FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Marc Baez, President/CEO
Sullivan County Partnership
(845) 794-1110, [email protected]
Sullivan County Partnership Announces Town of Liberty Secures FAST NY Infrastructure Award
MONTICELLO, N.Y. – (October 2, 2024) – The Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development has announced that the Town of Liberty has secured $20 million through the Empire State Development (ESD) FAST NY program. The program was created to prepare and develop sites statewide to jump start New York’s shovel-readiness and increase its attractiveness to large employers. ESD provides grants for pre-development activities and infrastructure investments to develop sites that will attract many eligible industries —including, but need not be limited to, high-tech manufacturing, clean-tech renewable energy, life sciences, agribusiness, optics, transportation equipment, materials processing, industrial machinery manufacturing and other advanced manufacturing.
The Partnership for Economic Development in Sullivan County has made the development of shovel ready sites a top priority and has facilitated the approval of 2.4 million sq. ft of preapproved sites with another 1.7 million sq. ft in the approvals process.
“We have been working with developers and municipalities throughout the Old Route 17 corridor and other locations in Sullivan County for years to help make Sullivan County sites more attractive to outside investment” said Marc Baez, President, and CEO of the Partnership. A coalition of municipalities along the corridor including Sullivan County invested in an opportunities and constraints analysis which laid the groundwork for this effort and incentivized a developer to invest in securing preapprovals for 1 million sq. ft. “There has been substantial interest in the Liberty site, but the lack of infrastructure was a challenge, and the FAST NY program was needed to make the site fully shovel ready.” added Baez. The Partnership for Economic Development in Sullivan County applauds Empire State Development for recognizing the work that has been done and the commitment of the Town of Liberty to create an attractive business environment.
“ The vision to develop the Old Route 17 Corridor began many years ago. We never quit; we stayed the course knowing we need to attract investment and jobs to our town. We worked closely with Horizons of Liberty a developer on the corridor to encourage investment there. This award will be a catalyst for future development along Old Route 17 and be transformative for the Town of Liberty, Sullivan County and New York State.” said Frank DeMayo, Town of Liberty Supervisor.
“The award of $20 million dollars to provide shovel ready sites in the Town of Liberty will help to provide increased taxable assessed values, diversify our economy, and provide middle class job opportunities. I appreciate New York State recognizing the need to invest in this type of infrastructure. I want to primarily thank the Town of Liberty and the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development for taking the lead in securing this much needed funding” said Joshua Potosek, Sullivan County Manager.
About Sullivan County Partnership: The Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development, founded in 1994, is a private non-profit business association focused on creating new business opportunities for its members by the development and expansion of sustainable businesses in Sullivan County. The Partnership utilizes leadership advocacy and facilitation strategies to create an environment that makes investing in Sullivan County viable. Due to its balanced approach to assisting small and large businesses, The Partnership has played a pivotal role in providing facilitative services and carrying the message of a positive outlook for the future of Sullivan County for 30 years. To learn more about the organization, visit www.scpartnership.com.
