1
00:03:09,810 --> 00:03:14,370
We're ready to get started to call the economic development meetings to order.

2
00:03:17,340 --> 00:03:31,520
Terry Blasser-Bernardo, here. Louis Avarez. Brian McPhillips, here. Joe Parillo. Joe Parillo. In the building.

3
00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:36,940
Very good. Let's start with the pledge of allegiance.

4
00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:47,240
to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

5
00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:49,020
One nation, one nation.

6
00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:50,280
Good to be visible.

7
00:03:50,580 --> 00:03:51,080
Good morning,

8
00:03:58,000 --> 00:03:58,000
everyone.

9
00:03:59,900 --> 00:04:07,640
Before we get started, I would just like to talk to the committee, like we were having a real committee meeting.

10
00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:14,740
the set up of this chamber makes that sometimes awkward, but it is what it is.

11
00:04:15,020 --> 00:04:19,300
So I'd like to have a discussion and just start with a simple question.

12
00:04:19,540 --> 00:04:25,660
So if we were designing, for a low end, 948, if we were designing the Selving County Visitors

13
00:04:25,660 --> 00:04:31,940
Center from scratch today, knowing where visitors actually enter the county and what attractions

14
00:04:31,940 --> 00:04:36,160
drive our tourism, would we choose this location,

15
00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:44,460
this signage in these operating hours and in a TikTok style, I'll go first. My answer is generally

16
00:04:44,460 --> 00:04:50,780
no, not because staff aren't doing a good job, not because Liberty is not an important community,

17
00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:56,300
but because I don't believe our visitor services are aligned with the travel pattern.

18
00:04:57,280 --> 00:05:01,580
The majority of our tourism traffic enters Sullivan County through the route 17,

19
00:05:01,580 --> 00:05:07,840
and that's where visitors begin making decisions like where we're eating.

20
00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,000
What should we do today? Where's the nearest trails or a farmer's market?

21
00:05:11,140 --> 00:05:15,800
What's happening this weekend? That's where our highest value visitors

22
00:05:16,700 --> 00:05:20,800
should be concentrated, the visitor services.

23
00:05:21,340 --> 00:05:24,800
Economic development succeeds when you reduce friction.

24
00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:31,500
Visitors shouldn't have to drive past and many times will likely never drive past.

25
00:05:31,500 --> 00:05:36,300
the casino, the water park, Bethelwoods, other major attractions and restaurants,

26
00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:41,340
before they encounter the place to design them to tell them what is to do.

27
00:05:41,540 --> 00:05:45,020
There is to do. Now the building is fine, it's professional. It looks like a

28
00:05:45,020 --> 00:05:50,380
government office, but it doesn't look like the front door to Sullivan County.

29
00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:55,020
Nothing about it says welcome to Sullivan County or even merely Sullivan County.

30
00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:59,660
Or stop here, discover waterfalls, Bethelwoods, the Upper Delaware Eagles, breweries,

31
00:05:59,660 --> 00:06:04,980
swiveishing hiking. It should make people excited before they even walk through the door.

32
00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:11,200
So the building itself says visitor center, but it's not visible from Route 17.

33
00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:19,160
And if I'm driving at 65 miles an hour on Route 17, I need to know that before I reach the exit.

34
00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:24,300
Now we all know how this works. You're on the road. Someone sees a sign. Somebody says, wait,

35
00:06:24,300 --> 00:06:25,120
What did that say?

36
00:06:25,740 --> 00:06:27,680
Somebody turns on the radio and somebody else says,

37
00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:31,180
I need to use a restroom by then you've already passed the exit.

38
00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:36,020
So if we're serious about intercepting visitors,

39
00:06:36,840 --> 00:06:39,660
they need advanced notice, they need multiple signs,

40
00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:43,640
enough distance for families to actually make the decision to stop.

41
00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:47,600
The old Burma-shaped signs, the style is a good example,

42
00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:50,440
not because we need to copy them literally,

43
00:06:51,060 --> 00:06:53,580
but because they understood something important

44
00:06:53,580 --> 00:06:57,680
that people need to process information while they're driving.

45
00:06:58,180 --> 00:07:00,580
Last, when are the visitors here?

46
00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:05,540
And this came to me because I was here and I took that picture

47
00:07:05,540 --> 00:07:11,080
on July 4th weekend, and I met with a number of law enforcement who said,

48
00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:14,640
oh, by the way, we're going to have 10,000 people at Buffalo Woods tonight,

49
00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:18,800
and I was like, wow, yet the visitor center is closed.

50
00:07:19,220 --> 00:07:23,160
And in my opinion, there's just a mismatch between our operations

51
00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:28,300
and our customers, of our busiest days or Saturdays and Sundays, that's when we should be

52
00:07:28,300 --> 00:07:34,200
amping our service days. So those are my thoughts. I'd like to hear from everybody else,

53
00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:39,780
not whether you necessarily agree with me, but if we were starting from a blank sheet of paper today,

54
00:07:40,780 --> 00:07:44,140
what would you build? Anybody have any thoughts?

55
00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:47,620
Legislator Rajesh, yes.

56
00:07:50,990 --> 00:07:57,950
That's a very good question and I agree needs to have more visibility so that people coming

57
00:07:57,950 --> 00:08:02,430
up from other counties don't have to search for it.

58
00:08:02,710 --> 00:08:06,590
They will see it off the highway because you know what it's like in a car, right?

59
00:08:06,750 --> 00:08:10,590
You go past the exit and even when you're getting petitions and signatures, you go, wow,

60
00:08:10,890 --> 00:08:11,710
you drove past it, right?

61
00:08:11,910 --> 00:08:13,630
You need notice.

62
00:08:13,810 --> 00:08:15,770
You need to notice it off the highway.

63
00:08:16,070 --> 00:08:16,330
Yeah.

64
00:08:16,330 --> 00:08:20,630
Yeah, and there needs to be a couple of signs like in one mile, you know, in 500 feet.

65
00:08:20,670 --> 00:08:24,770
And it needs to be open, accessible, or at least some brochures out there.

66
00:08:25,290 --> 00:08:25,530
Something.

67
00:08:26,870 --> 00:08:27,230
Yeah.

68
00:08:27,750 --> 00:08:30,850
It's almost like if it was in Rock Hill and you can see it from the highway, that would have

69
00:08:30,850 --> 00:08:31,790
been a good location.

70
00:08:32,370 --> 00:08:34,030
That would have happened to that idea.

71
00:08:34,550 --> 00:08:36,130
I don't know, but it may be possible, you never know.

72
00:08:36,370 --> 00:08:42,010
So I understand the history and I would never suggest building from the ground up.

73
00:08:42,010 --> 00:08:46,570
I do know that there may be a business that's moving out there

74
00:08:46,570 --> 00:08:53,050
and that stretch of land along there in Rock Hill is prime example of

75
00:08:53,590 --> 00:08:57,550
you know the many places along the way where you could have signage that says

76
00:08:57,550 --> 00:09:01,450
like in two miles you know restrooms and visitor center you know by an

77
00:09:01,450 --> 00:09:06,050
I love Sullivan County T-shirt but there I believe is a location

78
00:09:06,550 --> 00:09:11,070
that the current business owner is building a property elsewhere

79
00:09:11,070 --> 00:09:14,210
where, and that may be available.

80
00:09:14,490 --> 00:09:15,490
Maybe a particular site.

81
00:09:16,170 --> 00:09:18,610
I think what's why I bring that up,

82
00:09:18,610 --> 00:09:20,390
and I bring that up sarcastically,

83
00:09:20,990 --> 00:09:24,150
is that there was a proposed site in Rock Hill many years

84
00:09:24,150 --> 00:09:26,370
ago, and politics got in the way and killed it.

85
00:09:27,090 --> 00:09:28,270
And so it was also the cost.

86
00:09:29,250 --> 00:09:30,210
It was the cost.

87
00:09:30,390 --> 00:09:32,310
No, it was the politics, because the cost.

88
00:09:32,530 --> 00:09:33,830
No, because it was going to be bonded,

89
00:09:33,830 --> 00:09:36,050
and the Visitors Association was going to pay that bond

90
00:09:36,050 --> 00:09:38,610
not the taxpayers of Sullivan County, right?

91
00:09:38,690 --> 00:09:40,450
It was going to be paid for with bet tax money.

92
00:09:40,450 --> 00:09:52,790
So it was politics and people put out, you know, muddied the information so that the public turned against the project so politics interfered with that plan and, you know,

93
00:09:53,030 --> 00:09:57,510
I don't want to conceive of it an idea for them because they have their own board.

94
00:09:57,970 --> 00:10:00,550
They have their own violas. They have their own process.

95
00:10:01,030 --> 00:10:05,510
Our job is to have oversight of the vendor that we choose.

96
00:10:05,510 --> 00:10:10,570
And to collect the money and make sure that the money is, you know, being spent according

97
00:10:10,570 --> 00:10:12,630
to the contract and according to the bylaws.

98
00:10:13,070 --> 00:10:17,470
So, you know, I think we're making something political that shouldn't be political.

99
00:10:18,170 --> 00:10:19,250
I respectfully disagree.

100
00:10:19,410 --> 00:10:26,450
And there's a policy making board and if it is our policy that we would like to have a particular

101
00:10:26,450 --> 00:10:31,950
location and a particular strategy and we pass that by resolution, we have the authority

102
00:10:31,950 --> 00:10:32,630
to do that.

103
00:10:32,630 --> 00:10:38,670
We're the ones who hold the the money. We have a contract with a vendor. So you're saying that when we were

104
00:10:39,230 --> 00:10:45,190
Renegotiate the contract that we're going to put that as part of the contract that we have the right to tell them where they should put their

105
00:10:45,190 --> 00:10:51,090
Location. I'm not going to entertain your questions like that because I don't feel that they're genuine. No, I think that we're having a

106
00:10:51,570 --> 00:10:59,670
Conversation because you're saying we can pass a policy and what I'm saying is we have a signed contract with a vendor if we pass a policy that is outside of that

107
00:10:59,670 --> 00:11:00,250
contract

108
00:11:00,250 --> 00:11:05,230
are we I mean maybe council can weigh in on this are we a

109
00:11:05,230 --> 00:11:08,210
anybody else have any comments the near the past leaders of the

110
00:11:08,210 --> 00:11:13,230
policy are we allowed to pass a policy that is outside of

111
00:11:13,230 --> 00:11:20,150
my policy what I'm hearing is a potential ability to place

112
00:11:20,150 --> 00:11:25,290
the visitor center in a better location for visibility yes

113
00:11:25,290 --> 00:11:28,910
when I heard our tourist we can pass a policy

114
00:11:28,910 --> 00:11:35,670
right we can pass a policy yeah that that particular and you were right and

115
00:11:35,670 --> 00:11:38,730
what you said Terry there and you were right that particular policy started

116
00:11:38,730 --> 00:11:44,010
when I was the chairman of the county we did have those plans and we also wanted

117
00:11:44,010 --> 00:11:47,750
to make sure that the the visitor center was open on a Saturday and Sunday

118
00:11:47,750 --> 00:11:51,510
doesn't make any sense to be closed on the days when everybody's out in

119
00:11:51,510 --> 00:11:56,510
traveling and we talked about making signs on the highway with the billboards

120
00:11:56,510 --> 00:12:05,310
Yeah, yeah, it was an issue I brought up with and that was never done. So you are correct. The day

121
00:12:05,310 --> 00:12:10,930
that people are traveling is a Saturday Sunday or Friday. And if you put a sign, we actually had

122
00:12:10,930 --> 00:12:19,930
a sign on exit one, 13, 114 saying where the visitor center was, which was actually in Ferdell,

123
00:12:20,230 --> 00:12:25,150
in a little place, not as visible as it is right now. But yeah, it needs to be

124
00:12:25,150 --> 00:12:28,410
we need to discuss it. We need to discuss, it needs to be open.

125
00:12:29,930 --> 00:12:35,070
Well, I think if we're having the conversation like you had said, like what would you change? I think it's

126
00:12:36,630 --> 00:12:42,630
it's not a brick and mortar spot. I don't think you have, I mean the place is too large to say I'm going to go

127
00:12:43,050 --> 00:12:47,170
find out about Solomon County by visiting Rock Hill or Liberty or Mammicating.

128
00:12:47,170 --> 00:12:57,030
and we have a vendor that is suggesting to do mobile units which I think is innovative. I think it's a good idea.

129
00:12:57,550 --> 00:13:08,630
It can put us in a situation where they are actually going to where there's an event or we can place or have that be placed where it's more recognition.

130
00:13:08,630 --> 00:13:17,610
I think some of the and I mean the good thing I like is the ability to have the feedback of the brochure that just went out the here brochure.

131
00:13:17,610 --> 00:13:31,570
You know, there's some things where I I like that it was recognized and I spoke with Michael about how I think we're failing to showcase the people who have been here and we've had discussion about like the manner ice rink.

132
00:13:31,570 --> 00:13:38,510
You know, so I think having the open communications of these are the things we want highlighted. These are the things

133
00:13:38,510 --> 00:13:43,890
You know, and I had made the suggestion that we have a hear magazine. Why don't we have a their magazine?

134
00:13:44,210 --> 00:13:51,410
So this way we understand that this isn't just for people we're trying to bring in. It's also trying to showcase the people we already have

135
00:13:52,450 --> 00:13:52,850
Mr

136
00:13:53,870 --> 00:13:58,690
Also, you know, we have discussed I mean talk to some legislators. You know, you know, I you know

137
00:13:58,690 --> 00:14:03,210
So when I go on vacation I like to be busy because make my day go by and I think when

138
00:14:03,210 --> 00:14:09,050
visitors come here just don't have enough to do and I think this board should look into

139
00:14:09,050 --> 00:14:17,770
creating a director of events or some kind of event coordinator which we would take and

140
00:14:17,770 --> 00:14:26,190
fund through the room in bed money and that person would solely work for the county to

141
00:14:26,190 --> 00:14:27,330
to bring events to the county

142
00:14:27,330 --> 00:14:30,130
or year long to keep the heads on the beds

143
00:14:30,130 --> 00:14:32,270
and I think it'd be revolving door and tax money

144
00:14:32,270 --> 00:14:34,190
and also help out the economy here.

145
00:14:34,570 --> 00:14:35,710
Just like Lake George does

146
00:14:35,710 --> 00:14:37,270
and all these other Saratoga

147
00:14:37,270 --> 00:14:38,810
and all these other, they have planners

148
00:14:38,810 --> 00:14:39,910
that bring events here.

149
00:14:40,110 --> 00:14:43,090
Whether it's a Brian brought up the air show.

150
00:14:43,190 --> 00:14:46,810
The air show, balloon shows, the chef week.

151
00:14:47,790 --> 00:14:48,690
A jazz festival.

152
00:14:48,850 --> 00:14:49,670
Yeah, a jazz festival.

153
00:14:49,890 --> 00:14:51,850
So I think we should look into that.

154
00:14:52,090 --> 00:14:53,830
I think we should hire somebody to do that

155
00:14:53,830 --> 00:14:54,790
and see how it works out.

156
00:14:54,790 --> 00:14:58,470
to be, you know, whether it's a part-time job or a full-time job, which would be funded

157
00:14:58,470 --> 00:14:59,770
by their room tax money.

158
00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:29,980
Local council tax pays anything, which would generate dollars in Sullivan County. So I think we should really consider that and do some further. I just just finished the, the, the one thing I wanted to say is that I think having the discussion brings these items to light. And I think one of the most important things are is, you know, having our name on it. I just think it needs to, you know, we are Sullivan County. We represent Sullivan County. We represent our

159
00:15:29,980 --> 00:15:36,120
individual districts, but in general, I think the people of Sullivan County are proud to say,

160
00:15:36,260 --> 00:15:42,720
you know, I am Sullivan County, and to have things out there that don't, oh yeah, like I see

161
00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:46,660
an issue. I think it was great at the airport of Sullivan County. I see the balloon, balloon festival.

162
00:15:46,660 --> 00:15:51,480
At Sullivan County. So it's like, you have to draw attention to yourself. So the only thing,

163
00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:58,060
I mean, as a constructive criticism, I would say, is having name recognition more attached

164
00:15:58,060 --> 00:16:04,220
to drawing people to an area that I mean in your style of asking for this type of

165
00:16:04,220 --> 00:16:08,900
conversation. Yes Matt. Yeah no the only thing I would say is right is the idea

166
00:16:08,900 --> 00:16:12,520
trying to draw a visitor to the physical visitors association or to the

167
00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:16,140
businesses where they're gonna spend money I know you know a lot of things are

168
00:16:16,140 --> 00:16:20,120
done online now right like if I go on vacation I'm gonna search up okay here's

169
00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:24,800
what I have in this area before I get there I get the different things well and

170
00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:54,560
And again, right, we have those, but I think, you know, what would Michael have brought to us in the past, too, with the Mobile Visitors Center, Zalaka, with Bryant said, I think that actually does speak to the idea that you're bringing out here, right, because, you know, the idea isn't necessarily in my the way I see it in the way that I travel, and, you know, everybody does that differently, but just the way that I look at it, right, if I go somewhere else, I'm not looking for their brick and mortar facility where I can go in. I'm going to look it up. I'm going to find the stuff that's in the area that I want to do. I'm going to plan my stuff out.

171
00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:58,820
And then if I see them there while I'm doing that I'll go over I'll take a picture

172
00:16:58,820 --> 00:17:00,640
I'll look at some of the other things that are going on.

173
00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:04,400
I think that addresses it more than a physical brick and mortar.

174
00:17:04,460 --> 00:17:09,440
Years ago my family was a campground business lazy G campground for 30 years as I wound up

175
00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:09,740
up here.

176
00:17:09,900 --> 00:17:14,940
But I remember you know what is the Jesus we're the big bikers come up in a town of fold

177
00:17:14,940 --> 00:17:16,520
but we're going to get rid of them.

178
00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:22,120
But anyways, days of these kiosks and I do today I mean listen you go to the islands they

179
00:17:22,120 --> 00:17:26,000
got these kiosks as soon you're walking by the concierge and you pick all these things

180
00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:26,240
up.

