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"The Air Force Research Lab in Rome is getting some big investment from the federal government — $415 million in fiscal year 2024, the largest amount of funding ever designated for the lab.
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, visited Rome on April 2 and announced the funding during a press conference at the Griffiss Institute with some local officials.
“This goes toward quantum research,” she said in a statement. “This goes toward cyber. This goes to our Counter-UAS (unmanned aircraft systems). So all the emerging technologies, when we consider future national security challenges, we will be leaders right here in Rome.”
“This is a tremendous endorsement at the national level of the incredible work and the unique work that Rome lab does every single day,” Stefanik continued. “We are not only the leader in New York, the leader in the United States of America, but we are a global leader when it comes to these emerging technologies.”
The funding is a boost to the national defense, lab officials said.
"The Air Force Research Laboratory is fully committed to improving critical warfighting technology that not only boosts the morale and well-being of warfighters in the field but also ensures their success and safety," said Michael Hayduk, deputy director of the AFRL Information Directorate. "The funding we receive from Congress is a testament to the tireless efforts of our skilled and dedicated researchers and scientists. This funding is essential as it helps us to bring revolutionary technology into practical, real-world scenarios, ultimately strengthening our national defense."
Local leaders also stressed that what is good for the lab is good for Rome and Oneida County.
“This investment not only fortifies our nation's defense capabilities, but also underscores the vital economic impact this facility has on our city,” Rome Mayor Jeff Lanigan said in a statement. “Congresswoman Stefanik's support ensures that Rome remains a hub for innovation, driving economic growth for our community.”
The lab has twice been targeted by the Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC, process, both in 1995 and 2005. Local officials quickly organized a defensive strategy to keep the lab in Rome, preserve its local jobs and to use the lab to help develop a high-tech ecosystem in the region.
The lab had an estimated economic impact of $501 million in fiscal year 2020 in Oneida, Herkimer, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties, according to the lab. That impact included the lab’s workforce of 838 military and civilian employees that year.
“This is wonderful news for our region,” said Heather Hage, President and CEO of Griffiss Institute, in a statement. "Today’s result demonstrates clearly Congress's unwavering, bipartisan support for AFRL's critical mission in defending our nation's security. Rome Lab is the lead agency for the Department of Defense in quantum research and this tremendous increase shows clearly that investments in QIS are a national priority.
“Such extraordinary support from Congress will enable our region to build a robust quantum industry focused on critical national security applications.”
As the most senior New York representative on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Intelligence, Stefanik was able to secure the funding for the lab with help from local Rep. Brandon Williams, R-Sennett, and other local officials, she said.
Rome does not currently lie within Stefanik’s 21st Congressional District, which includes Herkimer County, part of Otsego County and the North Country. But the state has redrawn the lines for its Congressional districts and in the next election, Stefanik’s district will include Rome and northern Oneida County while southern Oneida County will remain in the 22nd Congressional District, currently represented by Republican Brandon Williams.
Stefanik holds the position of House Republican Conference chair, making her the third highest ranking Republican in the House of Representatives. She is also on former President Donald Trump’s list of potential running mates.
During the press conference, Stefanik also announced legislation that she will be introducing, the Defense Quantum Acceleration Act, which she called important for national security and important for Rome and Oneida County.
“This bill will supercharge the (U.S. Departmet of Defense’s) approach to quantum information science,” she said, “and create a framework for reaching the first utility-scale, fault tolerant, quantum computer right here in Rome, New York.”
The $415 million for the lab was appropriated in smaller amounts of between $1 million and $25 million for 40 different areas at the laboratory, including photonic chips for quantum computing, a secure quantum computing facility, the internet of living things ecosystem, unmanned aircraft systems traffic management advanced air mobility enhancements, antenna development for secure communications and networks and B-52 agile pod capability.
“This funding will enhance and support the innovative and critical work, research and development that takes place every day at the lab while strengthening this important military asset,” state Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, said in a statement. “Oneida County and Rome are proud to host AFRL and all the other defense facilities and research partners that call the region home.”
"The proposed amphitheater project in the Erie Canal Village was a hot-ticket item, sparking much conversation, at the April 10 Rome Common Council meeting
According to Jerry Stucchi, principal of JGK Associates – the project’s private developer – a lot has been going on behind the scenes.
