April 26, 2010 And now, the future: a glimpse at chip fab The Times Union - By Scott Waldman
MALTA -- It was the day for the rest of us to gape in awe.
For years, local politicians and business leaders have been fawning over the GlobalFoundries Inc. project at Luther Forest because it will put the Tech in Tech Valley. Now that it is a shopping mall-size structure of steel and concrete, it was Norm Vielleux's turn to be wowed. .
"I want to see if my tax dollars were well-spent," Vielleux said. "We need more like this. If our government would spend money like this, we'd have a better country." .
Hundreds of people showed up at an open house Sunday to view the progress at the facility, which is expected to grow to 1.3 million square feet and will cost New York taxpayers at least $1.3 billion in public support. It was hard to find any naysayers, as most of those who made the trip were excited to see the project actually taking shape. There were those, like Vielleux, who hope to work there someday, the curious and even some retired engineers who wanted to see what the latest technology will bring. .
Some, like Bob Grot of Burnt Hills, is excited for the change it will bring for the next generation. .
"It will make a big difference from the kids living here," Grot said. "It will be a good place to get a job, a technical job." .
The $4.2 billion computer chip factory is the largest private construction project in North America. Sunday was the first time the public could appreciate the effort going in to the project since its massive scope is finally visible, said Alan Asadoorian, vice president of M+W Group, which is handling construction of the project. He said 500 people already are working full time on the project. Asadoorian said there will be quarterly open houses so the public can keep up with the progress. .
Tom Flanagan said the project will replace some of the manufacturing New York has lost in recent years. .
After seeing the long road that leads up to the site, he wondered if company officials would have some other challenges, such as how to handle all the cars of its employees when a shift begins. .