181
00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:26,620
He's okay.

182
00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:27,300
What I want to plan.

183
00:17:27,500 --> 00:17:33,700
Now, you know, you go with your children to a place in AC clowns, they see this, the

184
00:17:33,700 --> 00:17:34,700
kids pull them up.

185
00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:36,060
I mean, I want to go here.

186
00:17:36,220 --> 00:17:40,500
Meanwhile, you know, like Matt says, you know, kids don't have an internet at six years old,

187
00:17:40,540 --> 00:17:40,760
you know?

188
00:17:41,220 --> 00:17:44,080
So I think we should go into this kiosk system again.

189
00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:48,540
I suggested years ago, Roberta didn't want to do it, but I think the kiosk thing you put

190
00:17:48,540 --> 00:17:49,360
I put them in a diner.

191
00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:51,000
Liberty diners have what's famous for that.

192
00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:54,720
They don't hold display and people used to come, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

193
00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:56,000
I think we should go on that direction.

194
00:17:56,260 --> 00:17:58,140
But listen, we go, let's move the meeting on.

195
00:17:58,160 --> 00:17:58,720
I agree.

196
00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:00,180
Go ahead.

197
00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:01,100
Legislator Albert.

198
00:18:01,420 --> 00:18:05,240
I just want to, I just want to work on facts things that I, that I noticed.

199
00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:08,940
We have the meeting at the New York State County Association.

200
00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:14,700
We were talking about where the next counties of New York State County Association meetings

201
00:18:14,700 --> 00:18:15,280
are going to be.

202
00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:27,120
And every time they mentioned Sullivan County and we want to make the meetings and we talk about the meetings we talked about Sullivan County and what they emphasized as the Woodstock place.

203
00:18:27,580 --> 00:18:28,200
Bethel Woods.

204
00:18:28,420 --> 00:18:28,920
Bethel Woods.

205
00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:32,420
They always say we want to go back there we want to go there because of Bethel Woods.

206
00:18:32,420 --> 00:18:36,100
that would, what I found more strange is this last week

207
00:18:36,100 --> 00:18:38,060
in preparation for my national meeting,

208
00:18:38,420 --> 00:18:39,740
which is gonna be next week.

209
00:18:40,540 --> 00:18:42,240
Every time I'm talking to another state,

210
00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:43,880
the first thing they mention,

211
00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:46,360
so I'm counting is for Bethel Woods.

212
00:18:47,380 --> 00:18:48,340
They don't say New York,

213
00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:50,740
I mean, they don't say so I'm counting New York,

214
00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:53,620
Bethel Woods, and they say if you're from Bethel Woods,

215
00:18:53,940 --> 00:18:55,720
and that's what people see.

216
00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:58,240
So we'll recognize people wanna come here.

217
00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:01,200
And I don't think we're selling that part a lot more

218
00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:05,720
than what we should. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's a beautiful golf course this year. I mean we have

219
00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:10,460
some of your nice golf courses up here. I think the vision that I see though is that we're lucky

220
00:19:10,460 --> 00:19:18,980
that we have a primary corridor where people enter from the city being Route 17 is that it could be

221
00:19:18,980 --> 00:19:24,580
a bathroom stop. It could be selling. I love New York t-shirts. It's capturing them as they're

222
00:19:24,580 --> 00:19:30,700
coming in because the current location does not. It's okay administratively, but to capture the

223
00:19:30,700 --> 00:19:34,960
people who are actually coming in and going to go to Bethel Woods, going to go to the casino,

224
00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:41,300
going to go to the water park, they're not going to go beyond to Liberty.

225
00:19:42,360 --> 00:19:47,680
And I think that when you think about other places, like if anybody's ever going down Route

226
00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:51,180
95 on your way to Maryland, you've got the rest stop, right?

227
00:19:51,260 --> 00:19:51,920
The Maryland house.

228
00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:53,820
How many people stop at the Maryland house?

229
00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:57,580
And it tells you all about Maryland, and that's from a statewide.

230
00:19:57,580 --> 00:20:01,180
but if you take that to a more county level,

231
00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:05,080
we're lucky that we could have locations

232
00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:08,180
that would capture a big portion of the people

233
00:20:08,180 --> 00:20:09,880
who are coming up from the city,

234
00:20:10,120 --> 00:20:12,160
whether they go to belt the woods,

235
00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:13,100
whether they go to the casino,

236
00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:15,040
the cart right wherever they're going,

237
00:20:15,340 --> 00:20:16,920
but to capture them and say,

238
00:20:17,180 --> 00:20:20,900
hey, here, almost like a rest stop on an interstate.

239
00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:22,260
You know, here's a bathroom,

240
00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:23,840
here's some souvenirs you can buy,

241
00:20:24,140 --> 00:20:25,820
and here's all the stuff we have

242
00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:35,500
because we are, you know, people are suffering in this county. Now there's two things you can do to make a county profitable.

243
00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:43,620
One is bring people from the outside in and they spend their money here or make things here and sell them to people in other places.

244
00:20:43,620 --> 00:20:49,940
And if we, and we're suffering, our sales tax is down, our jobs are down.

245
00:20:50,140 --> 00:20:55,900
I think Commissioner Quigley could probably tell us better what the hospitality jobs were

246
00:20:55,900 --> 00:21:00,500
down a couple hundred year over year, Josh could probably let us know.

247
00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:09,540
But as a legislature, we need to do something and to just continue to come in and get reports

248
00:21:09,540 --> 00:21:17,780
efforts in our economic development committee and not talk about what is going on and actually

249
00:21:17,780 --> 00:21:23,740
do something to try to move the county forward, I think is not what any of us got elected

250
00:21:23,740 --> 00:21:24,380
to do.

251
00:21:25,900 --> 00:21:32,240
Well, me and Brian, me and Brian's would have these conversations, and we also agree that

252
00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:39,180
we need to start moving the county in a forward direction and we need to make changes.

253
00:21:39,180 --> 00:21:44,780
We need to take challenges and risk and you know like tacit earlier

254
00:21:44,780 --> 00:21:49,500
You know, we had we wanted to build a business association. I stopped the area conference room

255
00:21:49,500 --> 00:21:55,560
You know, we wanted to do that and like she said politics got it away. They they got crazed. Oh, it's causing so much money away

256
00:21:55,560 --> 00:21:57,620
You waste the money. Well, you know, that's progress

257
00:21:58,020 --> 00:22:01,840
It was a nice addition to Rock Hill that we had we had some kind of

258
00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:08,540
Drawing what it would look like and it fell apart. So well the elephant in the room is that

259
00:22:09,180 --> 00:22:16,300
The Visitors Association is here and I do like Michael a lot. I'm a data officer by trade and so I do love data.

260
00:22:16,620 --> 00:22:18,080
I can't stand data.

261
00:22:18,360 --> 00:22:25,480
I just want to say something about the prior visitors is building the potential building.

262
00:22:26,220 --> 00:22:32,280
The property I don't think was the best right where it was looked at.

263
00:22:32,820 --> 00:22:36,180
The building was large and it was a lot of money and at the time.

264
00:22:36,180 --> 00:22:36,680
That's what it was.

265
00:22:36,820 --> 00:22:39,180
There was a lot of pushback on the amount of money

266
00:22:39,180 --> 00:22:42,420
to expand, but here, we may have a potential

267
00:22:42,420 --> 00:22:45,700
of an existing building, which is entirely different.

268
00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:47,100
Chairman?

269
00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:47,920
Yes.

270
00:22:48,580 --> 00:22:51,360
I really feel if you're going to put a physical location,

271
00:22:51,740 --> 00:22:54,320
it should really be in Orange County, like Fair Elks,

272
00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:57,660
because you want to hit there before you come into Sullivan County.

273
00:22:57,780 --> 00:22:59,600
And I'm going to build something that we own in Orange County.

274
00:22:59,940 --> 00:23:03,900
I'm just saying, it should be before you enter the county.

275
00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:04,540
Oh, yes.

276
00:23:04,540 --> 00:23:06,440
Now you're talking about bypassing,

277
00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:07,980
mammicating, and going to Rock Hill.

278
00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:09,920
Well, the signs can start in mammicating

279
00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:12,400
and a little bit about signage and graphic design.

280
00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:14,620
So listen, we're all elected officials.

281
00:23:14,820 --> 00:23:16,580
We've all had logos and we've all had lawn signs.

282
00:23:17,360 --> 00:23:21,860
A lot of times, the logo is never a good lawn sign.

283
00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:25,580
But the lawn sign is usually always a good logo.

284
00:23:26,300 --> 00:23:28,280
And sometimes people do it in reverse.

285
00:23:28,660 --> 00:23:31,780
And I do like the concept and I understand it

286
00:23:31,780 --> 00:23:36,340
and I do think it's high quality work that they put in,

287
00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:41,460
but a lot of times the logo doesn't always make the best sign.

288
00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:45,560
And I think that the words Sullivan County,

289
00:23:45,620 --> 00:23:47,380
because like, what is the visitor center for them all?

290
00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:49,460
I don't know, the visitor center for liberty.

291
00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:50,340
I don't know.

292
00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:52,040
And what will tell us we have there?

293
00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:53,740
We've got the nights in and the days in.

294
00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:56,660
So who's finding this place?

295
00:23:56,660 --> 00:24:04,220
Well, I really feel that if we, you know, work with our partners to get the name branding,

296
00:24:04,220 --> 00:24:05,240
I think is important.

297
00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:11,080
I think the conversation of whether we should have a brick and mortar spot or the mobile

298
00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:17,500
units or I just think generationally as we go through our different age groups, there's

299
00:24:17,500 --> 00:24:25,680
going to be a change from a brick and mortar to the necessity with internet and technology

300
00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:31,460
And the mobile units so we're not stuck in one location. I like them both. I like the concept of bathrooms

301
00:24:31,460 --> 00:24:36,540
I think people at all ages. I think bathrooms are always I pick up the brochures

302
00:24:36,540 --> 00:24:41,320
You know, and it's like half of whom you'll let the kids pick up so you can get them to go to sleep that night

303
00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:46,540
And maybe do something different tomorrow, but at least they have them. It's like we're gonna mess Trumpite gonna

304
00:24:46,540 --> 00:24:50,800
When I go to post it all the time they have these these stops, which has a gas station

305
00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:54,580
and they have a bendering store there, they got here and then they got their business

306
00:24:54,580 --> 00:24:57,800
social issues coming right. And so you're coming to the state and they get all these

307
00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:00,660
brochures and people are boom, boom, boom, boom, all what I can do and, you know, was like

308
00:25:00,660 --> 00:25:01,300
Maryland house.

309
00:25:02,360 --> 00:25:08,520
And, um, well, cause like for me, I do the card, the card shows, right? And, and, and those

310
00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:15,280
type of things. I just Google card shops near me and it provides me all the information

311
00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:20,400
I'm going to need. So to me using the internet, and that's where I think if you were

312
00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:24,460
traveling somewhere to an event say the bagel festival and you had the

313
00:25:24,460 --> 00:25:29,460
visitors association booth that were mobile unit right there so you had a

314
00:25:29,460 --> 00:25:35,900
pass it like maybe you can grab that or on the Bethel Woods concert night you

315
00:25:35,900 --> 00:25:39,800
work out some agreement with Bethel Woods that you can have the site there so

316
00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:43,700
people coming through pass that when they're sitting in traffic you know

317
00:25:43,700 --> 00:25:47,320
like a mobile you well the mobile unit that's what I'm saying instead of you

318
00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:50,660
know I may not want to stop at Rock Hill because I went to the bathroom in

319
00:25:50,660 --> 00:25:54,560
middle town. Please put a kiosk outside. Elite but then you have something. Nobody is getting off

320
00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:59,760
in middle town. It's a pain in the neck to get it. Who's gonna get off at 2.11? I have to get off

321
00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:05,260
stops there and I don't want to. I go. I have it on the Faroaks gas station. I've hit pretty

322
00:26:05,260 --> 00:26:11,280
well. Maybe a ghost in the quick check that's easy to go to on and off. But on the other end so

323
00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:16,180
I'm definitely for brick and mortar bathrooms. I love Sullivan County t-shirts and kiosk with

324
00:26:16,180 --> 00:26:17,640
but in a physical location,

325
00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:20,600
but I also, I've been getting served up on TikTok lately.

326
00:26:21,100 --> 00:26:23,380
A lot of, there's like realtors out there

327
00:26:23,380 --> 00:26:24,720
like pushing Jeffersonville

328
00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:27,580
or just random things about Sullivan County

329
00:26:27,580 --> 00:26:30,220
and I think whether that's organic or not,

330
00:26:30,380 --> 00:26:31,900
I'd love it, I like the organic

331
00:26:31,900 --> 00:26:34,140
but we could also make them, you know,

332
00:26:34,260 --> 00:26:36,440
when somebody's on TikTok and you live in the city

333
00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:38,900
and you're like, oh, look at this TikTok

334
00:26:38,900 --> 00:26:41,080
about Sullivan County.

335
00:26:41,380 --> 00:26:44,000
The one thing that I think somebody asked me

336
00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:49,860
the dinner tonight, what don't people know about Sullivan County is about the lakes. I moved here

337
00:26:49,860 --> 00:26:54,240
because I wanted to live on a lake. And I've had people come over to my house, a lot of you

338
00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:59,640
have been to my house, and even people from Mammacate and come over my house and they're like, I had no

339
00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:04,940
idea that there were lakes like this and that you could live on a lake. Now I lived in Ulster County,

340
00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:09,400
but there's really no places to buy a house on a lake. I didn't want to live on a lake in Orange

341
00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:11,340
I don't want to pay the property taxes there.

342
00:27:11,620 --> 00:27:14,820
I came here because it was lower property taxes and more lakes.

343
00:27:15,540 --> 00:27:20,860
And I think that if people knew the amount of the people in the city,

344
00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:24,060
I am telling you, I lived in New York City for over 20 years.

345
00:27:24,380 --> 00:27:26,660
People in the city have no idea how many lakes are up here.

346
00:27:28,260 --> 00:27:31,900
And each has their own personalities, especially the homeowners association.

347
00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:36,680
And even as a realtor, I will tell you that most people I capture

348
00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:39,100
or people that you're talking bathroom breaks,

349
00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:42,400
they will drive one bathroom break.

350
00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:44,100
If you start to show a house,

351
00:27:44,100 --> 00:27:45,940
it's two bathroom breaks from their location,

352
00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:48,040
the odds of them purchasing are very slim.

353
00:27:48,740 --> 00:27:50,260
It's like it's a really weird thing,

354
00:27:50,340 --> 00:27:51,380
but they don't want to stop.

355
00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:53,320
They want to go to the destination,

356
00:27:53,660 --> 00:27:56,040
and so like having something midway,

357
00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:58,640
you know, whatever that is for majority of the city,

358
00:27:59,120 --> 00:28:01,400
like maybe that could be, yeah,

359
00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:02,840
I mean, it's a good conversation, I think.

360
00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:09,000
Yeah, and I think that for certainly we do have a partner who I know wants to speak and

361
00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:14,320
he will speak soon, but I think as a body that our committee, we do have oversight of

362
00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:21,420
economic development and I think that for us to be an agreement that we want to do something,

363
00:28:22,060 --> 00:28:27,400
that we want to have the conversation whether it's brick and mortar, whether it's kiosk,

364
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:34,700
with bathrooms. Yes, please. Like the Maryland House. Or more TikToks. Whatever it is, I think

365
00:28:34,700 --> 00:28:46,220
that it behooves this committee to discuss it with our vendor and let our wishes be known,

366
00:28:46,540 --> 00:28:52,360
whether that be through resolution or just by us having a chat in a committee meeting. And,

367
00:28:52,660 --> 00:28:57,300
you know, committee meetings are awkward because we're in this like chambers, you know, most

368
00:28:57,300 --> 00:29:03,380
legislative bodies, the committees tend to me in a committee room around a table and this is

369
00:29:04,980 --> 00:29:12,500
you know it tends to sometimes I think not promote discussion that should be happening.

370
00:29:12,620 --> 00:29:16,720
Can we never discuss anything committee? We run committee meetings like it's like it's executive

371
00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:22,340
board like it's full board and that's not how committee meetings supposed to be. Years ago we used to

372
00:29:22,340 --> 00:29:26,380
have them in the committee meeting that's where our committee meeting. Maybe we should all sit around

373
00:29:26,380 --> 00:29:31,580
the table here on the committee. I think it would promote better discussion but we need

374
00:29:31,580 --> 00:29:38,100
to further explore this topic. It cannot stop just here. I agree. We need to further

375
00:29:38,100 --> 00:29:44,460
explore. So that being said, very fond of you Mike. None of that was critical of you

376
00:29:44,460 --> 00:29:50,280
just my observations and I also did in the 20 years I lived in New York City and Atlantic

377
00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:55,260
city, as you know, I worked in the hotel business. The Sands, Sheridan, Royalton,

378
00:29:55,260 --> 00:29:58,820
and lows, open hotels, all over the country, so.

379
00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:12,440
And hey, maybe we should all take some trips and look at different, you know, how do you enter a state? How do you enter a county? You know, who, who does it really good? Who should we mimic?

380
00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:29,820
Anybody else have any other comments that they would like to make before we all good points, Terry. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Good morning. Good morning. I guess we're going to go.

381
00:30:29,820 --> 00:30:33,140
So yeah, it was okay, we'll start with you, my cup of tea.

382
00:30:34,020 --> 00:30:43,020
Like I hope I don't have to, I'm actually feeling a lot like David.

383
00:30:43,740 --> 00:30:46,120
When David came up, I'm very thankful.

384
00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:52,120
And this is for me the most meaningful position that I've had my whole career.

385
00:30:53,100 --> 00:30:56,220
And it's about the diversity of the community.

386
00:30:58,100 --> 00:31:07,280
and how different every town and village and Hamlet is, it really means something.

387
00:31:08,580 --> 00:31:12,020
And it's really stringing those together that I think.

