Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said the Carrier Dome continue renovations despite concerns about the spread of COVID-19. An order from New York State on Friday banned all non-essential construction because of the virus, putting the project of building the roof for the Carrier Dome in question.
Governor Andrew Cuomo originally classified construction as an essential business. However, Cuomo separated construction into essential and non-essential sectors on Friday. The list of essential construction put out by the state did not include stadiums in the order. There may be an exception if it is unsafe for the project to be left undone.
McMahon believes it is not safe for the Carrier Dome to be left unfinished. McMahon said it is unsafe because the metal truss crown that surrounds the top of the dome is not secured into place.
“We’re not going to stop construction and have 50 mph winds present another public health challenge,” McMahon said. The County Executive said he has already contacted the state and the contractor.
The roof of the Carrier Dome is scheduled to be completed by the fall 2020 semester and completely renovated by 2021. All sports were vacated from the Dome in early March.
