JOHNSTOWN — A Fulton County Center for Regional Growth executive told Fulton County officials Wednesday that the county has a shortage of economic development sites, particularly larger ones that are in demand.
That synopsis was provided by CRG President and CEO Ronald Peters to the Board of Supervisors’ Economic Development and Environment Committee at the County Office Building.
Peters said he received four “solid” inquiries from businesses interested in Fulton County in the past month. He said one was from the state, two from site consultants, and one from a broker. He said he had to decline on three of them for lack of space. But he said he will soon show a building on the remaining one, albeit he’s not sure he can find a suitable broker.
“We need more sites, maybe larger sites to service certain needs,” he said.
In other areas, Peters said the CRG is making great progress, including a half dozen new loans.
“We had a good month last month,” he told supervisors.
Loans closed on recently through the CRG’s loan pools included: Caroga Lake Marina Loan, Stump City, Goderie Tree Farm, Evolution Recycling, True Value and Closed Think Tank.
Peters said he and the state are following up on a lead with an Eastern European company that came from a Select USA Investment Summit he attended. He said he will also be submitting a proposed transaction to a Chinese group the CRG met with through the summit.
The CRG is still working on two inquiries about distilling operations and a startup brew pub, Peters said. Possible financing options were imparted, he said.
Peters said the CRG continues to wait to hear from the state on a Consolidated Funding Application submitted for the Pioneer Window Manufacturing Corp. 120,000 square foot expansion project at the Johnstown Industrial Park.
In his report, Peters alluded to a potential project at the Crossroads Industrial Park in Gloversville that is “still moving forward.” He said it may be made public in early January.
In other city of Gloversville projects, Peters pointed to a new housing project on North Main Street.
“Estee Commons had its grand opening,” he said.
He mentioned a check presentation involving the Gloversville True Value, which recently broke ground.
Peters said the CRG received an additional request for financing from a downtown Johnstown building owner and the CRG has begun working on that. Elsewhere in the area: the village of Northville submitted a Local Waterway Revitalization Initiative planning CFA; the CRG met with a group seeking possible financing for a project in Broadalbin; and the CRG is working on several initiatives with Caroga Lake in conjunction with the county Planning Department.
Michael Anich covers Johnstown and Fulton County news. He can be reached at [email protected]