“The business plan was presented to Mayor (Jeff) Lanigan and his staff members,” Stucchi said. “Our discussions have entailed zoning, codes, and use of permits to accompany the site. The goal of this common council meeting was to explain our position and set the stage for a more comprehensive session on April 24.”
As a three-phase project, Stucchi explained it’s yet to enter the “public outreach portion”. Currently, the only space for residents to voice their opinions is via Facebook.
Moving forward Stucchi implied public surveys would be distributed; In the meantime, he said he understands the importance of allowing commentary at city council meetings.
On Wednesday, community members voiced their inquiries and received answers from Stucchi, Rome Historical Board President Jacob Flemming, and Erie Canal Village Director of Public Communications Rocco Capponi.
Public concerns
Rome resident, David Halpin, said although he was in favor of the project he still had “certain reservations.” He went on to highlight the importance of revitalizing the Erie Canal Village, encouraging developers to approach doing so "thoughtfully."
The proposed venue entails a 5,000 seat capacity.
Halpin asked if consideration has gone into the space needed for a respective parking lot. He also wondered if site reviews had already been conducted, as well as conversations with the city planning and zoning department.
Nonetheless, the main hesitancy, for Halpin was financial.
“I understand if the city gets involved to be of guidance but if money gets taken from taxpayers to assist with a private project then I disagree with that,” he said.
Maintenance – lighting, paving, lawn care – can get pricey and he asked for clarification that the economic burden wouldn’t fall on locals.
While Halpin was curious whether or not JGK Associates had the experience to manage a project this scale, he was more concerned with their vision, given the historic nature of the property.
The project encroaches Fort Bull battlefield boundaries.
As stated by Halpin, five years ago during a metal detection survey archaeologists discovered British grenade remnants on the former battlefield. Supposing there are more artifacts nearby he expressed his fear that buildout may interfere with archaeological preservation.
“And, we all know we get lots of rain,” Halpin emphasized. “Will only the musicians be sheltered? What about possible snow from November through April? Plus, realistically could the venue compete with others nearby like the Empower Federal Credit Union (FCU) amphitheater in Syracuse?”.
Historic preservation
In response to Halpin’s questions Capponi said while public discourse is imperative it often “constitutes a campaign of misinformation.” He assured JGK Associates plans to take a "balanced approach."
Despite the fact none of the structures possess historical status – they aren't listed on state or national historic registries – Capponi acknowledged the land matters to residents and for that reason JGK Associates plans to evaluate each building on its individual merit to determine its future.
Stucchi confirmed the development team intends on maintaining salvageable remnants of the “historic” structures and plans to conduct engineering, archaeological, and architectural studies across the 216-acre property.
“The harsh climate of Rome, coupled with years of neglect, has rendered these buildings culturally unsound,” Capponi underscored. “The proposed plan prioritizes historical preservation as one of its core objectives. The vision for the site is to create a space for recreation and historical appreciation; a vision that deserves the chance to be realized without premature judgment.”
Rome Historical Society (RHS) Board President Jacob Flemming shed further light on the project.
“We do not take a stance for or against the nature of any private land development projects,” said Flemming. “The only interest our society takes is in the preservation and care of historical lands. The prospective buyers have committed publicly to upholding and cooperating with State Historic Preservation Office guidelines. This is all RHS could or ever would ask of a historical landowner.”
To drive the point home, Stucchi assured that as developers with a “strong sense of social responsibility,” the plans aim to honor the historic nature of the property.
“Since we are disturbing more than one acre of land we are subject to New York State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR),” Stucchi added. “This requires us to work with the municipality to ensure our development does not have a negative impact on the environment in terms of ecology, or in this case archaeology. We have already obtained an archaeologist for the buildout, which shows our commitment to preservation.”
A project worthy of 'fair and factual consideration'
Given the project's integration of new and historical elements, Capponi argued it's one worthy of “fair and factual consideration.” He went on to prod at the way the city conducts (or rather fails to) conduct business.
Capponi alluded to the former idea to bring sheets of ice to Rome. “Now, next door in Utica, we see a city that followed through and got to host the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship,” he said.
While the level of decay on the site is significant Stucchi claimed that a single entity can’t be blamed.
“Provided the public interest in this property we feel in order to do things right, a strong public-private partnership must be developed between ourselves and the city,” Stucchi said, prompting unification. “We intend on being stewards of this land. It’s our belief that with an infusion of funds from operations the venue will become a hub of activity, generating profit and elevating the quality of life for all residents of Rome.”
