Governor Hochul: "I cherish this community and never, ever take for granted this gift you have to live in a place as extraordinary as Niagara Falls. So, let's continue to tell the story. Let's elevate it. Let's continue making these investments and tell the world there's no better place to be right here, right now in Niagara Falls.

Hochul: "This is a great, strong community. And if we have an opportunity to do something to amplify the beauty of this area, then we must do it."

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced two transformative projects in Niagara Falls that will attract new residents, visitors and development to the downtown and help reconnect the people of Niagara Falls to the waterways that define the City's identity. The Niagara Falls Heritage Gateways project, which is comprised of five public gateway features intended to stimulate reinvestment in Niagara Falls, will move forward. In addition, New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has approved an agreement authorizing the Aquarium of Niagara to manage operations at the currently closed Niagara Gorge Discovery Center to transform it into Great Lakes 360.

VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks are available below:

Good afternoon, everyone. This is obviously not church, good afternoon, everyone. Well, I'm delighted to be here, but I was thinking, as I flew in from Albany this morning with an impending epic storm, one for the ages, as one of our favorite Western New Yorkers, at least for a little while, Marv Levy used to say, "Where would you rather be than right here, right now?" So, when there is a storm, I come. And I will say I'm very experienced in this matter, as is my team. So, as we start off the program here, I want to recognize some of our speaking program, but also give an update on the impending weather first. First of all, Mayor Restaino, it's been a pleasure to work with you. We were there at your swearing in, welcoming you to your new position, but you've been an amazing partner as we put forth transformative projects for the City of Niagara Falls, making up for decades of neglect, I would say. We had a great former mayor who worked very hard against a lot of trials and tribulations. He worked very hard, a great ally and friend of ours as well, and you stepped in the role beautifully, I want to thank you for that as well.

And Mark Mistretta, the Regional Director of Western New York Parks. Mark, extraordinary work. We have been together so often. We were there for the groundbreaking and a progress check on the welcome center over at Niagara Falls and historic investments we've made there. And we're going to be there. I will be there in May for the ribbon cutting, for what is going to be the welcome that people have deserved for a long time. An incredible welcome center. I also recognize Gary Siddall, the Aquarium of Niagara, President and CEO. Gary, how are my little friends? I love the penguins, I love all of them, and I'll never forget the experience of having an overly friendly octopus greet me, and wrapped his arms, you call him arms? Tentacles, okay, tentacles around my arm and tried to pull me into the water so we could be friends. So that's one of those memories I'll never forget. So hopefully we're going to go a little tamer today, which is great.  

And I also want to recognize Cindy Letro for her work on our State Parks Commission and all the work she does as well, and many friends here. But let's talk about what's coming. We knew this weather was going to be strong, forceful, and I'm going to call it the Hobbesian Storm, in that it will be nasty, it will be brutish, and I hope to God it's short. So, the forecast continues to worsen. I described this as a "kitchen sink event." Mother Nature is going to throw everything she has at us, and that means wind, ice, snow, freezing rain, it's going to be extraordinary. And the timeline has actually been shortened. It's now from tonight through Monday, and I'm talking about statewide right now. But there is great potential for flooding. Something you need to be cognizant of. I just got off the phone with County Executive Poloncarz. We're talking about what could happen down at Hoover Beach. We've seen that, I have to worry about also flooding coastal areas, all the way from here to Lake Ontario, down to the coastline of Long Island and the areas that are vulnerable along the Hudson Valley.

So, ice jams are going to be a problem. It's going to be flooding, it's going to be rough. Lake Erie could be three feet above flood level, that is going to wreak a lot of havoc on our community. High winds, 60 miles an hour expected, upwards of 75-mile hour gusts, and that'll cause down trees, power outages. It's going to be incredible. And the freezing temperature, the vacillation and weather. It's going to be dropping drastically over 35 degrees in some parts of our state. Extremely low wind chills, and we'll have standing water and snow and dangerous road conditions. So, Friday morning commute is going to be treacherous.

So, the rest of the state is going to be impacted very severely. And in our area, we're expecting blizzard warnings throughout the weekend, one to two, one to three feet of snow. So, the message is. I see everyone sitting here. But if you're supposed to be somewhere else for the holidays, I'm going to let you leave right now, because you should not be sitting here if you need to travel. So, I've already had to adjust my family plans, said, see you next time. We need to manage this storm because it's going to hit at a very peak time, a time when people do want to be on the roads and in airports and traveling to see their families. So, last minute shopping better be done. Road conditions are going to be horrific, and you'll not want to be out there.

So, we're going to have widespread power outages. So, I've described what's going to happen. I need to tell you next how we're prepared. We've been on calls nonstop all week in anticipation, watching what was coming from out west, not seeing any change in trajectory other than it's happening faster now. And so, I want to say New York is ready to respond. All hands-on deck, 24/7 operations centers are already stood up and coordinating with our local authorities, our county executives. Utility workers, we normally have 5,000, we have 7,500 already pre-positioned, even before the first limb falls. We're ready to handle this. So, we're preparing for that. Over 2,000 snowplows being deployed with our chainsaws and generators ready to be at all the traffic signals when they come down.

