Griffo Questions Wasteful Spending At Taste NY Store

Senator Joseph Griffo wants to know why the State Thruway Authority is renovating a Taste NY store in the Mohawk Valley so soon after spending millions of dollars to build it.

The store, located in the rest area near Lock E-13 along the Erie Canal in Montgomery County, opened just eight months ago.

Griffo says after spending $7.5 million to construct the facility, what could justify an additional $1 to $3 million in renovations so soon.

The senator has sent a letter to the Thruway Authority's Acting Executive Director, calling for a full explanation regarding the renovations.

“The Authority has a duty to the people of New York to ensure that their money – collected through tolls and taxes – is effectively spent,” Griffo wrote as a member of the State Senate Committee on Transportation. “But based upon recent news reports of this questionable renovation, it appears that the Authority may not be using this funding in the best interest of New Yorkers.”