388
00:31:12,220 --> 00:31:15,040
So I hope to work with you.

389
00:31:15,220 --> 00:31:22,320
I would love to have a committee that we can actually have conversations with about the Visitors Center.

390
00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:28,200
Before we get to the numbers, I do want to just thank you.

391
00:31:28,820 --> 00:31:37,760
And I am grateful for last month this legislator legislature reinvested 1.5 million by overnight

392
00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:44,160
visitors in this county's future, including the visit mobile visitor centers.

393
00:31:44,820 --> 00:31:50,480
We don't take that for granted, we're genuinely excited about this partnership.

394
00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:54,120
I read the vote as more than a funding decision.

395
00:31:54,700 --> 00:31:58,840
I read it as a sign of trust and confidence in the direction that we've set.

396
00:31:59,440 --> 00:32:02,840
And in a working agreement, that we're working to reestablish.

397
00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:07,900
Trust is the foundation of everything and trust runs both ways.

398
00:32:08,540 --> 00:32:13,800
That's why we're building things that let you see what the numbers are doing

399
00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:21,680
and how the how profit looks, and I'm hoping to connect more closely with Kathleen's office,

400
00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:29,880
so that we can attach the future and the past and start to be able to articulate how we're moving

401
00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:37,440
forward. Some of you weren't part of that initial, Terry, you weren't there. I would love to sit down

402
00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:43,240
with you and show you, walk you through our approach and our plan to increase the number

403
00:32:43,740 --> 00:32:50,520
that matters most, which is raising occupancy and in turn lodging tax and then sales tax

404
00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:55,940
across all 15 towns. One thing I want to level set though are efforts

405
00:32:55,940 --> 00:33:02,220
are not a marketing, a marketing machine. You don't put a dollar in on Monday and pull

406
00:33:02,220 --> 00:33:09,400
out of booking on Friday. Awareness, which is what we're talking about, compounds. It multiplies,

407
00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:18,580
repeated exposure before a traveler, time and time again, no single execution of what you're

408
00:33:18,580 --> 00:33:26,240
doing gets the credit. What you can see is the trend line. Awareness investment, if it sustained,

409
00:33:26,240 --> 00:33:36,140
build demand. When we go dark, demand erodes, and regarding regaining lost awareness costs

410
00:33:36,140 --> 00:33:43,980
more than maintaining it. So we compete with tens of thousands of destinations. Our performance

411
00:33:43,980 --> 00:33:50,820
will always be public. Occupancy revenue visitors, the ups and the down. But our playbook,

412
00:33:50,820 --> 00:33:57,100
the targeting, the timing, the media and the social strategy, that's what I want to be

413
00:33:57,100 --> 00:34:02,640
able to talk to a committee about so that they can then explain to the rest of the legislature

414
00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:11,000
where we're going and those conversations are competitive strategy and I don't want

415
00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:17,100
the tens of thousands of other destinations to steal our visitors.

416
00:34:17,100 --> 00:34:24,520
So transparency on results, discipline on strategy, that's the standard, and it's another

417
00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:32,260
reason why I invite everyone to come and listen to the conversations about how we're

418
00:34:32,260 --> 00:34:39,000
approaching being a digital data-driven entity for this organization.

419
00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:42,540
And I loved the conversation that you were having.

420
00:34:42,540 --> 00:34:46,560
Those are the conversations that I would love to be able to have with you.

421
00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:52,440
What a mobile visitor center and what a bricks-and-mortar visitor center might do.

422
00:34:53,100 --> 00:34:54,440
And what kiosk might do.

423
00:34:55,140 --> 00:35:03,380
These are all things, David earlier, I would say, you know, Bo C's and SUNY, I see us actually

424
00:35:03,380 --> 00:35:08,780
getting involved with them, but we got to get our ducks in a row before we start reaching

425
00:35:08,780 --> 00:35:12,520
out and saying, Hey, have you ever thought about partnering with this or with that?

426
00:35:13,700 --> 00:35:19,400
So I'll shut up now. I'm sorry, Annie. I went longer. I said I was going to be short

427
00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:26,420
and Annie laughed at me. And your designers got Sullivan up there. I mean, I could work into

428
00:35:26,420 --> 00:35:31,600
a sign. I mean, I'd like County added, but you know, that is one thing that I want to point

429
00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:37,960
out because you mentioned Sullivan County. And for me, it is, it is Sullivan County. But

430
00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:44,960
one thing that Roberta did that you can never take away and I think it was genius was to attach

431
00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:51,320
Sullivan to cat skills. Yeah, that's not my issue. My issue is just visitor center like that,

432
00:35:51,460 --> 00:35:56,660
you know, it needs Sullivan County cat skills, Sullivan cat skills, but it's like just visitor center.

433
00:35:56,660 --> 00:36:02,540
Like, for what? For the for the mall. I don't know. I didn't know what it was. How would I know?

434
00:36:02,540 --> 00:36:10,040
Okay, you got the font. You got it all. All right, let's go to the

435
00:36:11,580 --> 00:36:18,160
presentation. Next. So first thing we're going to do, I'm going to show you the ink that we got

436
00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:28,220
or what we called ink. So next, this is critical mention, critical mention measures, radio,

437
00:36:28,220 --> 00:36:36,340
television, not social, but we're going to add that component, print pretty much all of the channels

438
00:36:36,340 --> 00:36:43,620
that are out there and what we do is we track when we're mentioned in that media. So the full

439
00:36:43,620 --> 00:36:53,600
report is in the packet. I just gave you this. This is the, this is May and June. So May and June,

440
00:36:53,600 --> 00:37:02,780
There were 1,800 unique stories, 5.42 billion impressions, and the publicity value was about 50 million.

441
00:37:03,660 --> 00:37:03,900
Next.

442
00:37:05,460 --> 00:37:08,120
So now let's get into the website.

443
00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:18,480
And again, the next, the full report is in the deck, but we're trending beautifully, thankfully.

444
00:37:18,480 --> 00:37:26,420
totally, total impressions are up 61 percent, total uterus are up 69 percent, and organic

445
00:37:26,420 --> 00:37:32,520
is up 94 percent. This was for two months. If you look at just June, so we're ramping

446
00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:36,840
up. So June, I kind of feel like June is the beginning of summer.

447
00:37:38,880 --> 00:37:40,640
If you look at just June,

448
00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:51,100
our organic traffic is up 700 plus percent. And that people looking for us. Next let's get into

449
00:37:51,100 --> 00:38:02,040
the lodging KPIs. Next. And what I did was I'm breaking them down by quarters. So and what I did

450
00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:12,640
was I took three KPIs occupancy guest nights and then revenue. So in Q1 we're

451
00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:23,140
down slightly 0.3% on occupancy down 2.2%. Guest nights were down 7.6%

452
00:38:23,140 --> 00:38:30,220
Curlo backend and revenue is down 1.5 percent. But let's cruise into Q2.

453
00:38:33,920 --> 00:38:44,180
Q2, you've got occupancy that is up slightly 1.4 percent from 21 percent to 20.7 percent.

454
00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:53,900
I mean from 21 this year, 20.7 last year, guess nights were up or no, guess nights are flat,

455
00:38:53,900 --> 00:39:00,760
but they're up just barely and then revenue was up so the reason revenue is

456
00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:06,800
up there you know is because our ADR keeps creeping up right so that's why

457
00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:11,760
your revenue is up on flat growth but what I want to do is I wanted to look at

458
00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:16,380
just June because that was the beginning of summer and so when you look at just

459
00:39:16,380 --> 00:39:28,940
June, you see that occupancy is up 7.8%, guess nights are up 7.2%, and revenue is up 16.2%.

460
00:39:28,940 --> 00:39:33,220
So the other thing that I want to mention about this is this is Airbnb.

461
00:39:34,260 --> 00:39:44,380
So I get rid of Verbo because there's a little duplication there, and I don't want that duplication

462
00:39:44,380 --> 00:39:46,060
because it's going to get me false highs.

463
00:39:47,020 --> 00:39:48,020
So I get rid of it.

464
00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:50,640
It does not include hotels.

465
00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:55,580
We're building a system now that we hope hotels

466
00:39:55,580 --> 00:40:01,100
will contribute data to that will allow us to see

467
00:40:01,680 --> 00:40:05,980
the alchemy of hotels and short-term rentals.

468
00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:10,260
So this is just Airbnb, so you could look at that number

469
00:40:10,660 --> 00:40:12,900
and you can increase it.

470
00:40:12,900 --> 00:40:15,500
and I don't know what that percentage is yet,

471
00:40:15,620 --> 00:40:17,360
but you know that we don't have hotels

472
00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:18,680
and we don't have Verbo.

473
00:40:19,460 --> 00:40:21,380
So you do what you want with that.

474
00:40:21,420 --> 00:40:22,380
Michael, yes.

475
00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:26,980
For me to stand up, why would you get rid of Verbo?

476
00:40:27,580 --> 00:40:29,100
I'm not getting rid of it.

477
00:40:29,200 --> 00:40:30,900
I'm just getting rid of it from the numbers

478
00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:34,500
because there's duplication between Airbnb and Verbo.

479
00:40:34,500 --> 00:40:36,460
A lot of people advertise on both.

480
00:40:36,900 --> 00:40:37,020
Oh.

481
00:40:37,540 --> 00:40:40,960
And with this great data,

482
00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:51,980
what happens in audio is when it scrapes it, if it's available, it's not occupied and if it isn't available, it is occupied.

483
00:40:52,620 --> 00:41:03,760
Well, that's a false positive because something could be going on there and owner could be staying, it could be closed because it's being renovated or it could be sold on burbo.

484
00:41:04,660 --> 00:41:11,900
right? So I just I like to be conservative about when I look when I'm looking at you. So these

485
00:41:11,900 --> 00:41:19,060
numbers that we're looking at are really lower in a way they're not there they're they're conservative

486
00:41:19,060 --> 00:41:25,980
but they're also looking at the future. You don't really know so what's going to happen is they're

487
00:41:25,980 --> 00:41:33,500
going to shrink those percentages are going to shrink because as the day comes then you either have

488
00:41:33,500 --> 00:41:37,220
to make last year or not make last year and you get

489
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:40,260
cancellations. So you know I appreciate all these graphs

490
00:41:40,260 --> 00:41:44,660
and stuff but you know every month to me it's like it looks

491
00:41:44,660 --> 00:41:47,080
like a repeat to me maybe we should do it is like every

492
00:41:47,080 --> 00:41:49,280
six months so we really see a difference. I'm totally cool

493
00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:51,080
with that however you want to. I mean you're putting a lot of

494
00:41:51,080 --> 00:41:53,680
time and effort in this I mean we should you know it's cool

495
00:41:53,680 --> 00:41:57,080
but it's. This is what I obsess about though. I just need a

496
00:41:57,080 --> 00:41:59,180
number of every six months. And this is what I know if you're

497
00:41:59,180 --> 00:42:02,600
doing a job or not. Chairman. You know what might be

498
00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:09,500
helpful because um everyone learns and observes information differently so like meeting every it's

499
00:42:09,500 --> 00:42:14,640
unfortunate that you have to meet everyone up here um in terms of where they are learning

500
00:42:14,640 --> 00:42:22,560
stylized so maybe if you have like what this means like what does this mean like all these numbers

501
00:42:22,560 --> 00:42:30,160
all these arrows like in some i'm saying we're screwed we're great we're improved we're not

502
00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:30,700
It's great.

503
00:42:31,420 --> 00:42:36,500
No, but I, and like I said, everyone's got different learning styles and absorbing and

504
00:42:36,500 --> 00:42:42,180
just from a teacher like the teacher in me wants to support you in being able to connect

505
00:42:42,180 --> 00:42:46,540
this information to everyone in a really meaningful and intentional way.

506
00:42:46,740 --> 00:42:52,720
So I think if you are able to do that and say like, okay, in short, this is, this is what

507
00:42:52,720 --> 00:42:52,940
we.

508
00:42:53,360 --> 00:42:58,420
In the future, let's call it the next 12 months, maybe six months.

509
00:42:59,080 --> 00:43:05,340
all of our different. Wait, no, but what do you think about what I said? I think it's just got lost.

510
00:43:05,540 --> 00:43:13,300
I think about what you said is right on. Okay, good. So what I'm looking to do is actually give this body and

511
00:43:13,900 --> 00:43:23,680
everyone that wants it a monthly report on one single sheet that gives you what you need to know and it actually

512
00:43:23,680 --> 00:43:25,420
And we can call you if we have questions.

513
00:43:25,980 --> 00:43:34,840
One opportunity that I think that you're kind of missing that does give a really good picture is is the jobs, hospitality jobs.

514
00:43:35,100 --> 00:43:41,440
And I think that if you work with Commissioner Quigley, I don't know if you can even step up and comment on hospitality jobs,

515
00:43:41,580 --> 00:43:47,100
like where are we with hospitality jobs? Are we down here every year, we up or do you know Michael?

516
00:43:47,660 --> 00:43:48,380
And here comes one.

517
00:43:48,500 --> 00:43:49,840
I agree with you.

518
00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:51,680
Sorry.

519
00:43:51,680 --> 00:43:58,620
I actually have a report today that compares labored 2022 to 2026 and

520
00:43:59,560 --> 00:44:04,440
Legion Hospitality is the only sector that is down and in that four years it is down a thousand jobs

521
00:44:05,040 --> 00:44:11,080
Yeah, how many jobs a thousand so we're down a thousand hospitality jobs year by year

522
00:44:11,080 --> 00:44:12,640
So that is that's very concerning

523
00:44:13,600 --> 00:44:15,340
May of 22

524
00:44:15,880 --> 00:44:19,820
May of 26 got it that time-praying

525
00:44:21,400 --> 00:44:49,760
That's a lot of jobs that's a lot of jobs a lot of families and I think you know the other part of that puzzle would be the partnership for economic development which I believe we have a contract to develop our workforce so part of the report also should be you know what steps are being taken to develop the workforce so that and why are these jobs going away I mean these numbers are great but but if we're down a thousand hospitality jobs you can't

526
00:44:49,760 --> 00:44:56,120
It convinced me that somehow things are good here in hospitality.

527
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:29,420
This is kind of astronomical. So they're getting away with less. You don't get room service every night. People, I mean, they've done away with a lot of. It is true. I did check into a hotel this weekend on my phone with my digital key. And I checked out. So I get that. But that's part. That's just part of it. I mean, I was talking with Anthony from Resorts. And what his payroll is just lower.

528
00:45:29,420 --> 00:45:33,180
or because we get more done with less people, so.

529
00:45:34,060 --> 00:45:37,120
But I do think it should be part of your report,

530
00:45:37,360 --> 00:45:38,400
part of your consideration,

531
00:45:38,620 --> 00:45:40,820
if we're looking at this from an economic development

532
00:45:40,820 --> 00:45:43,620
standpoint of tourism, to not include jobs,

533
00:45:43,980 --> 00:45:46,020
I think, is a key metric that you're missing.

534
00:45:46,420 --> 00:45:48,640
I completely agree.

535
00:45:49,020 --> 00:45:50,320
I think it's also an indicator

536
00:45:50,320 --> 00:45:52,740
that we need to diversify our economic development

537
00:45:52,740 --> 00:45:55,760
and not rely so heavily on tourism because of this,

538
00:45:55,760 --> 00:46:02,120
because technology is going to replace people and then we have people who need jobs and that

539
00:46:02,120 --> 00:46:07,780
impacts our local economy and how people can afford to live here because as it's great that we

540
00:46:07,780 --> 00:46:13,120
have these TikToks encouraging people to come and buy here that also increases housing prices and

541
00:46:13,120 --> 00:46:18,300
decreases the local person's ability to live in their own home and then who's going to work these

542
00:46:18,300 --> 00:46:23,640
jobs who's going to be able to work here if you can't afford to live here right so it's this cycle

543
00:46:23,640 --> 00:46:28,240
that we have to really identify, but yes, can under them.

544
00:46:28,880 --> 00:46:34,020
So the really good news is that July through September

545
00:46:34,020 --> 00:46:39,840
looks up double digits, up 28%, the guest

546
00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:45,080
nights up 13.2% and occupancy up 19.3%.

547
00:46:45,080 --> 00:46:50,160
So in November, I will be able to look at this and say,

548
00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:53,040
this is what happened in between when

549
00:46:53,040 --> 00:46:56,320
and I reported to you today and then how we finished.

550
00:46:56,660 --> 00:46:58,480
And where in our packet is like what

551
00:46:58,480 --> 00:47:00,460
Legislator Purolo keeps asking for?

552
00:47:00,700 --> 00:47:02,340
Like, where's the calendar for the county?

553
00:47:02,540 --> 00:47:04,700
Like, what is going, what are the things?

554
00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:06,560
Like in New York City, it's Toy Show.

555
00:47:06,820 --> 00:47:07,720
Toy Show sells out.

556
00:47:07,780 --> 00:47:09,860
We're walking people back to the airport in the hotels.

557
00:47:10,240 --> 00:47:11,560
Coming to Manhattan, sorry, we're sold out.

558
00:47:11,600 --> 00:47:13,340
You're going back to the airport to get a hotel room.

559
00:47:13,700 --> 00:47:16,900
So what are the events that we're having in Sullivan County

560
00:47:16,900 --> 00:47:19,360
that are driving and selling us out?

561
00:47:19,360 --> 00:47:26,300
because this weekend we had apparently 10,000 people and we're sold out at the casino and water park because of the fireworks.

562
00:47:26,620 --> 00:47:29,660
So what is going on from now until the end of the year in Sullivan County?

563
00:47:30,240 --> 00:47:35,260
There are events pretty much every day in Sullivan County.

564
00:47:35,460 --> 00:47:37,840
Big ones, big ones that sell us out.

565
00:47:38,340 --> 00:47:43,780
Big one to tell us out is Bethel is the most important element of that.

566
00:47:44,860 --> 00:47:52,100
That's why when you look at 4th of July, you look at 4th of July and you compare it to

567
00:47:52,100 --> 00:47:55,520
Billy Strings, they're almost neck and neck.

