Madison County to use state grant to improve agriculture and renewable-energy park

Empire State Development is providing Madison County with a grant of $4 million to pay for infrastructure improvements at its ARE (agricultural and renewable energy) Park.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the announcement in a Thursday news release.

New York’s investment will leverage additional funding from Madison County, which plans to invest as much as $5 million in the $10.3 million project. The park is aiming to transition to a “shovel-ready” location for new businesses to locate, grow, and create new economic opportunities, Cuomo’s office said.

The $4 million grant will help extend municipal-water service to the park, which is “critical” to creating a shovel-ready site for potential businesses, Cuomo’s office said. The state funds will come from NY Works, the governor’s infrastructure program which aims to rebuild roads, bridges, and parks in an effort to create more jobs, according to his office.

In the Madison County ARE Park, the state is “investing in a locally-driven project that will support the creation of jobs and new economic opportunities throughout the region,” Cuomo said in the news release.

“This project will help revitalize the Central New York economy by attracting new companies in the agricultural and renewable energy industries to the area,” Cuomo contended.

The ARE Park will utilize 150 acres at the county’s Department of Solid Waste landfill facility, according to Cuomo’s office. The state funding will help pay for extending municipal water to the park, leveraging an investment by DSW to extend a municipal sewer to the landfill and business park.

“These critical dollars will help us continue to grow the Agricultural and Renewable Energy Park and help us attract even more jobs and opportunities,” John Becker, chairman of the Madison County Board of Supervisors, said in the news release.

The Madison County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) will target businesses that coincide with the areas “regional strengths,” Cuomo’s office said.

The companies would likely include those that produce, process, store, and ship a variety of meat, seafood and agricultural products, wood products, products manufactured from recycled materials, and specialty industries.

The businesses in the park will have access to reliable, locally generated sources of green energy, including electrical energy from the landfill-gas-to-energy facility and a solar-energy cap located at the Madison County Landfill and Transfer Station.
A green-lumber drying business and commercial greenhouse have already committed to the site, creating at least 13 new jobs, while a recycling business and a company that converts plastic waste into base petroleum fuels is also set to move into the park, Cuomo’s office said.

These additional opportunities are estimated to represent up to 30 more jobs.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com