Leaders of the Albany County Legislature attended New York State Governor Kathy Hochul’s announcement about the expansion of the state’s ON-RAMP program today to include a new state office opening up on the former campus of The College of Saint Rose.

The One Network for Regional Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships (ON-RAMP) program is an investment to help fund and realize a network of workforce development centers in strategic, high impact locations in Upstate New York.

Albany County Legislature Chairwoman Joanne Cunningham said: “This is an exciting time. Redeveloping the Saint Rose campus will benefit everyone in this immediate area, of course, but these kinds of programs are the anchors that we need in order to move this property from a City-centric project to a further reaching one.

I am encouraged by how invested County Executive Dan McCoy is in propelling the campus forward.

We want to make sure that we move quickly when we can, but strategy and planning is essential with a project this complex and vast. What is certain is that making smart, thoughtful decisions will ensure that this jewel of a property is enhanced and maximized to its potential, benefiting everyone.”

Albany County Legislature Deputy Chairwoman Wanda Willingham said: “Creating opportunities, especially opportunities for young people and people from marginalized communities is something I emphatically stand behind.

Redeveloping this campus and making sure that it continues to have a symbiotic relationship with the Pine Hills Neighborhood, the City of Albany, and the County is something that I emphatically stand behind.

So, you can imagine that this is a wonderful day for me and for everyone in Albany County.

This is another step on a long journey and as community leaders we appreciate the investment – both financially and emotionally – that our Governor, state legislature, and especially our County Executive are putting into this project.

At the same time, I highly encourage anyone in the community who has more ideas about how we can best utilize this campus – even if the idea seems untraditional or outside-the-box – to reach out to us because it might be just what we need and we haven’t even thought of it yet.”

Albany County Legislature Democratic Majority Leader Dennis Feeney said: “The ON-RAMP workforce training center at the former College of Saint Rose is a major win for Albany County. This investment will connect our residents with the skills and training needed to secure good-paying jobs in advanced manufacturing, driving economic growth across the region. I thank Governor Hochul and the Center for Economic Growth for their leadership in making this a reality.”