568
00:47:56,160 --> 00:48:02,660
Like we'll see how Billy Strings finishes but earlier they were neck and neck.

569
00:48:03,180 --> 00:48:07,780
Now I think that 4th of July is going to beat it because I saw numbers yesterday that I mean

570
00:48:07,780 --> 00:48:13,160
And there's all sorts of, when I look at April, April high holidays, right?

571
00:48:15,020 --> 00:48:21,620
April 25 over 26 people came here for the high holidays and stayed the whole week.

572
00:48:22,480 --> 00:48:25,040
What's the best day for a holiday for us?

573
00:48:26,800 --> 00:48:27,440
Wednesdays.

574
00:48:28,620 --> 00:48:33,300
Wednesday is killer because you're going to book them all through the next week.

575
00:48:33,300 --> 00:48:37,140
So if you can get a holiday on a Tuesday or a Wednesday,

576
00:48:37,520 --> 00:48:39,700
that's when you're like right on.

577
00:48:39,900 --> 00:48:41,940
We just grabbed another couple of room nights.

578
00:48:43,240 --> 00:48:46,320
So there's there's no specific.

579
00:48:46,560 --> 00:48:48,380
We couldn't even like pick one event,

580
00:48:48,380 --> 00:48:52,240
like per month that are one performer that's coming

581
00:48:52,240 --> 00:48:54,340
like between now and the end of the year.

582
00:48:54,480 --> 00:48:57,260
What is there a calendar somewhere where we can see this?

583
00:48:57,480 --> 00:48:58,360
There's, yeah.

584
00:48:58,500 --> 00:49:01,200
We have calendars and we're working with, you know,

585
00:49:01,200 --> 00:49:07,560
The chamber has a calendar and you have access to our calendars through the chamber.

586
00:49:08,360 --> 00:49:13,260
So what's the big event that events are not what's driving people here.

587
00:49:14,340 --> 00:49:16,560
Awareness is what's driving people here.

588
00:49:17,100 --> 00:49:19,540
That's what creates what's the award.

589
00:49:19,920 --> 00:49:21,800
I have another question.

590
00:49:22,080 --> 00:49:24,440
Does the visitors association have an app?

591
00:49:25,620 --> 00:49:31,480
We did, but apps are dead. That's why websites and that's why dream is up.

592
00:49:32,020 --> 00:49:36,800
So we did have an app and the app didn't go app. Yes, do it.

593
00:49:37,100 --> 00:49:40,960
It just when I was looking what it was doing for us, it was hurting us.

594
00:49:41,060 --> 00:49:43,040
How long have the years did we have an app for?

595
00:49:43,700 --> 00:49:48,600
I don't know. A year. But the app.

596
00:49:49,240 --> 00:49:53,200
What was the purpose of the app? Like I'm just curious to get some information about the app.

597
00:49:56,430 --> 00:50:05,310
Maybe not right now, but like yeah, I'm with you on the app, but we need we need ambassadors. I was just asking I wasn't talking about it

598
00:50:05,310 --> 00:50:12,730
But I was just asking about like the app like I remember there are other like topics that are

599
00:50:12,730 --> 00:50:21,750
Perhaps of more interest to discuss, but as I was thinking about like, you know, information and like

600
00:50:22,610 --> 00:50:33,830
other ways that information is potentially accessible. I was just curious if we ever ventured out into the app world and you said that the app world is dead. So, well I know why.

601
00:50:33,990 --> 00:50:46,550
It's dead for macro. When we, I believe, when we get, when we build a database of, let's call it a million.

602
00:50:47,430 --> 00:50:54,430
Then, that's when an app, like, Marriott Bonboi, think of your apps, think of the apps you use.

603
00:50:55,230 --> 00:50:57,590
It's your remember of something.

604
00:50:58,710 --> 00:51:08,250
So, when we get enough scale to be able to have an app, then we will.

605
00:51:08,790 --> 00:51:12,390
So, I'm just curious when we had it, what do we use it for?

606
00:51:12,390 --> 00:51:15,510
Like what there had to have been a plan

607
00:51:15,510 --> 00:51:21,790
I don't well, we don't we don't know the calendar are creating so I'm thinking

608
00:51:27,270 --> 00:51:33,770
Some of this stuff is in the works, but by abandoning

609
00:51:33,770 --> 00:51:38,970
Some other things may not be beneficial to what we're trying so if you had

610
00:51:39,550 --> 00:51:44,650
an app that was attached to the calendar, you could go to the app and say, oh, what's

611
00:51:44,650 --> 00:51:48,250
going on this weekend, which was the whole intention of pushing the chain.

612
00:51:48,330 --> 00:51:50,290
I wouldn't have to call Russell Reed today, so what's going on?

613
00:51:50,530 --> 00:51:55,830
And then click on, click on the calendar and the event by the ticket, and there's a, right,

614
00:51:56,570 --> 00:51:56,890
right, right.

615
00:51:57,110 --> 00:51:57,910
That's a closed loop.

616
00:51:58,230 --> 00:51:58,670
You're right.

617
00:51:58,770 --> 00:51:59,010
Yeah.

618
00:51:59,230 --> 00:52:00,010
So do you hear what I said?

619
00:52:00,010 --> 00:52:05,210
Brian could click on the app calendar, the event, and by the ticket right there.

620
00:52:05,210 --> 00:52:10,030
But again, I think the bigger point of what chairwoman is trying to

621
00:52:10,030 --> 00:52:15,750
point is what is there other than another employee year or entity

622
00:52:15,750 --> 00:52:19,830
where the county's dead in the water unless they do something.

623
00:52:19,970 --> 00:52:20,470
Here's my concern.

624
00:52:20,590 --> 00:52:23,450
So like Google Sullivan County Visitors Association calendar.

625
00:52:23,750 --> 00:52:26,270
And so what I'm getting is the graphics that are coming up.

626
00:52:26,330 --> 00:52:27,730
We got Wing Night at the courtyard.

627
00:52:28,410 --> 00:52:33,230
We've got Zumba Dance Fitness with somebody.

628
00:52:33,230 --> 00:52:42,370
We've got Matt Pilates. We've got Wing Knight at the courtyard. We've got trivia night, trivia

629
00:52:42,370 --> 00:52:49,550
Thursdays. We've got Zumba again. I mean, this is concerning to me that, like, these are the

630
00:52:50,230 --> 00:52:56,930
events that we're promoting. This seems more like a chamber of commerce function than it does

631
00:52:56,930 --> 00:52:59,570
is a county visitor's association.

632
00:52:59,790 --> 00:53:01,850
These are things for local people to do.

633
00:53:02,430 --> 00:53:04,890
This is not, hey, people from New York City.

634
00:53:04,890 --> 00:53:07,190
What just proves that we need any rent courted here?

635
00:53:07,370 --> 00:53:10,050
How about for Michael's, ring night at the court guard?

636
00:53:10,550 --> 00:53:12,550
Michael's there any more screens of your presentation?

637
00:53:17,300 --> 00:53:19,400
You can just, no.

638
00:53:19,700 --> 00:53:21,080
There's like two or three.

639
00:53:21,200 --> 00:53:21,780
It just shows you.

640
00:53:21,780 --> 00:53:24,220
OK, OK, well, we'll finish them, go through them.

641
00:53:24,240 --> 00:53:24,820
I want to go ahead.

642
00:53:25,080 --> 00:53:28,320
That just shows you 26 against 25

643
00:53:29,020 --> 00:53:33,600
and how I look at it, and then that shows you what's in your packet,

644
00:53:36,440 --> 00:53:37,120
and that's it.

645
00:53:37,780 --> 00:53:41,060
Thank you for your presentation. I think we need to have further discussion.

646
00:53:41,460 --> 00:53:47,460
Yeah, I mean, I need to see the bigger events. I mean, when night at the courtyard is not at the courtyard,

647
00:53:47,620 --> 00:53:52,360
but that is not what we're spending $1.5 million per mode on a website.

648
00:53:53,240 --> 00:53:56,380
We need, like, legislative parole says, like, big event.

649
00:53:56,380 --> 00:54:01,800
And I know you're saying that vents don't drive people here, but they certainly seem to a New York City

650
00:54:02,160 --> 00:54:05,520
And I can tell you I want to pitch a convention to have bring a thousand guys

651
00:54:06,220 --> 00:54:12,000
If you bring this is a course card convention here. You'll sell it out for the week. Right. So I mean that we need to coordinate it

652
00:54:12,700 --> 00:54:17,140
Remote out county. I mean Cooper's town. You know look at the you know the baseball does to them. I mean

653
00:54:17,800 --> 00:54:19,760
So this does warrant further discussion

654
00:54:20,680 --> 00:54:24,760
There's a very we need to think bigger than wing night at the courtyard. I mean that needs to be bigger

655
00:54:24,760 --> 00:54:31,940
I think the first thing is, and we have a tendency that we slightly talk conversations

656
00:54:31,940 --> 00:54:36,260
because we don't want to be deemed micro managers and we want to give people the ability

657
00:54:36,260 --> 00:54:36,560
to do.

658
00:54:36,820 --> 00:54:42,280
The only, I think, indirective directive of today is take the sign that's in front of

659
00:54:42,280 --> 00:54:46,820
the visitor center, take the amp or stamp, Sullivan County Cascals, whatever that first

660
00:54:46,820 --> 00:54:53,240
page was, and have somebody on the phone today calling a designer to at least fix that as

661
00:54:53,240 --> 00:54:53,660
of today.

662
00:54:53,660 --> 00:54:59,560
So instead of like, you know, all we talked about it, let's get some direction, let's just change the sign for today

663
00:54:59,560 --> 00:55:05,440
I know we're not staying there. You're going to mobile units. Yeah, but let's like get that on the horn happy to do it

664
00:55:05,440 --> 00:55:12,240
The only county casters on it. But I think I'll agree on that. Let's address it immediately. We okay with them spending money on that

665
00:55:12,240 --> 00:55:20,260
I mean, you've got the font. Yeah, we have what you're wanting to do it. Okay. Got one money today contract. Thank you. Thank you

666
00:55:20,260 --> 00:55:23,460
a great day. Thank you very much. That's what Matthew wanted.

667
00:55:25,780 --> 00:55:27,980
So Matthew's fault. Right. That's

668
00:55:27,980 --> 00:55:35,560
usual. All right. So let's see. So I guess we'll go to a division of community resources.

669
00:55:36,620 --> 00:55:43,680
Commissioner Quigley. Do you want it? That was a very productive discussion. I like it.

670
00:55:43,800 --> 00:55:43,960
Good

671
00:55:46,840 --> 00:55:51,240
morning. Good morning. I want to start off with a little

672
00:55:51,240 --> 00:55:58,680
Greg, the 2026 National Navigator Exchange Conference recognized for New York State Disability

673
00:55:59,200 --> 00:56:03,700
Resource Coordinators this year for their leadership in building partnerships that improve

674
00:56:03,700 --> 00:56:07,680
access to employment, training, and supportive services for people with disabilities.

675
00:56:08,200 --> 00:56:12,780
They're nominated by their peers and chosen by the National Review Committee.

676
00:56:13,300 --> 00:56:17,380
And this year, the Center for Workforce Development Scott Curry was one of those who received the

677
00:56:17,380 --> 00:56:18,400
National Recognition.

678
00:56:18,400 --> 00:56:24,660
The disability resource coordinators are funded through the New York State System Change

679
00:56:24,660 --> 00:56:31,420
and Inclusive Opportunity Network that is run in 27 different local areas and 48 counties.

680
00:56:32,460 --> 00:56:37,400
The role is to strengthen coordination among workforce development, vocational rehab,

681
00:56:37,720 --> 00:56:42,000
educational, behavioral health, justice, healthcare, employers, and community organizations.

682
00:56:42,640 --> 00:56:48,280
Scott was awarded the Alex Kiltee Making a Difference Award that recognized measurable system

683
00:56:48,280 --> 00:56:55,140
change. And what they wrote from the National Organization is over the past four years,

684
00:56:55,460 --> 00:56:59,640
Scott has expanded the use of integrated resource teams, bringing together workforce

685
00:56:59,640 --> 00:57:05,040
professional, voc rehab counselors, behavioral health providers, housing agencies, treatment

686
00:57:05,040 --> 00:57:09,700
courts, educators, employers, and community organizations to develop a coordinated employment

687
00:57:09,700 --> 00:57:15,060
plan for individuals with complex barriers. Instead of referring participants from agency

688
00:57:15,060 --> 00:57:19,700
to agency, integrated resource teams, brings the partners together around a shared employment

689
00:57:19,700 --> 00:57:25,620
goal. Scott led or supported more than 30 integrated resource teams and helped establish

690
00:57:25,620 --> 00:57:31,380
more than 200 active partnerships across workforce, business, behavioral health, justice and community

691
00:57:31,380 --> 00:57:38,300
organizations. Working with Selma County Chamber of Commerce, he also engaged more than 450 employers

692
00:57:38,300 --> 00:57:44,300
in disability, inclusive and recovery ready workplace initiatives. That is the annual bulk of that

693
00:57:44,300 --> 00:57:49,320
came from the annual Workforce Summit that he has held that is coming up again on October

694
00:57:49,320 --> 00:57:55,360
7th and focused on veterans. Scott's work extends beyond Sullivan County. He helps strengthen

695
00:57:55,360 --> 00:58:01,660
the New York program statewide data collection process. So employment outcomes and systems change

696
00:58:01,660 --> 00:58:07,480
activities are measured more consistently across New York. And as a certified community work incentive

697
00:58:07,480 --> 00:58:13,940
coordinator, he also provides benefits advisement and helps participants understand how employment

698
00:58:13,940 --> 00:58:21,260
affects their Social Security SSI, SSDI Medicaid, and etc. So, we're all very, very proud of Scott with that.

699
00:58:21,840 --> 00:58:26,100
Summer Youth Employment Program kicked off July 6th, 46 youth are enrolled.

700
00:58:26,800 --> 00:58:29,900
Sites include bold gold media, single-bite Catholic charities,

701
00:58:30,100 --> 00:58:34,040
Hurleyville Performing Arts Center, Monticello High School, SUNY Sullivan,

702
00:58:34,280 --> 00:58:37,960
Federation for the Homeless, Town of Bethel, United Way, and the Town of Thompson.

703
00:58:38,960 --> 00:58:42,180
The Center for Workforce Development worked with the Center for Discovery and

704
00:58:42,180 --> 00:58:48,120
Legislator Award and participated in a career fair held on June 24th at the center.

705
00:58:48,860 --> 00:58:54,780
It brought the college together as well to meet the staff as well as members of the public.

706
00:58:55,180 --> 00:58:59,860
The event was an avenue for individuals to learn about opportunities at not just the

707
00:58:59,860 --> 00:59:03,900
center but how their skill development can be supported through the center for workforce

708
00:59:03,900 --> 00:59:06,660
development and what the college has to offer for that.

709
00:59:07,140 --> 00:59:10,020
Several individuals are being followed up with by the center.

710
00:59:10,780 --> 00:59:20,180
We are holding a customized hiring and recruitment event focused on certified nurses assistant at the Career Center on July 24th from 2 to 4.

711
00:59:20,680 --> 00:59:29,260
Businesses that will be present that have confirmed is the County of Sullivan, Roscoe, Rehab and Nursing Center, Chief Rehab and Nursing Center.

712
00:59:29,760 --> 00:59:35,580
The college will also be there to work on the recruitment for the next certified nurses training.

713
00:59:35,580 --> 00:59:36,580
The

714
00:59:39,820 --> 00:59:42,780
spring series outcomes for our in-house hiring events.

715
00:59:43,060 --> 00:59:44,280
There were six of them.

716
00:59:44,440 --> 00:59:47,080
They successfully connected local talent with employers.

717
00:59:47,280 --> 00:59:53,360
There were 22 employers in attendance over that time period and 137 job seekers participated.

718
00:59:54,060 --> 00:59:59,760
There were 571 individuals who received assistance through the partnership of the Center for Workforce

719
00:59:59,760 --> 00:59:59,940
Development.

720
01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:28,260
The government and the Department of Labor through the month of May, and the Center for Workforce Development provided 14 new businesses with service and listed 176 jobs in May. And in terms of labor market data, the non-farm jobs increased by 900, year over year for the month of May, or 2.8% and private sector jobs increased by 800, excuse me, or 3.1%.

721
01:00:28,260 --> 01:00:34,560
Biggest growth sectors year over year were private educational and health services at 600

722
01:00:34,560 --> 01:00:43,180
jobs, professional and business services at 200 other services, trade transportation, utilities

723
01:00:43,180 --> 01:00:49,420
and government all came in at 100 job growth, leisure and hospitality year over year, lost

724
01:00:49,420 --> 01:00:54,060
100 jobs, and financial activities also lost 100 jobs year over year.

725
01:00:54,060 --> 01:01:02,940
I did a comparison. Our unemployment rate for May this year was 3.8, which is up from 3.0 last year.

726
01:01:03,820 --> 01:01:13,560
However, if you look at post-COVID, 21-22 is really when we were coming out of COVID and a lot of the employment was popping back up again.

727
01:01:13,560 --> 01:01:20,880
The labor force during that one-year period made a May increased 9% or 3,000 and that was

728
01:01:21,700 --> 01:01:30,980
3,500 employed folks and the unemployment dropped by 700. If you look at 2022 to 2026,

729
01:01:31,340 --> 01:01:39,240
our labor force only grew 3% or 1200 jobs. So the employed numbers went up two and a half percent

730
01:01:39,240 --> 01:01:50,560
or 900 from 22 to 26, and unemployment that went up 27% or 300 during that same time period.

731
01:01:51,140 --> 01:01:54,520
I also took a look at the industry sectors and the job numbers.

