Otsego Now Promoting Projects,
Developing Priorities Countywide

By CASPAR EWIG

With daily life returning to a semblance of normalcy, Otsego Now is actively continuing its stated quest “to act as a catalyst for economic transformation of the Otsego County economy.” When formed in 2014 as an umbrella organization for Otsego County’s Industrial Development Agency and Capital Resource Corporation, Otsego Now was tasked with the responsibility to “navigate the economic development process, develop sites, provide financial support, prepare workforce, and communicate with and mobilize the stakeholders needed for economic development” of Otsego County.

As part of that mission, Otsego Now is actively promoting a number of existing projects and continuing the development of three endeavors which its chief executive officer, Jody Zakrevsky, considers the organization’s priorities.
Among the existing projects is a substantial expansion of the Corning Life Sciences facility. This initiative, actively supported by Senator Chuck Schumer, seeks federal investment to finance the construction of an 180,000 square-foot-building to house bioproduction and the manufacture of diagnostic consumables.

“This proposed expansion,” according to Senator Schumer, “would preserve the 150 existing jobs at the facility and create as many as 275 new construction and permanent manufacturing jobs….” Furthermore, the addition of this manufacturing facility would “strengthen the U.S. domestic supply chain for the production of vaccine research and diagnostic consumables, and sterilization capacity.”

Another of Otsego Now’s existing projects is to write the application for the funding of a $1 million expansion of the Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q bottling facility. At present, the restaurant has the ability to bottle its own products, but upon completion of the expansion, the company would be able to service outside customers, three of whom have already expressed an interest in using such a facility. Success of this application would not only expand the manufacturing base in the county but is expected to add 14 additional jobs.

Among Otsego Now’s current priorities are the build-out of an industrial park in the Town of Richfield Springs, the development of the Innovation/Acceleration Center and undertaking a feasibility study for supplying energy in the area known as the Oneonta Rail Yards.

The Innovation/Acceleration Center, which started as a concept two years ago, has now been funded by a grant to operate as a joint project of Hartwick College, SUNY Oneonta, the Small Business Center, and two commercial ventures that have been previous beneficiaries of Otsego Now: Custom Electronics Inc. and Ioxus. The ultimate intent of this joint enterprise is to target small businesses and entrepreneurs in the electronics field—especially in the area of power storage such as capacitors or lithium batteries—and enticing them to Oneonta.

“The drawing card,” according to Zakrevsky, “is that Otsego County has two established companies that can lend practical support, and two educational facilities that can provide students and interns interested in a field that has extreme relevance at the moment.”

Otsego Now’s efforts include utilization of properties which the IDA owns, one in Richfield Springs and the other in Oneonta, known as the Rail Yards.

“Both properties are extremely suitable for manufacturing or office sites, and we even have an interested tenant for the proposed Richfield Springs Industrial Park,” according to Zakrevsky. “But neither site is useable without the necessary infrastructure.”

In order to build out the Richfield Springs property, Otsego Now is reviewing bids for a manager to oversee the installation of the necessary water, sewer and electric service. The bids for construction of these services are anticipated to be issued by December. However, the final piece to the puzzle awaits approval from the Public Service Commission for the extension of the natural gas pipeline to provide energy.

The commercial usefulness of the Oneonta Rail Yards hinges on the ability to provide economically viable energy. In that regard, Otsego Now has been awarded a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and has engaged Ramboll Group engineering consultants to conduct a feasibility study on building a geothermal facility that would ultimately serve the energy needs of whatever company or industry would use the property.

“These are just the most active projects at the moment,” Zakrevsky emphasized. “We still administer and serve a number of other ongoing ventures and expect that Otsego Now will continue to fulfill its obligations under the business plan.”

To learn more about Otsego Now and to view sites and projects in Otsego County, visit otsegonow.com