Utica OKs land sale for Irish center Dec 06, 2007 @ 06:35 AM By RENEE GAMELA Observer-Dispatch UTICA — The Mohawk Valley Irish Cultural Center could open in West Utica by St. Patrick's Day 2009, organizers said. The Common Council Wednesday night voted unanimously to sell a parking lot on Columbia and Cooper streets to the Great American Irish Festival Inc. The project could cost about $2 million, organization President Matt Sullivan said. "We hope that our project is something that enhances Varick Street in terms of the entire environment down there," Sullivan said. Plans for the center call for a large gathering room, an Irish pub, a library and office space for several Irish groups. The lot is where the former St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church was founded in the 1850s, and is a place organizers refer to as sacred ground. Sullivan said his group is satisfied with the council's approval, and the Great American Irish Festival wants to be a good neighbor to existing businesses in the Varick Street area. More than 70 people filled the council chambers Wednesday night in support of the proposal. Some expressed concerns about parking in the city's growing Brewery District, but no one was against construction of the Irish cultural center. Roger Doyle, co-owner of Roger's Coffee Shop on Varick Street, implored the council to approve the sale of the parking lot. Development such as an Irish cultural center is something that should be welcomed, he said. "Why can't we be the mold for someone else?" Doyle said, in reference to comparisons between Varick Street and Syracuse's Armory Square. "Why can't someone say 'we want to be like Utica?'" Common Council member Rocco Giruzzi, R-at-large, told those in the chamber prior to the vote that he would support the measure. Issues such as a lack of parking, could always be raised, but turning away development isn't proactive, he said. "Parking is a problem," Giruzzi said, "but to me, that's a good problem." The Irish festival started in 2004 to celebrate Irish heritage and raise money to construct an Irish cultural center in the Mohawk Valley, Sullivan said. By approving the $50,000 sale of the lot at 623 Columbia St. and 616 Cooper St., the council is helping the group achieve its goal, he said. This year, festival organizers said about 40,000 people attended the event that takes place the last weekend in July at the Herkimer County Fairgrounds in Frankfort. The building will be architecturally representative of a building that would be found in Ireland, Sullivan said. -- "If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers

Hi. Neal. This is great news. Utica is my hometown and I know the Varick St. area very well. I think St. Patrick's Church would be considered sacred ground. It was a beautiful church. Please give us updates. I'm excited. My Irish Utica ancestors are: Dun, McGough, Haley Deanna ----- Original Message ----- From: "Neal Carrier" <nfcarrier@gmail.com> To: <NYONEIDA@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 8:23 AM Subject: [NYONEIDA] Irish/Utica Utica OKs land sale for Irish center Dec 06, 2007 @ 06:35 AM By RENEE GAMELA Observer-Dispatch UTICA — The Mohawk Valley Irish Cultural Center could open in West Utica by St. Patrick's Day 2009, organizers said. The Common Council Wednesday night voted unanimously to sell a parking lot on Columbia and Cooper streets to the Great American Irish Festival Inc. The project could cost about $2 million, organization President Matt Sullivan said. "We hope that our project is something that enhances Varick Street in terms of the entire environment down there," Sullivan said. Plans for the center call for a large gathering room, an Irish pub, a library and office space for several Irish groups. The lot is where the former St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church was founded in the 1850s, and is a place organizers refer to as sacred ground. Sullivan said his group is satisfied with the council's approval, and the Great American Irish Festival wants to be a good neighbor to existing businesses in the Varick Street area. More than 70 people filled the council chambers Wednesday night in support of the proposal. Some expressed concerns about parking in the city's growing Brewery District, but no one was against construction of the Irish cultural center. Roger Doyle, co-owner of Roger's Coffee Shop on Varick Street, implored the council to approve the sale of the parking lot. Development such as an Irish cultural center is something that should be welcomed, he said. "Why can't we be the mold for someone else?" Doyle said, in reference to comparisons between Varick Street and Syracuse's Armory Square. "Why can't someone say 'we want to be like Utica?'" Common Council member Rocco Giruzzi, R-at-large, told those in the chamber prior to the vote that he would support the measure. Issues such as a lack of parking, could always be raised, but turning away development isn't proactive, he said. "Parking is a problem," Giruzzi said, "but to me, that's a good problem." The Irish festival started in 2004 to celebrate Irish heritage and raise money to construct an Irish cultural center in the Mohawk Valley, Sullivan said. By approving the $50,000 sale of the lot at 623 Columbia St. and 616 Cooper St., the council is helping the group achieve its goal, he said. This year, festival organizers said about 40,000 people attended the event that takes place the last weekend in July at the Herkimer County Fairgrounds in Frankfort. The building will be architecturally representative of a building that would be found in Ireland, Sullivan said. -- "If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NYONEIDA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi Deanna, When you brought this subject up a week ago or so, I remembered this about the Varick Street site but couldn't find the original article to post. So, today's story was timely. I would imagine that one benifit of locating to Varick Street is the close proximity to the brewery. They'll probably run a pipeline from there to any Irish pubs they open up down there. :-) Neal On 12/6/07, Deanna Smith <dsmith57701@adelphia.net> wrote: > > Hi. Neal. This is great news. Utica is my hometown and I know the Varick > St. area very well. I think St. Patrick's Church would be considered sacred > ground. It was a beautiful church. > Please give us updates. I'm excited. My Irish Utica ancestors are: Dun, > McGough, Haley > > > Deanna > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > NYONEIDA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > -- "If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers

