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Connections

Coming up on Connections: Friday, May 20, 2022

Rochester and New York State plan to spend $30 million to transform the High Falls gorge into a public park and redevelop the Water Works building into a visitors center.
MAX SCHULTE/WXXI NEWS
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MAX SCHULTE/WXXI NEWS
Rochester and New York State plan to spend $30 million to transform the High Falls gorge into a public park and redevelop the Water Works building into a visitors center.

First hour: Discussing the latest proposal to transform High Falls into a tourist destination

Second hour: The state of the local craft beer industry

The City of Rochester is looking to revitalize High Falls by making it into a state park. This hour, guest host and CITY Magazine reporter Gino Fanelli has a conversation about possibilities for transforming the area into a tourist destination. There have been many attempts over the years, and this new proposal would include a visitor center and a new park in the gorge. City of Rochester representatives say the project is part of a broader citywide shift to invest in Rochester's natural attributes. Will it be successful? What will bring more people to High Falls? Our guests:

  • Vinnie Esposito, regional director for Empire State Development
  • Rich Perrin, commissioner of the City of Rochester's Department of Environmental Services
  • Howard Decker, architect and board member for Greentopia

Then in our second hour, it's a conversation about craft beer. Guest host and CITY Magazine reporter Gino Fanelli helps us end the week with a discussion about the state of the local craft beer industry. How's the local scene, especially at this stage of the pandemic? We want to hear from you too: are you going back out to enjoy a beer? What kinds do you like? Is Rochester a craft beer city? Our guests discuss those questions and more:

  • Jeff Ching, restauranteur behind Swillburger and The Owl House, who serves as Strangebird’s director of food and beverage
  • Micah Krichinsky, founder of Marshall Street’s Strangebird Brewing Company
  • Paul Leone, executive director of the New York State Brewers Association
Connections
Gino Fanelli is an investigative reporter who also covers City Hall. He joined the staff in 2019 by way of the Rochester Business Journal, and formerly served as a watchdog reporter for Gannett in Maryland and a stringer for the Associated Press.

Connections with Evan Dawson

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