Bill Text: NY J01194 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Commemorating the 175th Anniversary of the City of Syracuse, New York

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 42-21)

Status: (Passed) 2023-05-31 - ADOPTED [J01194 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-J01194-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 1194

BY: Senator MAY

        COMMEMORATING the 175th Anniversary of the City of
        Syracuse, New York

  WHEREAS,  It  is  the  intent  of this Legislative Body to honor and
commemorate  the  distinguished  histories  of  the  communities   which
comprise the noble body of this great Empire State; and

  WHEREAS,  Attendant  to  such  concern,  and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud  to
commemorate the 175th Anniversary of the City of Syracuse, New York; and

  WHEREAS,  The modern City of Syracuse was incorporated in 1848, when
the  Villages  of  Syracuse  and  Salina  merged  to  form  the  current
municipality; and

  WHEREAS,  Syracuse  sits  on  the  ancestral  lands  of the Onondaga
People, Fire Keepers of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy which was  founded
on  the shores of Onondaga Lake by the Great Peacemaker, who brought the
Onondaga, Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, and  Seneca  peoples  together,  later
joined  by  the  Tuscarora,  to  establish  the Great Law of Peace; this
created the first representative democracy in the West and served as  an
inspiration for our own democracy; and

  WHEREAS,  Syracuse  was  renamed  after  the  ancient  Greek City of
Syracuse in Sicily by visionary Joshua Forman in 1800; the completion of
the  Erie  Canal  in  1825  was  instrumental  in  making   Syracuse   a
transportation hub; and

  WHEREAS, In the middle of the 19th century, Syracuse provided refuge
for  many  once  enslaved  people in their journey to freedom, including
high-profile cases such as Harriet Powell in 1839, and the liberation of
William Henry, who called himself Jerry, in an  incident  known  as  the
Jerry  Rescue  in  1851,  prompting  Daniel  Webster to call Syracuse "a
laboratory of abolitionism"; and

  WHEREAS, The First New York State Fair was held in Syracuse in 1841,
and Syracuse served as the site of the  third  National  Women's  Rights
Convention  in  1852,  continuing  the work of the original Seneca Falls
Convention; and

  WHEREAS, In 1855, Syracuse's newly built City Hall  hosted  a  major
abolition   convention;   by  1865,  it  was  a  key  location  for  the
abolitionist movement and a stop on the Underground Railroad,  sometimes
being called its 'grand central hub' by observers; and

  WHEREAS,  Syracuse  University was founded in 1870, and in 1894, the
first  college-level  school  of  forestry  in  the  United  States  was
established there; and

  WHEREAS,  In  the  19th  Century, Syracuse earned its nickname "Salt
City" because of its  prosperous  salt  industry;  in  1908,  the  first
automobile  show  in  the  country  was  held,  and  six years later the
Rosamond Gifford Zoo opened at Burnet Park; and


  WHEREAS,  The Landmark Theatre was completed in 1928, and since that
time, has provided entertainment to Central  New  Yorkers  for  over  90
years; and

  WHEREAS,  In 1946, Le Moyne College was founded, making it the first
co-educational Jesuit college in the country; and

  WHEREAS, The men's basketball team at Syracuse University became the
NCAA Division I Champions for the first time in 1959, and in  2003,  the
Syracuse  Crunch Hockey Team reached the Calder Cup Finals for the first
time in franchise history; and

  WHEREAS, Continuing  its  growth,  construction  began  on  the  $75
million  Destiny  USA  mall in 2005, and in 2008, Syracuse was named the
"Green Power Community of the Year" by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency; additionally, the Milton J. Rubenstein  Museum  of  Science  and
Technology  (MOST)  opened  in  2010, offering learning opportunities to
Syracuse residents; and

  WHEREAS, In 2018, "Syracuse Surge" was announced with  the  goal  to
promote  growth  in technology and innovation sectors over the next five
years to create over  5,000  new  jobs;  in  2020,  the  Syracuse  Parks
Conservancy  launched the "Urban Forest Master Plan," which is a project
to expand and improve the city's green spaces; and

  WHEREAS, Most recently, Micron Technology Inc. announced  its  plans
to  invest  $3  billion  into a Central New York memory chip fabrication
plant in Syracuse, bringing over 1,000 jobs to the region;  furthermore,
the  city  of Syracuse launched several downtown revitalization programs
in 2022, in an effort to assist small businesses in recovering from  the
COVID-19 pandemic; and

  WHEREAS, Of historic origin, and remaining fruitful over the ebb and
flow  of decades of growth and change, the City of Syracuse continues to
provide the quintessential quality of life for its residents; and

  WHEREAS, The residents of the City of Syracuse have a bright outlook
for the future of their community, which remains a  beautiful  place  in
which to live, work and raise a family; and

  WHEREAS,  In  recognition  of  Syracuse's  rich history and enduring
contribution to the State of New York, this Legislative Body is proud to
pay tribute to this  spirited  city  upon  the  occasion  of  its  175th
Anniversary; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 175th Anniversary of the City  of  Syracuse,  New  York,
recognizing  the  significance  of  the role it continues to play in the
life of the community of the State of New York; and be it further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted to the City of Syracuse, New York.