732
01:01:55,180 --> 01:02:03,240
And looking at 22 to 26, the largest sector by sheer job numbers is private education and health services,

733
01:02:03,240 --> 01:02:10,680
which currently is at 9,800 jobs that had the largest growth of 40% or 28

734
01:02:10,680 --> 01:02:15,860
hundred jobs over that four-year period. Government came in second at 6,000

735
01:02:15,860 --> 01:02:23,340
that is 300 more jobs than it was in May of 2022 and trade

736
01:02:23,340 --> 01:02:31,420
transportation and utilities at 4,500 and that is up 200 jobs over 2022. The largest

737
01:02:31,420 --> 01:02:37,200
growth by percentage was private education and health services, 40% growth.

738
01:02:38,920 --> 01:02:47,000
Professional and business services had a 33% growth or 600 jobs, and government had a 5% growth at 300 jobs.

739
01:02:47,980 --> 01:02:58,500
Like I said before, leisure and hospitality was the only sector that lost from 22 to 26, and that was a thousand jobs or a 21% loss.

740
01:02:59,460 --> 01:03:02,660
Nationally, leisure and hospitality jobs are down.

741
01:03:03,640 --> 01:03:06,860
Reasons for that are just weaker seasonal hiring,

742
01:03:07,600 --> 01:03:10,660
consumer caution in terms of where they're spending their money

743
01:03:10,660 --> 01:03:13,220
and where they're going, and plus, God bless you.

744
01:03:13,640 --> 01:03:17,520
The labor supply, there's an aging labor force,

745
01:03:17,720 --> 01:03:21,160
as well as in some areas, some of the immigration restrictions.

746
01:03:21,940 --> 01:03:27,200
For June, the leisure and hospitality was down across the country

747
01:03:27,200 --> 01:03:33,280
61,000 jobs. And the other thing, too, that's happening, is the lowering of workforce

748
01:03:33,280 --> 01:03:42,900
participation. There was a report in CNBC that labor force participation measures the

749
01:03:42,900 --> 01:03:47,100
working age population of those that are either employed or they're looking for work.

750
01:03:47,740 --> 01:03:55,620
It fell to 61.5%, which is the lowest rate since March of 2021. And if you exclude the

751
01:03:55,620 --> 01:04:02,500
COVID loss. It is the lowest participation rates since 1976. Many people think that is because

752
01:04:02,500 --> 01:04:08,940
there's a lot more retirement going on. However, in June, the biggest plunge came from what is

753
01:04:08,940 --> 01:04:15,900
defined as the prime age workers, and that's those between the ages of 25 and 54. That rate fell

754
01:04:16,480 --> 01:04:25,220
to 83.3% or 0.6% the lowest since 2023. There are lots of reasons for that, and I think some of

755
01:04:25,220 --> 01:04:27,460
of those reasons are very specific here.

756
01:04:27,960 --> 01:04:30,220
While I don't have hard data, I know anecdotally

757
01:04:30,220 --> 01:04:33,140
that there are people because of the childcare subsidy,

758
01:04:33,800 --> 01:04:36,380
loss of not having enough money with that,

759
01:04:36,680 --> 01:04:39,180
has put some folks where they can't make that subsidy,

760
01:04:39,580 --> 01:04:41,180
so they either have gone to part-time,

761
01:04:41,340 --> 01:04:43,740
or they've checked themselves out of the workforce for now.

762
01:04:44,400 --> 01:04:47,080
There are other people that just things have happened

763
01:04:47,080 --> 01:04:49,020
in their life that they've made different decisions.

764
01:04:49,500 --> 01:04:53,340
There's no one reason to have that impact.

765
01:04:53,340 --> 01:05:02,460
So the thing that I say is that even though leisure and hospitality is down, all of our other industries are either kind of steady or increasing.

766
01:05:03,160 --> 01:05:12,540
And given the economic upheaval that the country is going through, it, that makes me feel pretty good that we're kind of holding steady.

767
01:05:12,920 --> 01:05:16,400
We don't have any serious big growth going up, but we're holding steady.

768
01:05:16,940 --> 01:05:18,780
And so that's my report. Any questions?

769
01:05:18,780 --> 01:05:24,260
Yes, I have questions. Sure. And and this is a comment that I make to everybody who's going to speak today.

770
01:05:24,840 --> 01:05:34,020
I don't think that everything is okay in Sullivan County. Maybe some people think we're holding our own. Maybe we don't. We're down severely in sales tax.

771
01:05:34,400 --> 01:05:42,320
And I have such tremendous respect for the institutional knowledge that you, Commissioner Brown, Commissioner McAndrews, that you all bring to the table.

772
01:05:42,320 --> 01:05:45,660
So I appreciate the update, but what are we going to do?

773
01:05:45,940 --> 01:05:46,620
Where are the resolutions?

774
01:05:47,060 --> 01:05:50,760
What do we need to do to move the county forward to stop

775
01:05:50,760 --> 01:05:53,900
just treading water or maybe leaking water out of the boat

776
01:05:53,900 --> 01:05:58,500
and move the county forward so that the county is prosperous,

777
01:05:58,500 --> 01:06:02,440
so that the people that live here don't have to worry about

778
01:06:02,440 --> 01:06:05,540
losing their homes or about where they're going to eat?

779
01:06:05,820 --> 01:06:09,120
What do we need to do to become a prosperous county?

780
01:06:09,120 --> 01:06:18,620
from a workforce perspective which is what I'm up here reporting on. It would be

781
01:06:18,620 --> 01:06:22,940
wonderful in a wonderful world that there was and I so appreciate the

782
01:06:22,940 --> 01:06:27,000
investment that the county has made over the last several years in terms of

783
01:06:27,000 --> 01:06:33,640
training dollars making that available to train the workforce is a deeper we need a

784
01:06:33,640 --> 01:06:40,660
deeper commitment on that plus some of the supportive services that need to

785
01:06:40,660 --> 01:06:45,140
happen. That is not necessarily county tax dollars. There could be some serious

786
01:06:45,140 --> 01:06:50,640
research on grants there out there, federal levels, state level, whatever. But I

787
01:06:50,640 --> 01:06:57,020
do think that if there is a robust attempt to go after every grant dollar we can

788
01:06:57,020 --> 01:07:02,840
get our hands on because we cannot raise taxes to get ourselves out of this where

789
01:07:02,840 --> 01:07:08,160
we are. It may have to. I've heard like 30 percent. I mean, but but to really get us

790
01:07:08,160 --> 01:07:13,800
out. Okay, but there also has to be, it's not just one thing. It's not just what Heather is doing,

791
01:07:13,820 --> 01:07:19,040
it's not just the workforce. I mean, Mark, when he comes up, there are things on the horizon that

792
01:07:19,040 --> 01:07:24,920
are coming that will be creating jobs. It's a collective of working all together. It's not one

793
01:07:24,920 --> 01:07:29,880
thing or the other. If people can't afford to buy food, if people can't afford to put gas in their

794
01:07:29,880 --> 01:07:36,320
car, they don't really care about the sales tax. That's not their concern. Their concern is getting

795
01:07:36,320 --> 01:07:42,500
through every day. So I think collectively there's a way the sales tax is going to affect

796
01:07:42,500 --> 01:07:47,840
the property tax on their houses. I know. Legislative work. So first of all I know you're put on

797
01:07:47,840 --> 01:07:53,340
the spot. So like that makes sense with what you shared. I do want to share with you that I was

798
01:07:53,340 --> 01:08:00,700
able to have great conversation. Scott's a gem. I mean truly. And so we had talked about potential idea

799
01:08:00,700 --> 01:08:27,040
which could result in a resolution of we're seeing we would we want to see more of like skilled workforce right and like what is that look like and what does that mean and what does it have to start in our schools and so we began to talk about the potential for like an alternative education program that is like catching because graduation rates are so low.

800
01:08:27,040 --> 01:08:32,380
that's catching those folks who may need a little bit of an alternative, more of an alternative

801
01:08:32,380 --> 01:08:37,840
that's already offered and working with like the school districts, obviously Sullivan County

802
01:08:39,180 --> 01:08:47,860
workforce development and the college and really trying to figure out like what kind of a policy we could put together

803
01:08:47,860 --> 01:08:54,220
that supports that and starts a fledgling of that. It started with a microphone.

804
01:08:54,220 --> 01:08:59,000
It started with the partnership with BoCy's

805
01:08:59,000 --> 01:09:04,540
Rob DePore was here and the college and work for us right when workforce brought

806
01:09:04,540 --> 01:09:09,580
them together and said we need trades we need this we need this for our adult

807
01:09:09,580 --> 01:09:15,360
population. The challenge is now we're going to have a new superintendent at

808
01:09:15,360 --> 01:09:21,560
BoCy so it starts all over again. I right now I'm trying to collect the data to

809
01:09:21,560 --> 01:09:25,340
show we did a construction class, we did a welding class, we did an electrical

810
01:09:25,340 --> 01:09:30,220
class, an automotive tech class, all of those folks I think all but two that

811
01:09:30,220 --> 01:09:36,820
attended all those are all working. But you don't necessarily have to repeat

812
01:09:36,820 --> 01:09:42,260
those classes because there's a saturation point where a small can. And so it's

813
01:09:42,260 --> 01:09:49,460
coming up with a flexible training opportunities where there can be off the

814
01:09:49,460 --> 01:09:53,260
shelf things that are provided when there's a cluster of

815
01:09:53,260 --> 01:09:57,400
businesses that need it. More investment in on the job

816
01:09:57,400 --> 01:10:01,220
training. And that can help your seniors that aren't

817
01:10:01,220 --> 01:10:03,620
necessarily going to go to college right away. They may

818
01:10:03,620 --> 01:10:06,620
want to go to college later, but not right away, to be able

819
01:10:06,620 --> 01:10:10,260
to funnel them into on the job training opportunities, where

820
01:10:10,260 --> 01:10:14,760
they can begin with an employer. Employer gets some payback

821
01:10:14,760 --> 01:10:17,900
on their wages that are being paid. And then this young

822
01:10:17,900 --> 01:10:23,820
person gets that opportunity. Yeah. Even if you created more programs. And you already

823
01:10:23,820 --> 01:10:29,740
you already have like that's already this day. Right. It is just a lack of enough resources

824
01:10:29,740 --> 01:10:33,760
to make the impact. Yeah. I definitely think though we have to catch the kids who are

825
01:10:33,760 --> 01:10:42,820
dropping out. Like later there's like I so I think that hits one pocket of student. I personally

826
01:10:42,820 --> 01:10:47,160
I would like to see as a legislator, as catching the student who's who's dropping out for

827
01:10:47,160 --> 01:10:52,500
whatever reason, not necessarily because they're not interested in their education, but sometimes

828
01:10:52,500 --> 01:10:58,000
because of circumstances. So I think that we need to, because those a lot of times are the

829
01:10:58,000 --> 01:11:03,120
student that are coming in for a job, but they just don't have the skill development to be ready

830
01:11:03,120 --> 01:11:08,460
for the job. So I think along with the high school senior that may not want to go off to college,

831
01:11:08,880 --> 01:11:16,280
we also need to be looking at the child that because of circumstance, they're not able to complete

832
01:11:16,280 --> 01:11:22,460
high school. So that is something along with that that I would like to be focused on. And if I could

833
01:11:22,460 --> 01:11:28,380
develop policy with my peers, I'm able to develop that. So that's something that our energy

834
01:11:28,380 --> 01:11:35,240
and our efforts and our resources goes into that. And thank you. If there is a collective agreement on

835
01:11:35,240 --> 01:11:42,360
that, I was going to say, we don't have the capacity to solve it all. But if we pick one or two

836
01:11:42,360 --> 01:11:50,580
targets to go after. We can collectively put all our energies towards that. I love the idea. It is

837
01:11:50,580 --> 01:11:56,280
the hardest group of people to capture. Of course. Our kids that have dropped out and they are

838
01:11:56,280 --> 01:12:02,360
also the hardest folks to retain. Yeah. I don't think it's just the so many issues going on. It's

839
01:12:02,360 --> 01:12:06,920
not necessarily just the ones that drop out. I mean here we're talking about it wasn't so much of a

840
01:12:06,920 --> 01:12:12,380
retirement class in the drop of the labor force, you just said, at the same time we just

841
01:12:12,380 --> 01:12:17,420
had eight different school districts graduate, how many have a cumulative number of kids?

842
01:12:18,300 --> 01:12:21,100
And how many of those kids are staying here?

843
01:12:21,600 --> 01:12:25,320
And then when you look of, you know, your investment, your tax dollars aren't going to save anything,

844
01:12:25,560 --> 01:12:31,580
and I'm sorry, I've said this my entire existence of being in politics, your highest dollar is

845
01:12:31,580 --> 01:12:38,140
going to your school district and then unfortunately because of the height of expense to run a district,

846
01:12:38,680 --> 01:12:44,640
your town and your county are now pigeonholed to the money they could spend because the cumulative

847
01:12:44,640 --> 01:12:52,880
tax rate is so high you can't afford it. Just in liberty you have $34 per thousand going to your

848
01:12:52,880 --> 01:12:58,680
school district and 13 going to your town and county. So now you take your town out of your county

849
01:12:58,680 --> 01:13:05,000
and you really only have $6 per thousand of assessed value going into your county.

850
01:13:05,720 --> 01:13:12,900
So now we are now, you know, $25 plus dollars behind what the school district is taking

851
01:13:12,900 --> 01:13:20,280
and running their three, four buildings. And us as legislators are stuck trying to deal with highway

852
01:13:20,280 --> 01:13:28,380
and roads and personnel safety. It's such a messed up system. And then when I was in the town,

853
01:13:28,680 --> 01:13:34,620
I had sent something out to the associations of towns to get a better way of adjusting

854
01:13:34,620 --> 01:13:38,040
the tax rate, and they were like, yeah, it's a great idea, but that's not how we formulate

855
01:13:38,040 --> 01:13:42,120
our taxes, because they know it's already, it's already set.

856
01:13:42,460 --> 01:13:47,780
So when you look at any other investment you make, your return, if we're not capturing

857
01:13:47,780 --> 01:13:54,700
the kids we're educating at our highest dollar, and they're leaving, they're leaving.

858
01:13:54,700 --> 01:13:55,260
Thank you.

859
01:13:55,360 --> 01:13:55,760
Thank you.

860
01:13:55,760 --> 01:13:56,760
We're going to leave the legislature.

861
01:13:57,280 --> 01:13:59,360
The reason they're leaving for us is

862
01:13:59,360 --> 01:14:03,060
Sullivan County has called my backyard syndrome.

863
01:14:03,660 --> 01:14:06,560
Nobody wants nothing to be built around the houses.

864
01:14:06,740 --> 01:14:07,300
They come up here.

865
01:14:07,360 --> 01:14:08,340
They want to live the country alive.

866
01:14:08,340 --> 01:14:09,160
They want to fresh it.

867
01:14:09,240 --> 01:14:10,880
They think we talked about.

868
01:14:11,000 --> 01:14:12,320
We talked about an incinerator.

869
01:14:13,020 --> 01:14:14,000
Creates 400 jobs.

870
01:14:14,300 --> 01:14:14,980
I don't want it.

871
01:14:15,460 --> 01:14:16,780
They talk about warehouses.

872
01:14:17,400 --> 01:14:19,120
You got truck drivers, employees,

873
01:14:20,520 --> 01:14:21,760
gasoline, restaurants.

874
01:14:22,340 --> 01:14:23,300
They don't want warehouses.

875
01:14:23,300 --> 01:14:31,040
My nephews are working in Amsterdam, Middletown, $3 million, $3 million square for buildings

876
01:14:31,040 --> 01:14:31,640
that are putting up.

877
01:14:32,280 --> 01:14:36,880
God forbid, they put one in Sullivan County, God forbid, it'd be like the atomic bomb

878
01:14:36,880 --> 01:14:37,380
hitting us.

879
01:14:37,580 --> 01:14:39,440
Well, nobody likes change up here.

880
01:14:39,620 --> 01:14:45,640
I think we need to do is go back to all towns, tell them to move the planning boards quicker

881
01:14:45,640 --> 01:14:47,220
so we get progress quicker.

882
01:14:47,580 --> 01:14:51,180
We should support the partnership to bring new different types of industry and business.

883
01:14:51,520 --> 01:14:52,020
Wait, let me finish.

884
01:14:52,020 --> 01:14:56,240
Yeah, no, you're good because because what's happening happened here in business for 44 years

885
01:14:56,820 --> 01:14:59,880
Nothing has changed here because the people don't want change

886
01:15:00,000 --> 01:15:29,980
People up in Nilesburg. Oh, this, you can't touch my river. You can't put nothing by my river. God forbid, you do something by the river. Meanwhile, you could put, you could put a hotel on a river, you could put, you could put, you could put, you could do many different. My backyard syndrome is the biggest problem in Selma County. That's the biggest problem. And the only thing at just very quickly, just to add to Joey's point here, the, the one thing that I will say that we've done as a legislative body, all of us voted on this. It was unanimous, but we invested the money in the old 17 court, or two specifically bring them

887
01:15:29,980 --> 01:15:31,800
those types of manufacturing facilities.

888
01:15:31,900 --> 01:15:32,300
We worked on that.

889
01:15:32,380 --> 01:15:34,180
I think eight years ago, we started that.

890
01:15:34,340 --> 01:15:35,620
But now it's done.

891
01:15:35,880 --> 01:15:37,460
Now it's done, the money's been allocated

892
01:15:37,460 --> 01:15:39,840
and the project is moving forward to actually,

893
01:15:39,960 --> 01:15:41,020
and those are pre-approved.

894
01:15:41,100 --> 01:15:42,940
So that doesn't have to go through any type of planning

895
01:15:42,940 --> 01:15:43,720
or anything else.

896
01:15:43,940 --> 01:15:46,160
So we talk about diversification.

897
01:15:46,680 --> 01:15:49,160
We talk about the tourism economy,

898
01:15:49,220 --> 01:15:50,700
which I know Mark has some stuff on,

899
01:15:51,180 --> 01:15:53,340
that just got proposed just the other night in Liberty.

900
01:15:54,040 --> 01:15:56,720
But these are the invent, forever.

