City of Rochester
News Release
(Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018) – By renewing the city’s focus on the Genesee River, Rochester is poised to seize the future, Mayor Lovely A. Warren told a gathering of Downtown stakeholders attending the annual Vision Future luncheon today.
“This is our moment to follow the example of those bold innovators who embraced change and led our city through each of its transitions,” Mayor Warren said. “This is the time to write the next chapter of Rochester’s amazing story, starting with the mighty Genesee River.”
Mayor Warren looked to the past for inspiration. “The river brought early settlers like Ebenezer Allen and Nathaniel Rochester, who turned Rochester into American’s boomtown – the Young Lion of the West,” she said, referring to a historical moniker for the city.
“From the ‘Young Lion of the West’ to the ‘Image City’ to the ‘Photonics Capital of the World,’ the story of Rochester has always been a story of evolution, a story of change,” she said.
Now is the moment to seize Rochester’s history of embracing change and partner that with the power of the Genesee, with its spectacular gorge, three waterfalls and its connection to the Great Lakes on one side and the historic Erie Canal on the other.
“All of these great natural resources are the envy of other places. But up until now, we haven’t used them to drive our future,” she said, highlighting the extensive $500 million ROC the Riverway riverfront revitalization program that will transform the city’s relationship with the Genesee River, thanks to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s initial investment of $50 million to launch this innovative, job-creating vision.
“This is who we are – a boomtown that started on the banks of the Genesee River,” she said. “It is along those banks that we are starting a new chapter in our story.... Like a lion, we waited in the brush for our time to come forth. And that time has come. That time is now.”
“Rochester,” Mayor Warren said. “Young Lion of the West. Let them hear us roar!”
To read the full speech, visit www.cityofrochester.gov/visionfuture2018/.
To learn more about the ROC the Riverway projects, go to www.cityofrochester.gov/roctheriverway/.
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News Media: For more information, contact Press Officer Jessica Alaimo, 428-7135.