So, in anticipation of this, I'll be declaring a statewide emergency beginning at 6:00 AM tomorrow, and we'll have a full traffic ban on the 190 from Exit 56 to the Pennsylvania line 6:00 AM tomorrow. So, this means you better travel. This is a commercial travel ban for commercial trucks. But all truckers need to be aware, when they jackknife especially those that are empty, it paralyzes the rest of the system. So, there'll be a full commercial traffic ban beginning at 6:00 AM tomorrow. Also, we're having soft closures. What does that mean? Highly recommend you do not travel. It's not a hard closure yet, but it's starting at 6:00 AM tomorrow, Route 219, Route 400, 290, 190, and Route 5, from Big Tree to the 190. So, be anticipating that, a soft tandem truck ban on bridges down in the southern part of our state, down in downstate as well. So, sorry to give you the depressing news. Stay home. Instead of the six-pack, get the eggnog, finish wrapping those last-minute presents, but I want everyone to be safe.

This is going to be a storm for the ages, hopefully brief in duration, and will not dump the seven feet of snow we dealt with about 35 days ago. But, luckily as the first Governor from Buffalo since Grover Cleveland, this is a skillset I have. So, we're ready for this. We are ready for this. And now to be able to come back here even with a storm impending is something I did not want to miss.

I did not want to postpone this event because today looks spectacular. You go out and, you know, just go see the Falls in the distance there. It's breathtaking. And I hope none of you who are locals ever get immune to the incredible wonder that is presented to us by this view that the rest of the world envies. That is what we have right here. And it is a gem. It is a wonder of the world in our backyard, and I've been here so many times as a child and bringing my own children, and now as the Governor of the State of New York. This is one of the places that gives me the most pride and this feat of Mother Nature is inspiring, and it feels like Mother Nature did her best to create this world. Are we doing our best?

Are we doing our best with what we have to showcase this, and to welcome people from around the world in a way that they'll be in awe of not just the experience of seeing the Falls, but also what it was like to get there, and the experience in the neighborhoods and the community surrounding it as well as the State Park? Is that as awe-inspiring as those majestic Falls are? So, we can do more. We can do better. And even the city itself, not like any other city of upstate. It all declined for a long time. It was hard when the jobs that powered this area - first electrified area. The power plant brought lots of jobs, but a lot of the industries left - foreign competition, people went south. It happened here; it happened all the way down to Lackawanna. My family had worked at the steel plant. We know what that decline was like, and some areas are bouncing back, some are taking a little bit longer.

Niagara Falls has a story behind it that is extraordinary. We have to continue lifting up all the neighborhoods, giving people affordable, decent housing, taking care of those who have specific needs. Those with mental health challenges and substance abuse challenges and our veterans, we have work to do on the human side as well. And I'm committed to working with our mayor to eradicate those problems of the local residents because this is not just a tourist attraction, it's a place people live. This is their home. Never lose sight of that either. But when anyone, locals, visitors come to this space, we want them to know that this is a place they will never abandon. This is a great, strong community. And if we have an opportunity to do something to amplify the beauty of this area, then we must do it. We have over 9 million people come here a year; 9 million people find their way to the Falls.

The rest of the experience beyond looking at this with jaw-dropping wonder has to be extraordinary. It has to meet the experience out there. And so, we're going to give them more reasons to stay longer. We finally have the hotels to stay in. I can't tell you how many times for the last decade, I walked past vacant lots and said, "Why isn't there something here?" And today, there's a hotel. Our industry was hit hard during the pandemic. It's been hard to bring everybody back. The restaurants and hotels, we've suffered. Not just Niagara Falls, the entire state.

We have to bring people back and bring back that energy. And we have so many attractions. The aquarium - I've been coming here since I was a little kid. It is amazing. It's amazing. And I want to make sure that we're showcasing everything we've done there. The new exhibits, the penguin exhibit, the shark exhibit, the stingray exhibit, they're all fabulous. And I want to make sure that people know it's not just that, but it's also the park. Power plant - incredible visitor center at the power plant. If you've not been there, I take everybody who visits me to that power plant. The visitor center is second to none. The trolly - the connection that's created, it all makes so much sense.

But today, we're starting a new project that's been talked about for a long time. People didn't think it would happen. The new Niagara Gorge Discovery Center project. Look how magnificent that looks. It's a $5 million Great Lakes 360 project. Empire State Development is investing $675,000. It'll be a partnership between the aquarium and New York State Parks, and it'll highlight the notable wildlife of the river and the larger ecosystem - an educational experience. It'll have exhibit design and visitors from all over. We're going to enjoy this experience year-round.