901
01:15:56,980 --> 01:15:59,080
And we always talk about this, the infrastructure investments

902
01:15:59,080 --> 01:16:09,120
We're where we were behind to try to attract these types of projects. Now we've actually made those investments and listen to me, okay, come to talk and talk to the BS we want here.

903
01:16:09,640 --> 01:16:16,160
Nothing gets done. This is a generator, which could have been first of all solves our garbage problem and he said, we're only gonna get poison and die.

904
01:16:16,720 --> 01:16:25,060
Nobody understands the prevailing winds got a China. China bills over there and all blows the United States. These people all nuts, okay.

905
01:16:25,060 --> 01:16:32,320
We need to invest in our caddy. We need to go in a different direction. We need to build our airports and our airport bringing hangars to get some

906
01:16:33,380 --> 01:16:42,320
commercial airlines that whether it's cargo or whatever. They'll build warehouses. They'll build their build headquarters. If you don't have for them to do something here

907
01:16:42,320 --> 01:16:47,440
They're not going to come and it takes money and it takes a chance. It's a chance. It's going to be risky

908
01:16:48,500 --> 01:16:53,740
Risky is all about life, man. Thank you, but just later, Perlo, Legislator Ward and then let's just say to Rajas.

909
01:16:53,740 --> 01:16:58,560
I just want to say thank you so much. Your presentation was fantastic. There's clearly an increase

910
01:16:58,560 --> 01:17:05,380
that you shared with education and health care, right? So I'm hoping to talk to you at some point

911
01:17:05,380 --> 01:17:10,220
because maybe there could be some advocacy. Like you're saying you advocated for some of those

912
01:17:10,220 --> 01:17:16,300
trades to get into those fees. Maybe we could advocate further to be like an actual DSP program at

913
01:17:16,300 --> 01:17:21,860
those fees so that that could potentially expose students to what that field looks like. Because I

914
01:17:21,860 --> 01:17:26,340
also think there's a lack of understanding of what that field entails and the

915
01:17:26,340 --> 01:17:31,460
population and so a lot of our youth won't get into that field because they'll

916
01:17:31,460 --> 01:17:36,540
hear the stories, you know, and a lot of it is misinformation. So if we could

917
01:17:36,540 --> 01:17:40,420
advocate for that, I'd love to talk to you about maybe that's another channel and

918
01:17:40,420 --> 01:17:45,140
another way to get our high school students skilled in that field since it's a

919
01:17:45,140 --> 01:17:50,360
growing field based on your data. Thank you. It is a growing field. The last thing

920
01:17:50,360 --> 01:17:54,780
that I will leave while I support holy as a taxpayer here in this county, all the infrastructure

921
01:17:54,780 --> 01:17:59,860
investment that is going on. Let's not forget that infrastructure is also our people.

922
01:18:00,600 --> 01:18:06,420
And we have to invest just as much in them as we do in bricks and mortar and roads.

923
01:18:07,120 --> 01:18:07,280
Thank you.

924
01:18:07,340 --> 01:18:08,080
Legislator Rajas.

925
01:18:08,220 --> 01:18:15,820
I just want to say that I agree with Legislator Ward in developing something with the group

926
01:18:15,820 --> 01:18:30,680
that is dropping out of school and career entry-level skills in some fashion or form not necessarily DSPs, but just giving them the basic to get a job.

927
01:18:31,620 --> 01:18:41,960
And to address Brian McPhillips issue, I'm going to bring up my school district, two buildings, five administrators, student census going down.

928
01:18:41,960 --> 01:18:49,400
My biggest question is why. No one wants to address and look at the schools and the student

929
01:18:49,400 --> 01:18:56,240
census and the administrators and the cost when everything is going down population-wise

930
01:18:56,840 --> 01:19:04,120
and yet we're running at the same capacity of full-blown engine, right? So this is a discussion

931
01:19:04,120 --> 01:19:09,560
that nobody wants to hear. I did bring this up at patterns for progress. It was like one

932
01:19:09,560 --> 01:19:12,700
one of those, you know, you can't talk about it. No, we can't talk about it because

933
01:19:12,700 --> 01:19:20,080
it impacts on our taxes. Seniors are paying those school taxes. $600 million for all

934
01:19:20,080 --> 01:19:24,700
the school district's budgets combined. Well, there you go. Our county budgets, $300 million.

935
01:19:24,760 --> 01:19:29,660
This is something that has to be discussed on a global level in Sullivan County. What the

936
01:19:29,660 --> 01:19:33,880
hell are we doing? Yeah, I always often say we should have, they should call us school

937
01:19:33,880 --> 01:19:39,340
legislators, fire legislators and county legislators because we all do really the same thing.

938
01:19:39,340 --> 01:19:45,820
we appropriate money, we love e taxes. We set policy, we make laws, and we serve our constituents

939
01:19:45,820 --> 01:19:52,620
for whatever they are. But I think we need to bring those people together. I was the last graduating

940
01:19:52,620 --> 01:19:57,460
class in my high school. I went to a Robert Perry High School in Maryland. We were the last class.

941
01:19:57,660 --> 01:20:03,040
They closed the high school after I left. And it happens sometimes when population dictates it.

942
01:20:03,040 --> 01:20:04,300
We just got to look that hard.

943
01:20:04,680 --> 01:20:08,880
So I want to echo what Legislator Wars said about Scott.

944
01:20:09,140 --> 01:20:10,280
I think Scott is a real gem.

945
01:20:10,920 --> 01:20:16,180
And he's a tremendous resource, especially when because it is disability pride month.

946
01:20:16,840 --> 01:20:22,520
And so last month when I was working on the disability pride proclamation and all that Scott was a tremendous resource.

947
01:20:23,120 --> 01:20:25,560
And then the other thing I want to remind us all is that we have veterans today.

948
01:20:26,260 --> 01:20:28,300
And we have less than an hour before that starts.

949
01:20:28,300 --> 01:20:29,280
Thank you.

950
01:20:30,140 --> 01:20:36,060
Commissioner Quigley and McGandrew and Brown, the three of you together, the institutional

951
01:20:36,060 --> 01:20:37,180
knowledge that you have.

952
01:20:37,360 --> 01:20:42,340
I hope that you will put that to work and come to this body with resolutions to move

953
01:20:42,340 --> 01:20:43,460
this county forward.

954
01:20:43,940 --> 01:20:48,600
You have the institutional knowledge that is spectacular.

955
01:20:49,200 --> 01:20:54,000
You know, I know no people from counties all over the state and you in particular know that

956
01:20:54,000 --> 01:20:55,220
I come to you with my questions.

957
01:20:55,220 --> 01:21:05,480
I think that you are just a wonderful wealth of information and whatever it is that you think that we need to do to move this County forward bring it to me. Call me.

958
01:21:05,900 --> 01:21:14,980
Let's bring the resolutions before this committee and let's do it. I love that you. The programs that you did, the students that you graduated, that's great and the flexibility is phenomenal.

959
01:21:15,420 --> 01:21:19,500
Keep doing it. Think outside of the box. Come back to us with resolutions. Thanks.

960
01:21:22,130 --> 01:21:25,770
What do we have? We already did a CVA idea.

961
01:21:27,990 --> 01:21:29,330
Hello. We love our idea.

962
01:21:32,420 --> 01:21:33,320
Good morning, everyone.

963
01:21:36,100 --> 01:21:41,820
So you have my report in your packet. I don't have a whole lot in the way of updates.

964
01:21:42,420 --> 01:21:48,720
As you know, our next board meeting will be this coming Monday the 13th. It's a pretty slim agenda.

965
01:21:48,740 --> 01:21:53,180
So it should be a quick meeting. The agenda went out yesterday. Excuse me in the agenda packet.

966
01:21:53,180 --> 01:21:56,020
It will be up online, probably by end of day today.

967
01:21:57,420 --> 01:22:00,800
In terms of other updates, I'm working on one application.

968
01:22:00,860 --> 01:22:04,600
It's a nice little project to Laura's point,

969
01:22:04,660 --> 01:22:06,480
or one of Laura's points, or one of the data points

970
01:22:06,480 --> 01:22:07,240
that she mentioned.

971
01:22:08,020 --> 01:22:09,520
It's an educational facility.

972
01:22:10,540 --> 01:22:11,940
So that should be a nice one.

973
01:22:12,060 --> 01:22:14,760
And I will be probably posting that application online

974
01:22:14,760 --> 01:22:16,620
and circulating it in the next couple weeks.

975
01:22:18,360 --> 01:22:18,880
Excuse me.

976
01:22:20,160 --> 01:22:21,900
Other than that, I don't have too much.

977
01:22:21,900 --> 01:22:31,380
there's the report contained reference to a resolution relating to Resorts World Refinance

978
01:22:31,380 --> 01:22:37,380
and you also saw a press release that went out last week, late last week. The upshot there

979
01:22:37,380 --> 01:22:46,060
for my purposes is that Resorts World Refinance successfully occurred without the use of the newly

980
01:22:46,060 --> 01:22:49,320
we created Sullivan County Resorts Facilities

981
01:22:49,320 --> 01:22:52,820
local development corporation as a vehicle for issuing bonds.

982
01:22:53,360 --> 01:22:56,160
So we expect that that entity will be dissolved

983
01:22:56,500 --> 01:22:57,440
in the near future.

984
01:22:58,980 --> 01:23:01,360
I don't have anything else.

985
01:23:01,460 --> 01:23:03,220
Does anyone have any questions for me?

986
01:23:04,220 --> 01:23:07,040
Hi, Jen, and I just want to reiterate that LDC,

987
01:23:07,260 --> 01:23:08,560
the local development corporation,

988
01:23:09,000 --> 01:23:11,360
that there was no Sullivan County taxpayer money

989
01:23:11,360 --> 01:23:14,240
that was put into that that went out of anything

990
01:23:14,240 --> 01:23:18,180
like that, I just want to reiterate that to the public because there was a lot of confusion

991
01:23:18,700 --> 01:23:24,000
about that and not just in Sullivan County, but we saw articles out across the West, right,

992
01:23:24,140 --> 01:23:31,120
nationally, about Sullivan County was bailing out resource world. It was in Albany, so it was in

993
01:23:31,120 --> 01:23:37,120
Nevada, right? So just to clarify, right? The refinance means that nothing happened with those bonds,

994
01:23:37,400 --> 01:23:43,340
the LDC will be dissolved and no Sullivan County taxpayer money was used. That's all correct. Yes,

995
01:23:43,340 --> 01:23:50,180
Thank you so much. So folks out there, you know, when can we expect that LDC to be dissolved?

996
01:23:50,480 --> 01:23:56,120
I just feel that that opened us up for a huge litany of well, the process is it has to go to

997
01:23:56,120 --> 01:24:00,560
the state attorney general's office. So I mean, that's in the process week. I just do not,

998
01:24:00,700 --> 01:24:06,080
me personally, I do not want that open any longer than it has to be. Right. I don't think anyone does.

999
01:24:06,500 --> 01:24:11,560
So yeah, it has, it goes through the AG's office. I believe the board has to adopt a plan

1000
01:24:11,560 --> 01:24:16,440
the solution I've done it once before for a much smaller entity but we'll work

1001
01:24:16,440 --> 01:24:21,420
with Walter and with council on it to make sure it gets done. And if you can keep us updated to

1002
01:24:21,420 --> 01:24:26,300
that process and we went through it with the the the solution of the LDC that we had before Sunset Lake

1003
01:24:26,300 --> 01:24:31,520
it is a process right it right and a lot of times you know you're just waiting for updates

1004
01:24:31,520 --> 01:24:36,780
from a higher entity so but if you can keep us updated because I share Brian's concerns. Absolutely.

1005
01:24:37,120 --> 01:24:40,440
Okay thank you Jen thank you. Is anything this committee can do for you please bring the

1006
01:24:40,440 --> 01:24:44,080
resolutions forward please hesitate to call me please help us move the county

1007
01:24:44,080 --> 01:24:48,300
forward I know you can thank you so much have a good day thank you chamber of

1008
01:24:48,300 --> 01:24:49,640
commerce morning

1009
01:24:57,670 --> 01:25:02,590
everybody how are you today can you use a bagel good thing

1010
01:25:02,590 --> 01:25:08,230
bagel fast is a month from today so I hope to see everybody yes yeah we'll

1011
01:25:08,230 --> 01:25:10,710
have they'll be they'll be bagels if they go fast

1012
01:25:16,350 --> 01:25:28,530
We have continued bringing businesses, organizations and community partners together around different initiatives that help to strengthen Sullivan County's economy and quality of life.

1013
01:25:28,530 --> 01:25:34,370
We're welcoming new members celebrating local businesses through ribbon cuttings,

1014
01:25:34,710 --> 01:25:40,490
continued planning for upcoming networking events, and it made significant progress on one of the chambers.

1015
01:25:41,210 --> 01:25:45,830
Most important long-term initiatives, the Sullivan County Community Calendar.

1016
01:25:46,350 --> 01:25:51,990
It's going to be the one place that centralized location for all things that are happening within Sullivan County.

1017
01:25:52,230 --> 01:25:54,470
We're working with a few partners.

1018
01:25:54,470 --> 01:26:07,350
We already have a couple that have agreed and working on setting some things up for a couple others because it's a proprietary information on their websites, so we just want to make sure we have our due diligence.

1019
01:26:08,310 --> 01:26:12,950
But your support has allowed us to build much more than an online calendar.

1020
01:26:13,390 --> 01:26:21,790
It's going to be a county-wide economic development tool, a marketing platform for small businesses and offer profits, and another asset to support tourism.

1021
01:26:21,790 --> 01:26:26,710
It's also a coordination tool that helps reduce scheduling conflicts and

1022
01:26:26,710 --> 01:26:31,630
encourages collaboration, giving users one place to discover what's happening in

1023
01:26:31,630 --> 01:26:35,830
Sullivan County. Chambers now preparing for a soft launch and we'd like to

1024
01:26:35,830 --> 01:26:40,750
invite 10 to 15 key community partners to preview the platform, test the

1025
01:26:40,750 --> 01:26:46,110
functionality, provide feedback for its public launch. I'd also like to welcome

1026
01:26:46,110 --> 01:26:49,910
the opportunity to schedule a demonstration to this legislator so you can see

1027
01:26:49,910 --> 01:26:55,130
first hand how your investment is benefiting the community. Looking ahead our

1028
01:26:55,130 --> 01:27:00,370
attention is focused on one of Sullivan counties signature summer events the

1029
01:27:00,370 --> 01:27:05,610
Bagel Festival taking place Sunday August 9th on Broadway Monticello. What

1030
01:27:05,610 --> 01:27:10,450
started as a celebration of one of Sullivan counties unique claims to fame has

1031
01:27:10,450 --> 01:27:15,310
grown into something much bigger. This year we're expecting 10 to 18,000

1032
01:27:15,310 --> 01:27:18,750
visitors on Bagel Boulevard for our little street fare.

1033
01:27:19,530 --> 01:27:24,430
It's a day that showcases our businesses not for profits, artists, restaurants, and

1034
01:27:24,430 --> 01:27:26,030
the incredible energy of our community.

1035
01:27:26,690 --> 01:27:30,290
The event continues to grow because of outstanding partnerships.

1036
01:27:30,870 --> 01:27:36,590
A special thank you to Boldgold Media for promoting, for producing the music stage and helping

1037
01:27:36,590 --> 01:27:38,370
promote the festival throughout the region.

1038
01:27:38,870 --> 01:27:44,270
The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office led by our undershore who once again host the popular

1039
01:27:44,270 --> 01:27:50,950
bagel triathlon. This year we're also introducing an interactive community art experience, welcoming

1040
01:27:50,950 --> 01:27:57,030
student volunteers and also welcoming student volunteers from the Delaware Valley Job Corps Center

1041
01:27:57,030 --> 01:28:01,850
and partnering with the regional food bank of Hudson Valley which is planning an interactive

1042
01:28:01,850 --> 01:28:07,530
competition that not only engages festival attendees but also highlights their important mission

1043
01:28:07,530 --> 01:28:13,310
of addressing food insecurity for our community. Events like this don't happen because of one

1044
01:28:13,310 --> 01:28:19,410
organization. They happen because businesses invest, volunteers give their time, not-for-profits,

1045
01:28:19,790 --> 01:28:27,270
participate, municipalities collaborate, public safety agencies provide invaluable support,

1046
01:28:28,030 --> 01:28:33,230
and county leadership recognizes the importance of events that generate economic activity and

1047
01:28:33,230 --> 01:28:38,250
showcases Sullivan County. On behalf of the Chamber, I'd like to thank you for your continued

1048
01:28:38,250 --> 01:28:43,930
partnership and support and I'd personally like to invite you each of you to join us on August

1049
01:28:43,930 --> 01:28:50,610
9th stop by our Chamber Booth and see firsthand the energy of this important impact will invent

1050
01:28:51,310 --> 01:28:57,770
be honored to have you downtown Monticello with us for what promises to be a memorable day in Sullivan

1051
01:28:57,770 --> 01:29:02,670
County. Thank you. I think we need to get to the economic the partnership next but I just want to say

1052
01:29:02,670 --> 01:29:07,890
maybe for next month you know I'm particularly interested in what your businesses are feeling I know

1053
01:29:07,890 --> 01:29:12,630
my business, what was going on unemployment, disability workers, compensails tax, I mean

1054
01:29:12,630 --> 01:29:17,950
that, you know, like, what, what, what do your businesses need from us? What, what would

1055
01:29:17,950 --> 01:29:21,630
they complain about Sullivan County? What would attract more people to come here? So think

1056
01:29:21,630 --> 01:29:25,790
about it, we're a little short on time today, so we will go to the partnership, Max, Mark,

1057
01:29:26,330 --> 01:29:28,570
I think, oh, I'm sorry, did you have something to say?

1058
01:29:33,090 --> 01:29:37,790
I was on the agenda. I'm sorry. No problem.

