Slaughter Says Fed Funds Secured for Lake Ontario Center

By Deanna Garcia

Brockport, NY – Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-Fairport) says she's secured federal funds for a planned Great Lakes Research Center at the Port of Rochester.

The center is a project of SUNY Brockport. Altogether it will cost about 7-million dollars.

Brockport State College President Dr. John Halstead says it would be a one of a kind facility, and the only one dedicated to researching the Great Lakes on the U-S side of Lake Ontario.

Congreswoman Slaughter says she worked with other Representatives, including Tom Reynolds (R-Clarence), to secure 300-thousand dollars in seed money for the project.

Halstead says the center would be a research and educational facility which would also include an aquarium. He says it would spur economic development in the area by attracting people to the port of Rochester and bringing jobs to the area.

Slaughter says Lake Ontario is the most polluted of the Great Lakes. She says all the lakes are an amazing resource that haven't been taken care of properly. She says the center will focus on looking at ways to restore the lakes to a pristine condition.