bed College Suites project was built by the United Group of Companies. The new median will replace the temporary barrier.
Ray Gillen, Metroplex Chair, said, “The new median is needed to link the College and the rest of downtown Schenectady. Connecting SCCC with lower State is critical. The College is retrofitting 201 State Street as a Workforce Development Center and the College’s Center City campus has been a huge success. With the Governor’s new tax free zones for SUNY campuses including SCCC, we need to tie our development efforts in this part of downtown to the College and the new median gets this done.”
Metroplex expects work on the new median to begin in August.
The new marquees for Proctors will be completed this year.