1059
01:29:40,670 --> 01:29:45,630
Hi, I'm Laurie Orstano, James, and I am proud to say that I am the immediate past chair

1060
01:29:45,630 --> 01:29:50,090
of the Sullivan County Chamber Foundation. I just want to let you know the leadership

1061
01:29:50,090 --> 01:29:56,330
Sullivan class of last year ended. I heard earlier the concept of ambassadors, this class

1062
01:29:56,330 --> 01:29:59,930
are ambassadors. If you have never come to any of this

1063
01:30:00,000 --> 01:30:29,840
There are sessions. We know we put that information and then invite out to you on a regular basis. Please make sure when we start back up in September that you are. We have applications that we had a waiting list that are starting to come back in. We go, it's the good and bad, and the ugly is Sullivan County. They go see government meetings, they go see school board meetings, they go see planning board meetings, they have discussion around it. Their project, which is the comfort closets in the schools, is still ongoing. They have gone into a number

1064
01:30:29,840 --> 01:30:34,880
of different they raised close to $10,000 through grant funding and through fundraisers

1065
01:30:34,880 --> 01:30:40,460
to be able to ensure that all schools in need have. So we're very, very pleased with

1066
01:30:40,460 --> 01:30:44,660
the work that they did. And it was a very great graduating class. They were all

1067
01:30:44,660 --> 01:30:49,200
phenomenal. They were terrific. No doubt about it. Thank you so much. I'm sure they're

1068
01:30:49,200 --> 01:30:52,840
glad to hear that. The Bridgerton Ball, for those of you who've been waiting, I

1069
01:30:52,840 --> 01:30:56,820
just want to remind you July 30th at Burn Bray. It is our one and only

1070
01:30:56,820 --> 01:31:03,420
annual fundraiser for the foundation annually. There will be rooms specific to the great things going

1071
01:31:03,420 --> 01:31:09,920
on in Sullivan County. Yes, we do encourage dress, you can go on Amazon and get your outfits if

1072
01:31:09,920 --> 01:31:16,400
you want, because they do have them. My week is ready to go. I do want to let you know that our new

1073
01:31:16,400 --> 01:31:23,200
chair I'm so proud to say is Adam Jacobson, who is the hotel sales manager at Resort Sort of

1074
01:31:23,200 --> 01:31:27,760
world cat skills. And I do want to let you know who our new board is. Jen Jensen from Hudson

1075
01:31:27,760 --> 01:31:33,680
Valley's home source, Alyssa Woke from Children's Home, Holly Rao from SUNY Sullivan, Matt

1076
01:31:33,680 --> 01:31:41,740
Rourke from the Monster Golf Course, Laurie Solomon Lungobardo from Koso D Lungobardo, Ashley

1077
01:31:41,740 --> 01:31:47,420
Levit of all things, Accuracy, Pratican, Maddenkin, who is also a treasurer from Insight

1078
01:31:47,420 --> 01:31:52,960
Cypher Accounting, Matt Sush, President and CEO of Sullivan County Chamber, Jackie Levit

1079
01:31:52,960 --> 01:31:57,380
been tossers as advisor, Shirley Felder as advisor, and of course, me as immediate

1080
01:31:57,380 --> 01:31:58,100
past chair.

1081
01:31:59,740 --> 01:32:05,520
But just shy of three years ago, I came into this position, I was asked by then Jamie

1082
01:32:05,520 --> 01:32:08,840
Schmeiser if I would help rebuild the foundation.

1083
01:32:09,880 --> 01:32:15,500
We had some very key points and I just want to say every single one of them was achieved.

1084
01:32:16,080 --> 01:32:21,580
We are financially solvent, which we were not, there was no money in the bank and there

1085
01:32:21,580 --> 01:32:26,000
money in the bank now. And that allows us to do those professional development

1086
01:32:26,600 --> 01:32:30,120
programings that we've been doing leadership Sullivan and working alongside

1087
01:32:30,120 --> 01:32:34,960
the Chamber to be able to provide services to the community. My job was to

1088
01:32:34,960 --> 01:32:38,620
regrow the board with active membership. You just heard who those members are and I

1089
01:32:38,620 --> 01:32:43,720
can't say that I can say that an amazing, amazing group of board of directors

1090
01:32:43,720 --> 01:32:47,860
moving forward. To restructure and build the leadership Sullivan program at the time

1091
01:32:47,860 --> 01:32:53,740
And we were the leadership Sullivan program was visiting communities and not visiting what

1092
01:32:53,740 --> 01:32:54,640
it is that we do.

1093
01:32:54,880 --> 01:33:02,480
So we went back to the concept of agriculture, tourism, education, government, economic

1094
01:33:02,480 --> 01:33:03,200
development.

1095
01:33:03,400 --> 01:33:10,860
We have each month, each 10, within the 10 months, we visit a different genre of the county.

1096
01:33:11,800 --> 01:33:17,440
And as we make sure that there's a clear understanding of the class, it is the connectivity.

1097
01:33:17,440 --> 01:33:22,360
all is connected. So where you're talking about all the different things of well

1098
01:33:22,360 --> 01:33:25,260
there's this and then there's this and then there's this. The bottom line is

1099
01:33:25,260 --> 01:33:29,400
there's nothing is in a silo and if we do things in silos no matter what we do

1100
01:33:29,400 --> 01:33:34,660
we will never grow, we will never change. We have to be working together. That is

1101
01:33:34,660 --> 01:33:40,060
what's a key focus and needs to be looked at from top to bottom across the ways.

1102
01:33:40,680 --> 01:33:48,860
So, you know, I'm really pleased with the ability to rebuild that program and continue to build

1103
01:33:48,860 --> 01:33:53,300
from that program going into some additional programs that we will be offering in the future.

1104
01:33:53,880 --> 01:33:58,980
A visual presence as the foundation because for the longest time it was at the leadership

1105
01:33:58,980 --> 01:34:03,520
Sullivan program. No, we are a foundation and we provide funding and we can provide services

1106
01:34:04,250 --> 01:34:07,820
to and for the chamber and for the community at large.

1107
01:34:08,680 --> 01:34:17,240
Also to align and build back relationships with the Chamber and other potential partner agencies, we worked hard to do that and we look forward to the continued growth that this is going to bring.

1108
01:34:18,060 --> 01:34:34,760
I thank you all for indulging. You will see me, too, because Adam's schedule is a little busy. So as I will continue on, you know, doing some of that public facing, but we do think that the work that we're doing will make a difference in leadership not only today but tomorrow.

1109
01:34:34,760 --> 01:34:36,780
and where we can move our counties.

1110
01:34:37,100 --> 01:34:38,480
So I thank you all for what you do

1111
01:34:38,480 --> 01:34:40,340
and hope to see you again soon.

1112
01:34:40,880 --> 01:34:41,220
Thank you.

1113
01:34:41,420 --> 01:34:41,640
Partnership?

1114
01:34:42,740 --> 01:34:43,480
Oh, yes, naughty.

1115
01:34:43,560 --> 01:34:46,500
Before the partnership comes up here, come on up, Mark.

1116
01:34:46,760 --> 01:34:47,300
Come on, come on.

1117
01:34:47,560 --> 01:34:52,140
I just want to say very quickly that on Tuesday,

1118
01:34:52,440 --> 01:34:56,200
Resorts World held their grant awards event,

1119
01:34:56,200 --> 01:34:57,440
which was phenomenal.

1120
01:34:58,260 --> 01:35:01,320
It started out at their facility in Queens,

1121
01:35:01,460 --> 01:35:04,020
where they handed out, I think, six or more grants.

1122
01:35:04,020 --> 01:35:12,220
We had a similar event here. We were video zooming them down there. I believe assembly woman K pulled

1123
01:35:13,020 --> 01:35:16,680
The grant award for the Alzheimer's

1124
01:35:17,220 --> 01:35:25,600
Organization I pulled it for the animal sanctuary. There were over six awards giving I think $10,000 each

1125
01:35:25,600 --> 01:35:32,820
And then Newberg came in to play. So kudos to resource world for giving back to their community

1126
01:35:32,820 --> 01:35:42,140
And speaking about Adam, there is an event because allegedly to Parillo mentioned the golfing event.

1127
01:35:42,440 --> 01:35:54,660
This is tunnel to towers foundation that's going to have a golf event at Resorts World at their golf course right on October 2nd.

1128
01:35:54,660 --> 01:35:57,680
So if I'm not a golfer, but if anybody wants to have

1129
01:35:57,680 --> 01:35:59,840
one of these, I'm going to be passing it around.

1130
01:35:59,940 --> 01:36:01,640
Well, we're also talking about golfing at the resource.

1131
01:36:01,640 --> 01:36:06,460
Just about two years ago, we had a discussion about giving

1132
01:36:06,460 --> 01:36:07,280
back to the community.

1133
01:36:07,340 --> 01:36:10,280
And they have a discount rate for Sullivan County residents,

1134
01:36:10,280 --> 01:36:12,800
which is half price during a week.

1135
01:36:12,940 --> 01:36:15,340
So people may not realize it, but it's half price

1136
01:36:15,900 --> 01:36:17,020
considered what they charge.

1137
01:36:17,180 --> 01:36:19,000
And it goes again to the George World.

1138
01:36:20,000 --> 01:36:20,420
What, Matt?

1139
01:36:20,940 --> 01:36:23,560
Are you not even a sponsor for someone?

1140
01:36:23,560 --> 01:36:26,500
Yeah, I'm going to sponsor. And that's on your radar.

1141
01:36:26,640 --> 01:36:31,020
I've got a team. Yeah, a little bit on the website next to the wing night in

1142
01:36:31,020 --> 01:36:35,820
Zumba. Oh, just so like last night we, we thought better than I like.

1143
01:36:36,100 --> 01:36:42,860
All right, uh, partnership. Ready. So, um, gotta bring some positivity to this.

1144
01:36:42,940 --> 01:36:46,160
Uh, microphone. You're gonna lift it up. You're a lot going on in Solving County.

1145
01:36:46,360 --> 01:36:49,440
Bring some positivity to the dorm. If that was an outsider, I think we were,

1146
01:36:49,440 --> 01:36:52,600
we're destined to failure here. There's a lot. We are not, but we

1147
01:36:52,600 --> 01:36:54,280
We do have some financial difficulties.

1148
01:36:54,400 --> 01:36:57,380
We do, but things are changing and things are good.

1149
01:36:58,380 --> 01:37:03,980
But I'll start with a little doom and gloom because I come to you every month and I know

1150
01:37:03,980 --> 01:37:06,060
that it's frustrating for all of you.

1151
01:37:06,480 --> 01:37:08,100
You want projects to happen right away.

1152
01:37:08,540 --> 01:37:09,140
They don't.

1153
01:37:10,080 --> 01:37:11,400
I'll talk to you about a project.

1154
01:37:11,820 --> 01:37:12,840
It'll be three years later.

1155
01:37:12,980 --> 01:37:14,560
I'm still talking to you about the same project.

1156
01:37:14,900 --> 01:37:18,360
It's the way it goes in the state of New York and there are things that are challenging

1157
01:37:18,360 --> 01:37:23,060
in this state and Joey mentioned them and it's true, not only the NIMBY situation,

1158
01:37:23,560 --> 01:37:28,320
but the regulatory hurdles that we have to go through to get a project approved are astronomical.

1159
01:37:28,820 --> 01:37:33,000
And they take time. So if you want me to answer a question that you had before, what can we do to help?

1160
01:37:33,440 --> 01:37:38,080
Use your influence, come to our planning board meetings when there's a project, use your political

1161
01:37:38,080 --> 01:37:42,820
influence to talk to the representatives of the state to push projects forward to shorten the

1162
01:37:42,820 --> 01:37:47,860
timeline for approvals and the regulatory process make that more efficient so

1163
01:37:47,860 --> 01:37:50,920
that we can get projects through, particularly in rural communities, it's

1164
01:37:50,920 --> 01:37:55,020
devastating because it just takes too long to get things that I mentioned as

1165
01:37:55,020 --> 01:38:01,540
often that the Mario Chromo Bridge was approved and designed and finished in less

1166
01:38:01,540 --> 01:38:05,660
time than we have projects still on the docket today. You can't have that three

1167
01:38:05,660 --> 01:38:10,800
years. We have projects that are going on in five years. That said we do have

1168
01:38:10,800 --> 01:38:15,200
some good news. And we'll just go through a litany of projects. We'll end up with a big one

1169
01:38:16,020 --> 01:38:20,660
to address that. The other person that made a good comment was Kat. And Kat said, we have

1170
01:38:20,660 --> 01:38:27,200
to diversify from tourism. We do. You have made great strides in doing that. The old 17 quarter

1171
01:38:27,980 --> 01:38:33,140
infrastructure project is in design right now. These things take time. They do. There are legal things,

1172
01:38:33,340 --> 01:38:36,740
there are public hearings or things that we have to go through that they're in design. That is

1173
01:38:36,740 --> 01:38:43,580
is going to happen. I remind you we're able to attract your $140,000 investment catalyzed

1174
01:38:43,580 --> 01:38:50,760
$21 million. So that's a win. By any stretch of the imagination, we'll see the benefits

1175
01:38:50,760 --> 01:38:56,600
of that soon. We have to bring infrastructure to that quarter. When we do, we'll have activity

1176
01:38:56,600 --> 01:38:59,200
there. It will be industrial commercial and positive of that.

1177
01:38:59,200 --> 01:39:04,220
The Atwoods project in Bethel, which is the Tech Retrieve,

1178
01:39:04,220 --> 01:39:06,360
those of you who might need a reminder,

1179
01:39:06,940 --> 01:39:11,400
it's a project that's going to bring tech industry folks here

1180
01:39:11,400 --> 01:39:14,420
and solving Google's, the Apple's, the gamers and all that

1181
01:39:14,420 --> 01:39:16,280
to a location in Bethel.

1182
01:39:16,880 --> 01:39:18,520
Got their final approval from DOH.

1183
01:39:18,740 --> 01:39:20,920
Again, another one that took forever to get done,

1184
01:39:21,400 --> 01:39:24,540
but they did get that done finally last month.

1185
01:39:25,060 --> 01:39:28,360
They're in the process of now doing their designing,

1186
01:39:28,360 --> 01:39:34,020
They're construction planning and all of that so that's good. That is going to happen in Bethel

1187
01:39:34,020 --> 01:39:38,160
And that's a 30 I think up to 36 million dollar project done

1188
01:39:39,060 --> 01:39:44,580
Livingston Manor legacy hold this thing holdings. You know, they had their pools done. They got some money from the state

1189
01:39:44,580 --> 01:39:48,400
That's a project is gonna be done in Livingston Manor. You saw the news this morning. They just got the

1190
01:39:48,400 --> 01:39:50,220
New York grant as well

1191
01:39:50,220 --> 01:39:55,220
That's gonna impact Livingston Manor even further than what's going on there. That's a good project

1192
01:39:56,340 --> 01:40:05,260
Granglaunch Resort in Farsburg has been approved, a tourism project, high end cabins in the Farsburg area, that is going to happen.

1193
01:40:05,420 --> 01:40:13,000
It's a project that is done and moving forward. There are plans that are in it like Joseph for expansion, that is going to happen.

1194
01:40:15,000 --> 01:40:19,960
The big one, of course, is what happened the other night and finally at the Liberty Planning

1195
01:40:19,960 --> 01:40:24,380
Board, the developers at Grossingers did submit their plans.

1196
01:40:24,620 --> 01:40:25,540
We've known them all along.

1197
01:40:25,580 --> 01:40:31,420
We've been working with those folks and there, they're going to be regionally impactful.

1198
01:40:31,820 --> 01:40:32,880
It's a big project.

1199
01:40:34,080 --> 01:40:35,580
Grossingers have been singing around for 40 years.

1200
01:40:36,520 --> 01:40:37,340
Nothing's really happened.

1201
01:40:37,480 --> 01:40:39,060
We had developers come in, developers come out.

1202
01:40:39,600 --> 01:40:42,180
Finally, we have a developer that had to wear with all to do it.

1203
01:40:43,020 --> 01:40:48,220
And not only are they going to be successful because they're good developers and they've

1204
01:40:48,220 --> 01:40:53,260
done this many times before in Florida and other locations in the country, but it is

1205
01:40:53,260 --> 01:40:54,140
a project of passion.

1206
01:40:54,460 --> 01:41:00,340
So the key developer did attend, they'd go to Groceryers when he was a kid and went to the

1207
01:41:00,340 --> 01:41:04,880
Bushville hotels, others and the Brickmen and others in the area and the Navaly and the

1208
01:41:04,880 --> 01:41:05,800
Concord and everything else.

1209
01:41:05,800 --> 01:41:12,880
I can name 100 of them if I have to but that was the impetus that that drove his you know

1210
01:41:13,960 --> 01:41:17,740
Decision to come here, although with obviously making a profitable on that sort of thing

1211
01:41:18,200 --> 01:41:22,700
several hundred million dollars. I mean, I'm probably short shorting it. They didn't give me the final number

1212
01:41:24,220 --> 01:41:27,280
They're going to redo the original big G golf course

1213
01:41:27,740 --> 01:41:31,120
They're going to add an additional golf course on top of that called the north course

1214
01:41:31,120 --> 01:41:32,680
We're gonna add a

1215
01:41:32,680 --> 01:41:38,460
a question in center year round to bring folks up from the Hamptons and other

1216
01:41:38,460 --> 01:41:43,060
locations that don't have a year round location to do that there. They will

1217
01:41:43,060 --> 01:41:49,260
have a boutique hotel closer to the lake. They will have a spa. They will have a

1218
01:41:49,260 --> 01:41:54,340
pro center, a pro golf center with instruction and they will have homes that

1219
01:41:54,340 --> 01:41:57,960
you would see around golf course. Like at West Hills or like some of the golf

1220
01:41:57,960 --> 01:42:03,360
of course, as you see in Westchester County and Jersey and beyond that's around, of course.

1221
01:42:03,560 --> 01:42:12,300
So the preliminary concept was discussed on Monday night, Tuesday night, Tuesday night

1222
01:42:12,900 --> 01:42:15,920
with the Village of Library or Tunnel Liberty Planning Board.

