Assemblyman Santabarbara Announces $6 Million in State Funding for Hamilton Hill Arts Center During Juneteenth Celebration
Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara today announced that he secured $6 million in the New York State Budget for the Hamilton Hill Arts Center, a major investment that will help the organization build a new home and continue serving the community for generations to come.
Assemblyman Santabarbara made the announcement during Schenectady’s Juneteenth Celebration at Central Park, where he also recognized the importance of Juneteenth and sponsored a New York State Assembly Resolution commemorating the occasion.
For more than 57 years, the Hamilton Hill Arts Center has enriched the community through arts, culture, and education. The organization has helped generations of children and families while celebrating Black history, culture, and traditions.
As the Arts Center’s programs and impact continued to grow, its aging facility became increasingly difficult to maintain and no longer met the needs of the organization. Leaders at the Arts Center spent years advocating for a new home that could better serve the community and support its mission for years to come.
Recognizing the importance of the project, Santabarbara worked to secure $6 million in state funding to help make that vision a reality.
“The Hamilton Hill Arts Center has been a cornerstone of our community for more than five decades,” said Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara. “The current building has served the organization well, but it was clear that continuing to invest in an aging facility was not the best long-term solution. A new home will allow the Arts Center to grow, expand its programs, and continue serving children and families for generations to come.”
Assemblyman Santabarbara added, “The leaders of the Hamilton Hill Arts Center never gave up on this vision. They fought for this project because they understood how important it is to the future of this community. I believed in that vision, and I was determined to secure the funding needed to move it forward.”
“This is a historic day for the Hamilton Hill Arts Center,” said Rachel Conn, Executive Director of the Hamilton Hill Arts Center. “For years, we have worked toward the goal of creating a new home that matches the needs of our programs and the community we serve. We are grateful to Assemblyman Santabarbara for believing in this vision and fighting to secure the funding needed to move this project forward. This investment will have an impact on our community for generations to come.”
The funding will support plans for a new facility designed to meet the organization’s current and future needs while expanding opportunities for arts, culture, education, and community programming.
“This funding is about more than a building,” Santabarbara said. “It’s about our children, our families, and our community. The Hamilton Hill Arts Center has given so much to Schenectady, and this investment will help ensure it can continue changing lives for generations to come.”
A ceremonial check was presented to Hamilton Hill Arts Center leadership during the Juneteenth celebration.
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