Some of you may have heard I'm a new grandma. I'm not saying the seven-month-old is ready to come just yet. But when she sees her grandma in all her glory, I'm going to bring her here because right now my granddaughter, who lives far away, thinks I'm this big because I only see her when I FaceTime on my phone. So, she's going to see a bigger grandma someday, and I'm going to bring her right here and let her know how incredible this place is. So, I can't wait to bring her here as well.  

So, we're announcing the Niagara Falls Heritage Gateways Project, building on the strength of the aquarium, an anchor attraction. And we know what we need to do. We need to continue driving people from the Falls to the downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, investments here. So that's the whole impetus between this Gateway concept. We purchased vacant properties and underutilized properties all across Niagara Falls because they were just sitting there, almost taunting us, saying, "You're not going to be perfect until these places are brought to their former glory, or even better." So, we seized this opportunity, revitalized them, we reconnected them together, and now we're creating a better sense of community and also providing people the opportunity to explore the Falls outside the park, Niagara Falls the city.  

So, we have five projects I'm going to announce. It's a $12 million investment. We're going to have a multi-use pavilion and event space at DiFranco Park. Accommodate outdoors, performances, recreation, public gatherings, events up to 1,400 people in partnership with Niagara Falls. That's going to be a fabulous attraction. Coming up with names, Niagara Falls Gorge Performance Center, perhaps? Want to take a vote on that? We like that? All right. Just brainstorming here, a bit. You can do what you want. How about reinterpreting Niagara Falls Power Companies? The hydraulic canals, I mean, people don't even know the story of how this was so brilliant in its inception that people still marvel at how this was undertaken so many years ago to harness power that is traveling all across the State of New York.

And there were canals that facilitated this. So, we'll have a public plaza that illustrates the story, the history of the large-scale electricity production and the effects it had on American society and the Pan-Am Exposition. And when we're not learning something, let's have some fun. Let's go roller skating there, ice skating in the wintertime. This can be a great attraction, and also you can never have enough views of the river. So, we're constructing an observation deck along the Upper River to have panoramic views of the American Rapids and Goat Island. It's going to be stunning, and it'll have work within the tree coverage.

I hike over there all the time. There's a lot of nice trees. Let's not mess with the trees. Let's provide opportunities for outdoor seating and just let people sit there and just bask in the wonder, and hopefully appreciation when they leave. And also, we want to continue further moving into the city, a pocket park on Buffalo Avenue and First. Let's reactivate the streetscape. Let's make that inviting as well, and an interpretive park at the Cataract House Hotel historic site. This is a great story. I have been a student of the Underground Railroad since I was eight years old and checked out the books at the library. It was my escape. I had a big family and the only place I could find quiet from all my siblings was to go to the library. And they had a series called Childhood of Famous Americans. And I picked up a book about Harriet Tubman. And as a child, I knew her story, and I was - to this day, I have a sculpture of her that I brought to my office in the Capitol.

So, I want people to know the place in history that Niagara Falls had, the untold story that needs to be revealed. So, we'll have this this historic stop on the Underground Railroad. We'll talk about how African American staff played a prominent role in helping freedom seekers escape to Canada. By day they put on their suits and waited on people, and by night they were part of this army of individuals. They were risking their own lives to help others seek freedom. It's extraordinary.

So, we're going to keep investing, building on the past investments of the past. This State Park has benefited from over $150 million in the last 10 years. We're going to continue investing, you know, the Cave of the Winds, over $7 million there. People have seen how beautiful that is when you actually get like up close experience. People in awe of that. What we did with Maid of the Mist too, we were just there, we were just reminiscing how we were there. Electric boats - first in the nation, I believe. Last time I was there, we were putting on the beautiful blue iconic plastic garbage bags over our heads, and we had a great experience. And I checked on all the construction when I was there at the $46 million state-of-the-art welcome center, and that's moving along beautifully. So, we've done a lot and I wanted you to know, I'm committed. You know, again, we mentioned almost $12 million worth of hotels - 600 new rooms, renovating almost 500 more.

But we're starting to see the impact. Occupancy is going up, people are coming, and I'm real excited about what we're doing. And also, last year, we awarded $10 million to the downtown revitalization to enhance the Bridge District. That's one of my favorite projects. When I was on the town board in Hamburg, if someone had come to my community and said, "Well come up with a concept where if you had hypothetically $10 million, what would you do with your community?" No one ever did that. But I know now, but I know now what the power of that is and how transformative it is for the communities, and that's exactly what we're doing here now.

So, I want people to know that this is a place that matters. It has a glorious past, has a phenomenal future. And as the Governor who knows every inch of the State Park here and has walked the streets and, and gone to Italian restaurants, and strolled, and gone to the Culinary Institute. I have been everywhere. I cherish this community and never, ever take for granted this gift you have to live in a place as extraordinary as Niagara Falls. So, let's continue to tell the story. Let's elevate it. Let's continue making these investments and tell the world there's no better place to be right here, right now in Niagara Falls.