Economic-development growth continues in Herkimer County

HERKIMER — Being nestled along the state’s Chip Corridor is proving beneficial for Herkimer County, which has a flurry of economic-development activity underway. “We’re already seeing people talking to us from other countries because of Micron,” Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency (HCIDA) CEO John Piseck says. The news that Micron will open a semiconductor facility in the town of Clay in Onondaga County has had ripple effects along and beyond the corridor — formally known as the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub — that stretches from Buffalo to Syracuse. With close proximity to the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90), as well as other major east-west routes, Herkimer County is well-situated and ready to benefit from the flurry of activity and interest surrounding Micron, Piseck says. “We feel as though we can truly benefit from where we’re located.” Herkimer County already has and will continue to attract businesses on its own, he adds. “We’re getting a ton of look-sees,” Piseck says, noting that one of the county’s newest business parks is nearing capacity. The Schuyler Business Park began on about 99 acres with two tenants — Wilcor International and Schuyler Wood Pellet — but the HCIDA purchased an additional 188 acres in 2020. Of that, about 165 acres are developable and the HCIDA has been busy filling that park since. “We have about 3.4 acres left there,” Piseck says. Tenants include Pepsi, The Fountainhead Group, and a Home Depot distribution center, with work moving forward on a convenience store and gas station. The agency recently purchased 76 acres just down the road in Schuyler. Dubbing it the Four Corners, the HCIDA is already actively marketing the parcels located at 2323 State Route 5 and 2336 State Route 5. “It’s exciting to see opportunities,” Piseck says.

In another project, the HCIDA acquired the building at 415 N. Main St. in Herkimer and will renovate the space including the installation of a state-certified kitchen with on-site parking for food trucks. That will open more opportunity for people interested in starting a food-truck business, which requires access to a state-certified kitchen and a place to park the truck during off hours, Piseck notes. “Then on the first floor, we’ll have co-working space,” he adds. The HCIDA plans to relocate its offices to the second floor, which also features a large 70-foot by 30-foot great room. The building once served as a Masonic Temple. Piseck says the IDA also hopes to create some type of rooftop venue as well. Also in Herkimer, the HCIDA is actively involved with the village’s Brownfield Opportunity Area Plan and its Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) project. As a round seven awardee of the state program, the Village of Herkimer received $10 million in funding for projects that will help it reimagine its downtown area. According to Piseck, projects have been submitted to the local committee for review. Once they are evaluated, the committee will forward its picks to the state for final review and funding. In 2022, Little Falls was a round 5 recipient of $10 million through the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative for a slate of projects around the city as well as the establishment of a $600,000 fund for products to upgrade buildings, renovate vacant spaces, and more in the city’s downtown region. In conjunction with its urban renewal agency, the city is currently accepting applications for this funding from projects. Over in Ilion, the HCIDA is very involved in developing a reuse plan for the former 1-million-square-foot Remington Arms factory. Owner Rem Arms closed the plant in March, shuttering the village’s largest employer for more than two centuries. The HCIDA received a technical assistance grant to bring in Environmental Protection Agency consultants to help produce a plan to repurpose the facility, which sits on about 34 acres. “We went through the whole facility,” Piseck says, adding that it has been well maintained and has good bones. A second EPA grant is helping with environmental assessments, which are coming back clean so far, he adds. “We’re hoping to see some great things come out of there,” says Piseck. The IDA has also been busy near one of its older business parks, the Frankfort 5S South Business Park, located just off Route 5. The agency purchased the Russell Farm property, located just across Higby Road from the business park, several years ago and has been busy installing infrastructure including water, sewer, and electric, to provide space for additional development. All the development, Piseck notes, is made possible by the cooperation of the municipalities in the county, as well as its residents. “It really takes the 60,000 people in our county to make those projects happen,” he says.