"Rome Health is taking an innovative approach to solving a problem plaguing employers throughout the health care industry —a shortage of qualified nurses.
The health system is offering nurses extra training to increase their confidence and skill levels, and to increase the likelihood that they’ll make their career at Rome Health.
The nurse extern program hires nursing students to work as patient care technicians while they work toward their nursing degree.
And this fall, 21 nurses who recently earned their nursing degrees will start in the RN Transition to Practice Program, which has just earned accreditation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transitions Programs.
“By achieving this accreditation, Rome Health’s (Registered Nurse) Transition to Practice Program has demonstrated its alignment with best practices in nursing education and its dedication to ensuring that newly licensed RNs are well-prepared to deliver high-quality care to patients,” said Ashley Edwards, chief nursing officer and vice president of clinical services at Rome Health.
Upstate hospitals are struggling with a few big challenges these days: negative operating margins, increasing costs and a shortage of staff, said Gary Fitzgerald, president and CEO of the Iroquois Healthcare Association.
Programs like these two in Rome definitely help with the staff shortage, he said.
“The vacancy rates for registered nurses in Upstate hospitals are 164% higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to our recent survey data,” he said. “The main reason for this shortage is the lack of available candidates to fill these positions, despite efforts to recruit them.”
He called Rome Health’s extern and transition-to-practice programs “innovative solutions.”
Keeping employees
The numbers show that they’re working.
Rome Health started a program to offer support to new nurses in 2022, but implemented the full transitions program in 2023. The hospital’s retention rate for first-year nurses was 60% in 2021, 62% in 2022 and a big jump to 72% in 2023, according to Rome Health.
In the extern program, newly graduated nurses who had gone through the program were twice as likely to remain in the first year and five times more likely in the second year, Rome Health statistics show.
Transitions program
The RN Transition to Practice Program is for newly licensed registered nurses who are hired to work for Rome Health. The program helps to smooth the transition from classroom learning to clinical practice by offering extra support and training through classes, hands-on clinical experiences and mentorship from experienced nurses.
The program can be tailored according to the interests of individual nurses with tracks, for example, for nurses who want to work in the emergency department or in the maternity unit, Edwards said.
“It helps the RN build confidence, resilience and improve decision-making skills, their understanding of delegation and nursing care delivery models while promoting the incorporation of research-based evidence into practice,” a program description says.
And this year, with the accreditation, the program will spend more time on employee wellness and evidence-based practice, Edwards said.
Nurses in the program are paid on the same scale as other nurses and are eligible for tuition reimbursement at the SUNY rate after their first 90 days.
Nurse externs
The reviewers who evaluated the transitions to nursing program for accreditation noted that Rome Health’s extern program as a “best practice” that should be shared with others, officials said.
In that program, student nurses work as patient care technicians at Rome Health and receive two hours of training at the hospital each month in addition to their nursing studies. They are eligible for tuition reimbursement if they work at least 80% of full-time hours.
Not just Rome
It has long been known that health care workers are more likely to choose to work in familiar places, including their hometowns or where they received their training. That’s one of the reasons many hospitals choose to become clinical training sites for local educational programs or to offer their own programs.
Rome Health, for example, serves as a clinical site for both RN and licensed practical nursing (LPN) students.
The Mohawk Valley Health System includes the St. Elizabeth College of Nursing. And it has long offered dental and family medicine residency programs .
The system recently expanded its medical education programs to include medical residencies in general surgery, OB-GYN and psychiatry as well as a transitional year residency between medical school and more specialized residency programs.
It also offers residency programs for nurse practitioners, pharmacists and podiatrists, and recently expanded the number of medical students doing clinical rotations within the system.
But there are other measures that would help the staffing crisis, Fitzgerald said. New York has not yet passed the bills needed to join the Nurse Licensure Compact that includes 41 other states, he pointed out. The compact allows a nurse licensed in one state to practice in all the other compact states.
And New York has not passed another measure that would allow physicians, RNs and LPNs licensed in another state to practice in New York temporarily while their application for a New York license is pending, he said.
“These bills would broaden the pool of available candidates,” Fitzgerald said, “and help alleviate Upstate New York’s staffing crisis.”
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