Metroplex Approves $175,000 Grant for 600 Liberty Street in Downtown
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NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release
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Contact: Ray Gillen, Metroplex
(518) 377-1109
(518) 461-7137 (cell)
Metroplex Approves $175,000 Grant for 600 Liberty Street in Downtown
73,000 Square Feet of Space to be Upgraded by Picotte Companies
Schenectady, N.Y., October 5, 2016 — The Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority will provide a $175,000 grant toward the cost of retrofitting 600 Liberty Street in downtown Schenectady. Approximately 73,000 square feet of vacant space in the building will be leased by Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation (BMPC). The company has signed a five-year lease with options for additional years. The building’s owner, Picotte Companies, will upgrade the office space at 600 Liberty Street with work to start immediately. BMPC will locate 350 employees to the site next year after renovations are completed. The need for office space is resulting from ongoing efforts at both Naval Nuclear Laboratory locations in New York to upgrade or replace existing facilities with new office space. Once the construction and renovations are completed at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory’s facilities, employees will return to those facilities.
Metroplex Chair Ray Gillen said, “We have been working for over 18 months to win this competitive bid to provide office space for 350 employees of Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation. We welcome these employees to downtown as we thank them for their service to our nation. We worked closely with Senator Schumer, Congressman Tonko, Picotte Companies and the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce to secure this new office lease and major upgrade to 600 Liberty Street. Having 350 additional employees downtown for the term of the five year lease is certainly a major boost for Schenectady.”
Nancy Carey Cassidy, Executive Vice President and COO of the Picotte Companies said, “We are pleased to fill the remaining space at 600 Liberty Street with a national company like BMPC. This will be a great addition to our building in Schenectady.”
Capital Region Chamber President Chuck Steiner said, “This is a national company taking space in Schenectady’s fast growing downtown. The Chamber was pleased to fully support this effort.”
Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation (BMPC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bechtel National, Inc. Naval Nuclear Laboratory personnel are BMPC employees who work at four DOE facilities: Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory; Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory; Kenneth A. Kesselring Site, and Naval Reactors Facility. BMPC employees also have an established presence in South Carolina at the Naval Power Training Unit-Charleston, numerous shipyards, and vendor locations across the country. For nearly 70 years, the Naval Nuclear Laboratory has developed advanced naval nuclear propulsion technology, provided technical support, and trained world-class nuclear operators to ensure the safe and reliable operation of our nation’s submarine and aircraft carrier Fleets. The Naval Nuclear Laboratory is solely dedicated to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
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