From Weapons Storage To Data Recovery: Nozzolio Delivers $250,000 To Transform Seneca Army Depot Into Data Disaster Recovery Facility

Romulus—State Senator Michael F. Nozzolio today delivered $250,000 in state funding he secured to develop the Seneca Army Depot and bring new jobs and economic development to Seneca County. Senator Nozzolio made the announcement at a ribbon-cutting ceremony with officials from the Finger Lakes Technologies Group (FLTG) to announce the new “Finger Lakes Technologies Group Park Inc.”

Today’s announcement by Senator Nozzolio brings the total to more than 1,200 new jobs created at the Seneca Army Depot including Five Points, Hillside Children’s Center and the Advantage Group.

“This project will bring high-paying jobs to our region and this new facility is a significant addition for our regional high-tech economy,” said Senator Nozzolio. “It was a pleasure to work to secure the necessary funding for this critical project to support job development in the area and make strategic investments for the continued development and resurgence of the Seneca Army Depot.”

The Finger Lakes Technologies Group Inc. will serve as a data disaster-recovery site, a co-location facility for the FLTG parent Ontario and Trumansburg Telephone Companies, as well as central office space. The project will bring 10 new full-time jobs to the region, along with another 25 jobs during the construction phase.

Paul Griswold, President and CEO of the Finger Lakes Technologies Group Inc. and Ontario and Trumansburg Telephone Companies, said “This new high-tech facility would not have been possible without Senator Nozzolio and we are grateful for his commitment and support to bringing jobs to the region. We are delighted to unveil this facility, which will give a tremendous boost to the region’s economy and offers area companies a centrally located, off-site facility for data backup and recovery. We are pleased and proud to partner with Senator Nozzolio in making this investment in the community.”

Dave Kaiser, Romulus Town Supervisor, said, “This project is great news for Seneca County. I would like to thank Senator Mike Nozzolio for securing funding to help with the renovation and installation of a new access road at the Depot. His faith in this project and continued support for economic development in South Seneca County will pay dividends for our community for years to come. Our connection to the fiber optic grid puts our county in a much better position to compete on a regional scale. The use of the former Q area at the Army Depot for archiving and backing up data for various business and governmental entities serves our nation’s security needs very well.”

Senator Nozzolio was joined by FLTG President and CEO Paul Griswold and local officials on a tour of the new facility, which was made possible by refurbishing 37,000 square feet of warehouse space and the guard house. Trumansburg Telephone Company employees and equipment have been re-located to the new office space. The facility features triple-fencing, making it more secure than many other co-location and disaster recovery sites. The entire base is connected to FLTG’s state-of-the-art fiber optic network, which runs from Rochester to Ithaca and to all other major cities in the State through inter-connection with the Independent Optical Network (ION).

Future plans for the park include the conversion of 64, nearly 2,000-square-foot bunkers. These bunkers will provide impenetrable storage areas because they are weather-proof and because they feature four-feet-thick walls, 13-feet-high ceilings, steel cages and iron doors. The site will be available to area companies for equipment storage and for secure storage of such materials as papers, records, tapes and cabinets.

The result of a 20-year lease agreement between FLTG and the Seneca County Economic Development Council, Finger Lakes Technologies Group Park is located in the former Seneca Army Depot’s conservation area - a 7,500-acre parcel on the 10,587-acre Seneca Army Depot site. Opened in 1941, the Seneca Army Depot was used as an explosives, chemical weapons and hazardous-material supply depot and as a weapons-disposal site.

Senator Nozzolio has been instrumental in securing millions of dollars for the Seneca Army Depot. Projects have included construction of the Five Points Correctional Facility and the Hillside Children’s Center.

“As State Senator, I am committed to the revitalization of the Seneca Army Depot and am pleased to secure this important funding to continue my efforts to transform the Army Depot into an economic engine for Seneca County and the Finger Lakes,” said Senator Nozzolio. “Since the Army base closed, there have been great strides made to revitalize the Depot and this funding will allow the continued development of the Seneca Army Depot.”

“It was a pleasure to fight for this necessary funding and I will continue to my efforts to utilize additional acres at the Depot to stimulate new business growth and create new jobs in our region,” concluded Nozzolio.

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About Finger Lakes Technologies Group Inc.
Finger Lakes Technologies Group Inc. (www.fltg.com) was founded by Paul Griswold in 1995. A subsidiary of the Ontario and Trumansburg Telephone Companies, the largest independently owned telephone company in New York state, FLTG offers complete communication and data networking including telephone services, fiber optic network, backup and recovery solutions, co-location facilities and services, IP Centrex, Web hosting, e-mail services, VoIP offerings, IP engineering services, monitoring, and network operations center services. A Cisco certified partner in IP telephony, security and wireless, FLTG employs 25 and is headquartered in Victor, N.Y.