September 10, 2026 - September 21, 2026

Rochester awarded $14M to replace lead service lines

Rochester is receiving $14 million in state funding through New York’s LIFT program to help identify and replace lead service lines, part of more than $130 million awarded statewide. The funding, supported by federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act dollars, will help reduce the cost of lead pipe replacement for municipalities and local ratepayers. Other Finger Lakes communities receiving funding include Geneva, Batavia and Canandaigua, with awards based in part on household income and poverty levels.

New data centers could pay $1M per megawatt to towns in New York

New York is giving municipalities a framework for negotiating community benefits with large AI data center developers. The voluntary guidance recommends developers contribute at least $1 million per megawatt of electricity used, with funds supporting infrastructure such as roads, water systems, housing, childcare and workforce training. It also calls for prevailing wages, local hiring and planning for long-term maintenance and energy needs. The framework comes as the state examines the impact of large data centers on the electric grid and communities, including through a one-year moratorium on new hyperscale facilities.

What’s In Store? Grove Place neighbors anticipate Inner Loop North development

Rochester’s Inner Loop North is slated for a major transformation, with construction expected to begin in 2028 and more than $200 million in state and federal funding supporting the project. The plan would reconnect neighborhoods, create a more walkable and bikeable downtown, and spur long-term economic growth while addressing the isolation created when the Inner Loop was originally built. Residents of the historic Grove Place neighborhood are looking forward to renewed connections, activity and investment, while emphasizing the importance of preserving the character of the surrounding community.

State Sen. Jeremy Cooney highlights the need for increased funding for upstate public transportation, saying funding shortfalls and service cuts are making it harder for workers, students and rural residents to access jobs and essential services. In his Times Union op-ed, Cooney calls for asking the state’s wealthiest residents to contribute more to help close transit funding gaps, pointing to Massachusetts as an example and highlighting the economic benefits of investing in public transportation.

Scaling Placement Pathways: Promising Practices from Apprenticeship Readiness Programs

A new national TradesFutures analysis highlights five practices that help move apprenticeship-readiness graduates into union Registered Apprenticeships: union and industry engagement, managed enrollment, participant support, and demand-side strategies. The report recognizes TRACS as a contributing program alongside Ironworkers Local 33 and reinforces RCCI’s experience that completing training does not always translate into placement, with factors such as limited apprenticeship openings, intake cycles, transportation, and construction demand playing a major role. The findings support aligning TRACS cohorts with union application and hiring windows, sizing classes around available apprenticeship opportunities, tracking barriers before graduation, and using the research to strengthen funding proposals and advocate for strategies that create more apprenticeship opportunities.

Officials dedicate memorial on the 25th anniversary of 9/11

A new 9/11 First Responders Memorial was dedicated at Gary Beikirch Memorial Park in Rochester on the 25th anniversary of the attacks, honoring the victims, survivors and first responders who lost their lives or responded to the tragedy. The memorial was developed through a partnership between Monroe County, New York State and organized labor, with the Rochester-Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation helping lead the effort. The project includes replicas of the Twin Towers, a memorial plaza, plaques, flagpoles, benches and landscaping, supported by state funding. Speakers also emphasized the importance of preserving the memory of 9/11 for younger generations who did not experience the events firsthand.

MCC opens $69M Sydor Optics Advanced Technology Center

Monroe Community College has opened its new $69.6 million Sydor Optics Advanced Technology Center, a 110,000-square-foot facility on the Brighton Campus that more than doubles the size of its former Applied Technologies Center. The center expands hands-on training in advanced manufacturing, automotive technology, HVAC, optics and other technical fields, strengthening the region’s skilled workforce pipeline. The facility also houses MCC’s growing optics and photonics program and was supported by major investments from Monroe County, SUNY, Sydor Optics and other industry partners.

Bills’ Dion Dawkins joins food drive at Calkins Road Wegmans to support Foodlink

Wegmans hosted its annual “Huddle for Hunger” campaign in Rochester, partnering with the Buffalo Bills Foundation to collect non-perishable food donations for Foodlink. Bills player Dion Dawkins came to the Rochester Wegmans location to join volunteers and highlight the importance of taking action to fight hunger. Now in its sixth year, the campaign also offered donors an exclusive Bills-and-Wegmans co-branded tote bag.

UNiCON Rochester supports a variety of local events and initiatives. For more information about upcoming events or to publish an event, please email us.