David R. Roefaro, Mayor

City of Utica, New York

 July 3, 2008 (Utica, NY) –

Kids Oneida, a local youth program, will be sprucing up a newly

announced Public Safety building on Saturday, July 5, 2008.

The kids will be painting the building in conjunction with the City of

Utica Youth Bureau. They will begin at 9:30am.

The building, located on Varick and Cooper Streets, will soon become

another extension and proactive public safety measure spearheaded by

Mayor Roefaro. The Mayor said, "When you involve the youth in a

project like this, you make them aware of the purpose, and the people

involved in making their future the best it can be." He added, "We've

really been working hard with our area youth since January, and I think

it's starting to see results."

City of Utica Youth Director, Sean Brown said, "Kids Oneida is a local

organization that works with troubled youth in our area. These are children

who may be having trouble in school, require special mentoring needs,

or have been referred through the County as good candidates for the

program." Brown also noted that David Organisciak, of Oneida Youth Inc.,

has been a great help with Saturday's project. "I think this is what the

Mayor means when he says, 'We're in this together', Brown said."

Public Safety Commisoner Dan LaBella also noted, "It's about more than

just painting, these kids will take something positive away from this."