A $3.9 million project to turn the old Tryon campus into a business park is among projects being submitted by Fulton and Montgomery counties for possible funding through the state's new six-county Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council.
The council will soon complete a final list of the best projects -within a strategic plan - which will lead to handing out millions of dollars in state funding.
Officials said the types of local projects emerging from Fulton and Montgomery counties probably won't be made public by the council for two to three weeks. But those on the council, and those associated with the process, said many projects have been discussed and are ready for submission.
"I've been trying to be more broad-based and say what's best for the region," said voting council member Wally Hart.
Hart said he knows the proposed Fulton and Montgomery counties' regional business park on Route 30A could be a potential project.
The park would be built on existing land in the town of Mohawk in Montgomery County that would be annexed into Johnstown. The new park would be south of - and adjacent to - the existing Johnstown Industrial Park, on the west side of Route 30A.
Hart said a local plan to redevelop the former Tryon campus in Perth into a Fulton County business park, which has been endorsed by the Fulton County Board of Supervisors, is a priority.
With the closure of the 517-acre Tryon campus Aug. 31, Fulton County government has put forth a redevelopment plan that requests $3.9 million from the state to redevelop Tryon into a business park.
On Tuesday, the Fulton County Board of Supervisors authorized a formal grant application to the state as part of the Tryon redevelopment submission to the council.
Hart, the current president of the Fulton?County regional?Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said a "no brainer" project for submission to the council would be to improve the Gloversville-Johnstown Wastewater Treatment Facility's sewer system. He said the state could look at that project as a way to improve service to Fulton County's biggest sewer customer - yogurt manufacturer Fage USA. That company wants to nearly double the size of its operation with a 180,000-square-foot building expansion.
Sewage treatment plant Manager George Bevington said there are "a couple scenarios out there" by which his facility could seek funding through the Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council. He said the Fulton County Planning Department has looked at some "generic ideas."
The Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council is one of 10 regional economic councils statewide created by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and represents a new way for New York to solicit, and eventually fund, economic development projects in an area. The Mohawk Valley council includes Fulton, Montgomery, Herkimer, Oneida, Otsego and Schoharie counties and is made up of about 29 general members such as Hart, and nine elected, non-voting members.
The council last met Oct. 6 in Cobleskill and is currently soliciting web-based Consolidated Funding Applications, or CFAs, for potential projects. Regions are competing for a share of $200 million in state money. The four regions with the best plans will each receive $40 million; the remaining $40 million will be split among the remaining six regions.
Funding applications must be filed by Oct. 31, and each council is putting together a strategic plan by Nov. 14.
Fulton County Economic Development Corp. President Michael Reese, a voting council member, said "priority projects" such as the Tryon redevelopment will be considered first. He said at least two council members have to review each project submitted, and he wouldn't be allowed to review projects coming from the EDC. Projects will be scored and prioritized on a point basis.
The Empire State Development Corp. will make the final decision based on strategic plans submitted by the 10 regional councils.
Reese said applicants should know by the end of the year if their projects will be funded by the state.
Wish list
Fulton County Planning Director James Mraz said his office has already started providing the council with some data.
"We've given them a general wish list of projects," he said.
Mraz noted the Tryon redevelopment project is one project already factored into an application to the state. He said the regional business park on Route 30A, which $2.55 million in funding is being sought for, also is in the final funding application mix.
In addition, Mraz said, the $1 million application for CG Roxane water bottling project in Ephratah, a possible Glove Cities sewer upgrade and a village of Broadalbin sewer upgrade are among the wish list projects from Fulton County.
Montgomery County Economic Development and Planning Director Ken Rose last week also was compiling a list of applications to be submitted to the council.
"I've gotten quite a few from the city of Amsterdam," he said.
One is a $1.1 million project being submitted for consideration and it involves infrastructure work as part of a redevelopment project in the city.
Rose said an application is being submitted to expand the Edson Street Industrial Park. Another project being submitted is to help fund engineering and infrastructure at the Florida Business Park. An application for funding for a second phase of infrastructural and architectural work at the Glen Canal View Business Park in the town of Glen also is being submitted, Rose said.
Montgomery County projects, Rose said, also will include two new business opportunities he can't divulge yet. One involves assisting an existing town of Amsterdam company, and the other project involves a potential manufacturing facility coming to the town of Florida.
Hart is serving as a regional council member representing both Fulton and Montgomery Counties, since former council member Deborah Auspelmyer left in August as president of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. He said the council process of gathering up the potential projects and putting them into the eventual strategic plan can be somewhat "confusing."
Even though this first round of funding applications has to be submitted to the council by month's end, the state will continue to gather submission indefinitely for potential projects.
"There's no deadline on that," Hart said.
Hart said he understands council members will be given access to a dedicated website where they can see a list of potential projects, but permission hasn't been granted yet by the governor's office. Eventually, Hart said, all of the information should be made public.
William L. Keller III, president and chief executive officer of Fonda's Keymark Corp., said the counties don't necessarily need to compete. As one of the council's voting members from Montgomery County, he emphasized the council is made up of representatives of all six counties. He said everyone wants to fundamentally redevelop the entire area's economy.
"The bottom line is this is an improvement that's going to take years," Keller said.
Michael Anich covers Johnstown and Fulton County news. He can be reached at johnstown@leaderherald.com
