Obama’s arrival eagerly awaited here in Schenectady

This afternoon President Barack Obama will visit Schenectady to tour the downtown General Electric plant and provide remarks on the importance of growing the economy through innovation and clean energy.

“We’re very excited and honored to be hosting the president,” said GE spokeswoman Christine Horne. “We’re looking forward to showcasing our facility, GE’s commitment to clean energy innovation and the technology investments we have made that have created more than 1,300 new jobs here in the region during the past few years.”

During his tour of the site, the president will be accompanied by GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt, who joined Obama in India in November when they announced a power turbine deal with India that directly benefits the plant in Schenectady.

According to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, the president’s visit today will highlight that deal, which helped create jobs in America.

As a result of the president’s presence, motorists should expect traffic disruptions in downtown Schenectady for a few hours, according to Schenectady police spokesman Michael Crounse. He said final plans will be put into place this morning and will result in some road closures.

The president is speaking at GE at 1 p.m., and traffic will be diverted from a couple of hours before he arrives until he leaves. His exact schedule and route are not being disclosed.

Chance to shine

Schenectady is the birthplace of GE and local officials hope that this visit from the president will ensure that the city is on the forefront of the alternative energy movement.

Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, R-Glenville, who will be present for the event, voiced his belief that Schenectady was poised for a comeback and suggested that this visit could be the catalyst for it. “We’re capable with this work force to create the next green energy source,” he said.

That sentiment was echoed by U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, who will be joining the president on the trip with U.S. senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer. He said he was thrilled for the people of the area and expressed his belief that this visit can help energize what he labeled as the third fastest-growing technology region in the country.

“It’s the elixir we need,” said Tonko. He added that a strong and sustainable economy can be achieved with investments in clean energy and innovation, like the ones being touted by Obama today.

“We can ill-afford not to invest,” he said. “Whoever wins the global race on clean energy and innovation will become the go-to nation.”

Also present for the event will be Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been championing many of the day’s themes with his “NY Cleaner, Greener Communities Program,” which promotes green jobs, and through the implementation of economic incentives to aid job growth in the state.

For Richard Olender, the owner of Olender Furniture in downtown Schenectady, the visit is a special day that has the potential to be a shining moment in the city’s history.

“No matter what party you’re from, this is a big occasion,” said Olender. “This is history in the making.”

Olender added that the last 25 years have been tough for Schenectady and a visit from the president certainly can’t hurt, especially if it promotes GE, which he said has helped the area with recent hires.

The latest investments by GE in Schenectady include $100 million in 2009 for a new battery plant that will create 350 jobs and a $45 million 2008 renovation to house the GE Renewable Energy Headquarters, which created 500 jobs.

Burger shop buzz

The president is scheduled to stop only at the GE plant during his trip to the Capital Region, which begins when Air Force One touches down at Albany International Airport around lunchtime, but the buzz at Five Guys in Niskayuna is that Obama’s motorcade might make a pit-stop at the Mohawk Commons burger joint.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, an assistant manager at the local Five Guys, said that Secret Service personnel talked to another assistant manager earlier in the week.

“Obama loves Five Guys,” said Fitzpatrick, noting that the president has made impromptu stops at their other locations in the past. On the off chance that the president does visit, Fitzpatrick said they would be well staffed.

The decision to dine at Five Guys was a no-brainer for Viola Irwin of Colonie. “I think he will because their hamburgers are delicious,” she said. Irwin added that it is a really nice achievement by the area to secure another visit from the president.

This is the second trip to the Capital Region by the president, who came to Hudson Valley Community College in 2009, but it is the first visit to Schenectady by a sitting president since President Harry Truman’s brief stop in 1952. It’s been over 100 years since a substantive visit by a sitting president.

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