Neal, no truer words were said-the pipeline. That was funny. On the fultonhistory site, I was able to follow my Irish drunken :~) ancestors through most of their lives. I had no idea. My grandmother never said a word. The fultonhistory site of Utica newspapers said it all. Brawls, falling down drunk, put in jail for lack of being able to pay the fines. Hard to believe but the newspaper articles didn't lie. A few of my Irish ancestors, slugged a cop while being arrested and taken to jail. Oh, by the Way, this was a female! Mercy me. Deanna ----- Original Message ----- From: "Neal Carrier" <nfcarrier@gmail.com> To: <nyoneida@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 1:21 PM Subject: Re: [NYONEIDA] Irish/Utica > Hi Deanna, > When you brought this subject up a week ago or so, I remembered this about > the Varick Street site but couldn't find the original article to post. So, > today's story was timely. > I would imagine that one benifit of > locating to Varick Street is the close proximity to the brewery. > They'll probably run a pipeline from there to any Irish pubs they open > up down > there. :-) > Neal > > > On 12/6/07, Deanna Smith <dsmith57701@adelphia.net> wrote: >> >> Hi. Neal. This is great news. Utica is my hometown and I know the Varick >> St. area very well. I think St. Patrick's Church would be considered sacred >> ground. It was a beautiful church. >> Please give us updates. I'm excited. My Irish Utica ancestors are: Dun, >> McGough, Haley >> >> >> Deanna >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> NYONEIDA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > > > > -- > "If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they > went." > -Will Rogers > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NYONEIDA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Hi Deanna, I don't have any Irish ancestors but my wife has them so I know what you're talking about. One of my ancestors was hung as a witch in Salem so I guess my English/Welsh ancestors aren't innocent either. Neal On 12/6/07, Deanna Smith <dsmith57701@adelphia.net> wrote: > > Neal, no truer words were said-the pipeline. That was funny. > > On the fultonhistory site, I was able to follow my Irish drunken :~) > ancestors through most of their lives. I had no idea. My grandmother never > said a word. The fultonhistory site of Utica newspapers said it all. > Brawls, falling down drunk, put in jail for lack of being able to pay the > fines. Hard to believe but the newspaper articles didn't lie. A few of my > Irish ancestors, slugged a cop while being arrested and taken to jail. Oh, > by the Way, this was a female! Mercy me. > > Deanna > > -- "If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers

----- Original Message ----- From: "Neal Carrier" <nfcarrier@gmail.com> To: <nyoneida@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 6:19 PM Subject: Re: [NYONEIDA] Irish/Utica > Hi Deanna, > I don't have any Irish ancestors but my wife has them so I know what you're > talking about. > One of my ancestors was hung as a witch in Salem Who was that? so I guess my English/Welsh > ancestors aren't innocent either. My father said, "I don't know if I like having a Detective in the family" :~) > Neal > > On 12/6/07, Deanna Smith <dsmith57701@adelphia.net> wrote: >> >> Neal, no truer words were said-the pipeline. That was funny. >> >> On the fultonhistory site, I was able to follow my Irish drunken :~) >> ancestors through most of their lives. I had no idea. My grandmother never >> said a word. The fultonhistory site of Utica newspapers said it all. >> Brawls, falling down drunk, put in jail for lack of being able to pay the >> fines. Hard to believe but the newspaper articles didn't lie. A few of my >> Irish ancestors, slugged a cop while being arrested and taken to jail. Oh, >> by the Way, this was a female! Mercy me. >> >> Deanna >> >> > > > -- > "If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they > went." > -Will Rogers > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NYONEIDA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >