A ribbon cutting ceremony officially opened the Owego Riverwalk Monday.

Owego Mayor Ed Arrington hosted the ceremony.

“This is the greatest day in my term as mayor,” he told WEBO.

Congressman Maurice Hinchey was also on hand.

“This project is something that I’ve been excited about since the beginning,” he said. “I know that a lot of people are going to happily enjoy the ability now to walk casually along this river.”

Hinchey secured almost $2 million in federal funds to help pay for the project to construct a 1,200-foot walkway along the Susquehanna and stabilize the riverbank.

Congressman Hinchey touted the Riverwalk’s economic boost.

One of the biggest concerns with the project was how the walkway would hold up under water, which happened for the first time two weeks ago. Mayor Arrington says the Riverwalk passed its first test with flying colors.

The Owego Riverwalk is now open to all members of the community.

Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan will deliver his fifth State of the City address Monday night.

It begins at 6:30 in City Council Chambers.

Those attending are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food donation for the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse, or CHOW.

The Mayor will focus tonight on the city’s ongoing financial challenges. He will ask for the cooperation of employee unions to deal with the continuing difficulties caused by rising health insurance and retirement costs along with cuts in state aid and a stagnant property tax base.

Ryan says he will touch on some positive developments, like the Court Street Gateway Project, a new grocery store on the city’s North Side and the continued redevelopment of blighted properties.

Mayor Ryan will push new initiatives tonight, like using federal funding to help homeowners make energy-efficiency improvements and creating a special district on the West Side to encourage student housing development and new businesses to support them.