County Executive previews Micron’s progress ahead of Presidential visit

CLAY, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — It’s still another year before you see any major changes in Clay. But much is happening behind the scenes, including the environmental review prep work.

“That will answer a lot of questions related to wetland mitigation, environmental impacts, related to traffic improvements that will be needed around the community,” said Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon.

While the review is ongoing, Micron is looking ahead to making some calls on construction.

“We’ll learn who Micron chooses to be the design company for the fab and the construction management company shortly thereafter,” McMahon said. “Then eventually the general contractor and then they’ll build the construction teams.”

The site for the project currently consists of woodlands, wetlands and brush. But in a few months, it will all look different.

“The jobs and the employees of the team that’s going to build this, that’s going to start later this spring and into the summer,” McMahon said. “Micron is already hiring right now. They’re advertising for 20 positions here.”

When it comes to the $6.1 billion in federal funding, McMahon says it helps keep the project here.

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“The $6 billion is essentially what the cost difference is to do this project in the United States as to doing it in Asia,” he said. “That’s going to go into the overall project. Construction, build-out of the fabs, and tools. These tools cost hundreds of millions of dollars.”

The county executive says the first phase of the project will be completed in either 2029 or 2030.

“No community in this country’s history has had an opportunity like this,” he said. “We’ve said it before, this is our generation’s Erie Canal moment and we’re going to execute it.”

Planning ahead for a high-tech future.

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