In letter, Griffo seeks answers from Thruway Authority – says funding not being used in best interest of New Yorkers
ALBANY – State Senator Joseph Griffo is calling upon the New York State Thruway Authority to explain why it is already renovating a Taste NY store in the Mohawk Valley so soon after spending millions of dollars to build it.
On Thursday, Senator Griffo, R-Rome, sent a letter to Thruway Authority Acting Executive Director William Finch that expressed his concerns about spending after recent news reports highlighted the new reconstruction now occurring at the rest area near Lock E-13 along the Erie Canal.
“After spending a reported $7.5 million to construct this facility, what could possibly justify an additional $1 million to $3 million in new renovations so soon?” Senator Griffo wrote to Finch. “Whatever the reason, this appears to be a wasteful and potentially unacceptable use of the toll dollars and taxes collected from the residents of New York State.”
In the letter, Senator Griffo described these new renovations as an “apparent waste of state dollars” just eight months after this new Taste NY store was first unveiled in Montgomery County. This development, the senator added, raises serious questions about how the Thruway Authority is spending its funds, particularly after it was relieved this year of its responsibility for the state canal system in order to save money.
“The Authority has a duty to the people of New York to ensure that their money – collected through tolls and taxes – is effectively spent,” Senator Griffo wrote as a member of the State Senate Committee on Transportation. “But based upon recent news reports of this questionable renovation, it appears that the Authority may not be using this funding in the best interest of New Yorkers.”
Senator Griffo concluded by requesting a “full and thorough explanation concerning these renovations.”