1223
01:42:16,860 --> 01:42:20,360
I assume they're going to take lead agency on this as they should.

1224
01:42:21,280 --> 01:42:22,740
It's an impactful project.

1225
01:42:24,020 --> 01:42:26,340
It's going to bring in several hundred jobs to that location.

1226
01:42:26,340 --> 01:42:31,360
and it's certainly something that we're looking forward to getting done there

1227
01:42:31,360 --> 01:42:36,220
in that area. It will have impacts throughout the county and beyond. So when you

1228
01:42:36,220 --> 01:42:40,780
look at it, you look at all the project, you look at atwoods, you look at I think

1229
01:42:40,780 --> 01:42:44,360
Fimpo's decisions coming as living soon, you look at like Vincent Light's the

1230
01:42:44,360 --> 01:42:51,700
oldings, you look at the project on old 17, you look at what's going on at

1231
01:42:51,700 --> 01:42:55,800
grossingers and one that I forgot to mention there's a contract that was agreed

1232
01:42:55,800 --> 01:42:57,680
two for the old PepsiCo plan.

1233
01:42:58,560 --> 01:43:06,000
Hudson Valley Farms is the one that was awarded that contract so they will be investing in

1234
01:43:06,000 --> 01:43:14,340
that location and adding jobs to that location to address their growing hot agribusiness products

1235
01:43:14,340 --> 01:43:17,660
that they produce for entities like Whole Foods and that sort of thing.

1236
01:43:17,840 --> 01:43:20,740
So that's adding to that location and sat there about a year.

1237
01:43:20,740 --> 01:43:27,420
I knew it was going to be purchased at some point, you know, we work with NICEG, we work

1238
01:43:27,420 --> 01:43:32,220
with other entities to make sure we're working with the village, water and sewer infrastructure

1239
01:43:32,220 --> 01:43:32,600
folks.

1240
01:43:33,100 --> 01:43:37,740
We have to do some preliminary presentations to the village planning board, but that's going

1241
01:43:37,740 --> 01:43:38,320
to happen there.

1242
01:43:38,460 --> 01:43:43,860
A cumulative total of all of this, and you add it all together, it's going to be somewhere

1243
01:43:43,860 --> 01:43:48,700
around $750 million of investment and approximately 1,500 jobs.

1244
01:43:48,700 --> 01:43:53,680
that's going to happen. I would never throw that out there and risk staying that publicly,

1245
01:43:53,960 --> 01:43:58,600
but I didn't know that it's already done. Things are in place, investments are being made,

1246
01:43:59,280 --> 01:44:04,300
the term sheets are being signed, the planning is being done, it's going through those

1247
01:44:04,300 --> 01:44:09,620
and several stages, but this has been going on for years. I mean, it's been going on for

1248
01:44:10,180 --> 01:44:16,660
since COVID. I mean, some before COVID, an economic development takes time, and you have planning

1249
01:44:16,660 --> 01:44:22,640
boards and all planning boards are not the same. We have different, you know, requirements

1250
01:44:22,640 --> 01:44:26,440
and different things that you have to do depending on the town. You have folks in the communities

1251
01:44:26,440 --> 01:44:29,940
that want projects. You have folks in the communities that don't want projects. So you're

1252
01:44:29,940 --> 01:44:35,740
dealing with all these different factors in doing that. Our healthcare industry, due to the

1253
01:44:35,740 --> 01:44:41,120
center for discovery mostly, but it's growing again. We have every green metal going on

1254
01:44:41,120 --> 01:44:45,520
in Rock Hill. That's another $40 million project. They just got a $10 million from the state.

1255
01:44:45,520 --> 01:44:49,580
So these things are happening. I know it doesn't solve your immediate sales

1256
01:44:49,580 --> 01:44:54,860
tax problem. But again, I'll reiterate what Kat said. We can't solely rely on

1257
01:44:54,860 --> 01:44:59,520
sales tax. We have to rely on long-term rateables, long-term solutions. Those

1258
01:44:59,520 --> 01:44:59,980
things do...

1259
01:45:00,000 --> 01:45:29,680
We take time. And my prediction is they will be hitting probably three years from now is when they're all going to really start to hit shovels in the ground, everything done, and the economy flourishing as a result doesn't help you in the immediacy. But it's good to know that these things are coming and they wouldn't have happened if you didn't make those investments years ago. In addition to that, your broadband investment, investment at the airport, all these things are happening in different silos, but they are happening happening together and humanatively.

1260
01:45:29,680 --> 01:45:34,380
and they're going to have a broader impact when they're all coming together with all the projects that are here.

1261
01:45:34,860 --> 01:45:40,560
So I can't sit here and cry in my beer. I know that these things are coming and I know it's going to be impactful.

1262
01:45:40,720 --> 01:45:43,840
It doesn't help you today, but I know the future looks bright for Sullivan County.

1263
01:45:44,380 --> 01:45:46,180
And if you have any questions, be willing to answer.

1264
01:45:46,360 --> 01:45:51,680
I do have two suggestions. One is a request. So I know that you're not part of the agenda packet.

1265
01:45:52,580 --> 01:45:57,080
So I'd like to see your remarks outlined for the agenda packet.

1266
01:45:57,080 --> 01:46:01,820
You could please submit those to the clerk so that every all these great updates that you're giving us

1267
01:46:01,820 --> 01:46:06,180
They need to be for the record and include it in the agenda package. Some things can't be talked about as you know

1268
01:46:06,180 --> 01:46:11,000
That's why we I don't want to hear about the things we can't talk about but the ones that you did talk about today

1269
01:46:11,000 --> 01:46:14,280
I would like to see those listed so that we could be more structured

1270
01:46:14,280 --> 01:46:21,800
So because there's absolutely nothing we go for Michael has beautiful presentation takes a lot of time to put that in there

1271
01:46:21,800 --> 01:46:24,500
But in anybody else who's not in this packet as well

1272
01:46:24,500 --> 01:46:30,560
You got to put something in the packet. It's going to help you to structure your remarks and for us to have it as part of our record

1273
01:46:30,560 --> 01:46:36,520
What happened in this committee meeting because who's going to remember what mark by as said, you know, three weeks from now

1274
01:46:36,520 --> 01:46:41,640
If it's not in the packet and we can't go back to it because nobody's going to go back and listen to the audio

1275
01:46:41,640 --> 01:46:49,340
So please have your remarks prepared and put in there. The second thing is I believe that and I could be wrong that the partnership has a

1276
01:46:49,340 --> 01:46:55,440
contract for workforce development, not today, not anymore.

1277
01:46:55,720 --> 01:46:55,960
Okay.

1278
01:46:56,420 --> 01:46:57,040
Well, thank you.

1279
01:46:57,260 --> 01:47:02,720
So next month, let's try to maybe up the game on the agenda packet for the clerk a little

1280
01:47:02,720 --> 01:47:02,960
bit.

1281
01:47:03,240 --> 01:47:04,320
You could talk to Mike.

1282
01:47:04,320 --> 01:47:08,960
If you need some pointers, he clearly takes that part of his job very seriously.

1283
01:47:09,340 --> 01:47:09,800
That's quite a wrap.

1284
01:47:10,160 --> 01:47:11,220
Any other questions on projects?

1285
01:47:11,460 --> 01:47:13,340
Because I think I presented a lot there.

1286
01:47:13,500 --> 01:47:16,920
I think it was a good report you gave us.

1287
01:47:16,920 --> 01:47:23,640
And the biggest concern we have is, you know, we need it, we need an influx of, I don't

1288
01:47:23,640 --> 01:47:30,660
want to say new people, but younger people, different types of industry people because,

1289
01:47:30,880 --> 01:47:35,220
you know, they talk about the healthcare, we have healthcare people here that work here.

1290
01:47:35,640 --> 01:47:40,680
Now we need the plum is coming up here, we need the luxuries to come up here, we need a,

1291
01:47:40,820 --> 01:47:46,320
plenty of mechanics, there's no data about it, but, you know, we need year round housing,

1292
01:47:46,320 --> 01:47:48,840
not affordable housing, a year-round housing,

1293
01:47:49,460 --> 01:47:51,500
and when people start moving here,

1294
01:47:51,640 --> 01:47:56,100
there's more needs for the Starbucks, the restaurants,

1295
01:47:56,740 --> 01:47:58,840
and then we'll get our hospitality up that way.

1296
01:47:59,080 --> 01:48:01,480
So, I mean, I don't know what came first.

1297
01:48:01,640 --> 01:48:02,560
The people are the companies,

1298
01:48:02,560 --> 01:48:04,200
but I think the companies came first.

1299
01:48:04,500 --> 01:48:05,680
And the people will follow.

1300
01:48:05,880 --> 01:48:08,880
The good news announcement with Ken Kari and the group.

1301
01:48:09,720 --> 01:48:10,800
Killin' in Liberty as well.

1302
01:48:12,560 --> 01:48:13,880
Okay, Mark, keep up the good work.

1303
01:48:13,880 --> 01:48:24,660
All right, legislators any further discussions? No. No. All right, let me agenda public comment.

1304
01:48:34,160 --> 01:48:36,060
Okay, I'll try to make this short and sweet.

1305
01:48:36,760 --> 01:48:44,700
Slowest bird. Many times stop there. No information. And now we have no visitors guide so there'll be no more information.

1306
01:48:45,400 --> 01:48:51,160
Watch PBS, fundraiser, the documentary on Woodstock.

1307
01:48:51,820 --> 01:48:53,600
We are known for Woodstock.

1308
01:48:53,860 --> 01:48:55,080
Like we've forgotten about it.

1309
01:48:55,180 --> 01:48:55,920
We don't push that.

1310
01:48:56,700 --> 01:49:00,100
You know, you go to Philadelphia for Independence Hall.

1311
01:49:00,680 --> 01:49:02,840
You go down to Newburg for Washington's headquarters.

1312
01:49:03,420 --> 01:49:04,580
And more, these are old men.

1313
01:49:04,880 --> 01:49:06,180
These are 250 years old.

1314
01:49:06,880 --> 01:49:07,800
And here we got Woodstock.

1315
01:49:07,940 --> 01:49:09,080
And we like to forget about it.

1316
01:49:09,540 --> 01:49:13,360
And you talk about Bethel Woods.

1317
01:49:13,700 --> 01:49:14,520
That's a venue.

1318
01:49:14,520 --> 01:49:22,440
you, Woodstock, their museum, that's a history. And we seem to forget about it. It's not even

1319
01:49:22,440 --> 01:49:31,800
part of our logo. Okay, lakes that you're very new to the county. The problem with lakes

1320
01:49:31,800 --> 01:49:37,440
in Sullivan County and getting to go fishing or get on them, most of them are private. It's

1321
01:49:37,440 --> 01:49:42,740
very hard to get on a lot of the water in Sullivan County. So it's not a really good tourist

1322
01:49:42,740 --> 01:49:48,400
draw because they're not available, just because they're sort of locked by ownership.

1323
01:49:52,460 --> 01:49:58,500
Mr. McPhill over there talks about traveling and going online. I'm really tired of this

1324
01:49:58,500 --> 01:50:04,520
going online routine because you're, you're ages. That's what you really are. You're ages

1325
01:50:04,520 --> 01:50:09,980
and you're going to take out your phone and look down here, even more ages. Shop right,

1326
01:50:09,980 --> 01:50:17,720
digital coupons, ages. They make it difficult for us or anybody who is not savvy. I'm savvy,

1327
01:50:17,920 --> 01:50:22,640
but a lot of people aren't savvy. Don't want to are annoyed by doing that. Everything's online,

1328
01:50:22,640 --> 01:50:27,320
online. You know what that is? These are these young bucks coming into the system, getting out of

1329
01:50:27,320 --> 01:50:31,440
college and want to make big money and they're pushing all this stuff. Forget us.

1330
01:50:34,180 --> 01:50:35,380
I'm not the most savvy.

1331
01:50:35,380 --> 01:50:41,320
you probably have me be okay I would like a copy of and I think all you

1332
01:50:41,320 --> 01:50:47,060
legislators should get a copy of the last RFP we put out and all contracts

1333
01:50:47,060 --> 01:50:51,520
signed by the Visitors Association so we know what they're supposed to be

1334
01:50:51,520 --> 01:50:58,960
delivering all of this okay and that's a verbal request foil request so I

1335
01:50:58,960 --> 01:51:02,580
appreciate it if you would do that I'm not gonna sit down around a long

1336
01:51:02,580 --> 01:51:08,460
letter to you on that one. We need more beds. Tourism, tourism, tourism. If you can't put

1337
01:51:08,460 --> 01:51:14,160
heads on beds, you got no room tax. Okay. And when you have heads on beds, you've got

1338
01:51:14,160 --> 01:51:20,660
a whole other economy that goes with supporting those beds. One stop, visitor ascension, when

1339
01:51:20,660 --> 01:51:26,340
we used to talk about it, we used to talk about having one stop. The IDA, the partnership

1340
01:51:26,780 --> 01:51:32,220
and the visitor association all in one space, something to think about. I'm here. I'm

1341
01:51:32,220 --> 01:51:40,060
way to hear the calendar, I just hope on the public's end that it's easy to put information

1342
01:51:40,060 --> 01:51:45,320
into it. My wife does that. She's got about a list of 50 different places she's got to

1343
01:51:45,320 --> 01:51:51,720
go to put information up. Some of them are easy, cut and paste. Something we got to re-enter

1344
01:51:51,720 --> 01:52:07,420
takes nine clicks to do TikTok, all that good stuff. Your law, your code, paragraph 182-18,

1345
01:52:07,960 --> 01:52:15,060
definition of permanent resident. Instead of New York room tax this defines a permanent resident

1346
01:52:15,060 --> 01:52:21,400
as 90 days and we have a 30 days I believe there's a stronger and that's the one that should

1347
01:52:21,400 --> 01:52:25,420
per bail. When you have a three days, that means bungalow colonies don't have

1348
01:52:25,420 --> 01:52:29,420
the pay room tax. I really think you should look at that and change it back to

1349
01:52:29,420 --> 01:52:31,660
90 days. You did have a 90 days or one time.

1350
01:52:35,320 --> 01:52:37,660
One of the things I find with a business association,

1351
01:52:37,660 --> 01:52:41,400
you're looking at their website, I think some of that's paid a play.

1352
01:52:42,500 --> 01:52:44,680
Some people get, you know,

1353
01:52:45,600 --> 01:52:48,380
okay, I'm corrected. I'll accept that.

1354
01:52:48,380 --> 01:52:49,680
None of it is.

1355
01:52:50,260 --> 01:52:51,360
All right, membership.

1356
01:52:51,580 --> 01:52:53,040
It used to be a membership organization?

1357
01:52:53,960 --> 01:53:00,040
Well, how do you vote for new board members if you're not a membership or organization anymore?

1358
01:53:00,640 --> 01:53:01,360
Who gets to vote?

1359
01:53:02,020 --> 01:53:03,160
Who gets to the mailers?

1360
01:53:03,760 --> 01:53:08,900
Why do we, you know, the chambers of membership, but they did away with membership.

1361
01:53:10,400 --> 01:53:14,220
The arts do not seem to get played as much.

1362
01:53:14,220 --> 01:53:21,600
Yeah, wing night, but there's arts going on throughout the county. You're going to have some major ones

1363
01:53:22,380 --> 01:53:31,800
Like chandelier you're good, but you also have minor ones where you have a a not-for-profit having a shows or like the

1364
01:53:32,520 --> 01:53:34,700
The workshop in South Fallsburg

1365
01:53:37,240 --> 01:53:38,560
I thought

1366
01:53:38,560 --> 01:53:41,280
but Selvin's cash skills was trademark, is it?

1367
01:53:43,400 --> 01:53:44,460
Is Selvin's cash skills trademark?

1368
01:53:48,840 --> 01:53:51,460
Okay, then why isn't that copyright sign on it?

1369
01:53:51,580 --> 01:53:51,760
That's all.

1370
01:53:52,380 --> 01:53:54,000
So people, I

1371
01:53:56,110 --> 01:53:58,210
thought it was already done, okay.

1372
01:54:00,350 --> 01:54:03,390
Baby boomers are retiring at the rate about 6,000 a day.

1373
01:54:05,410 --> 01:54:06,690
That's a lot of job opening folks.

1374
01:54:08,190 --> 01:54:10,970
And we don't have the drag graduating classes

1375
01:54:10,970 --> 01:54:15,150
that we used to have, beginning smaller and smaller, okay?

1376
01:54:15,710 --> 01:54:21,890
bureaucracy is our biggest enemy on growth and you want to talk about school

1377
01:54:21,890 --> 01:54:26,430
you talk about schools and school budgets go back and look at a year book

1378
01:54:26,430 --> 01:54:30,590
30 years ago and see how much administration you have and how much

1379
01:54:30,590 --> 01:54:36,210
administration you have today and when I went to school it was 600 over 600

1380
01:54:36,210 --> 01:54:41,010
kids at six classes middle school and high school you know what you had one

1381
01:54:41,010 --> 01:54:48,030
superintendent and he didn't have a a business manager who had a PhD. All right, you had

1382
01:54:48,030 --> 01:54:54,350
a business manager knew what he was doing. You had two guidance counselors. Now, think

1383
01:54:54,350 --> 01:55:01,950
about it. Okay. No one talked about chart well that closed doors. Maybe we need those

1384
01:55:01,950 --> 01:55:07,210
three lanes coming to Selma County now up to Liberty. I think we should put that back

1385
01:55:07,210 --> 01:55:14,070
on the burner, okay? And nobody's really talking about housing, and I don't mean workforce

1386
01:55:14,070 --> 01:55:20,990
housing because that's not a growth factor. I mean, homes for people. And we are not

1387
01:55:20,990 --> 01:55:25,590
having any more of that. I mean, you just look at this town alone. You said, be a company

1388
01:55:25,590 --> 01:55:31,130
called Wagner Saitel. That's not there anymore. That was a lumber company and you used to build

1389
01:55:31,130 --> 01:55:38,220
housing? Think about liberty, mother's cell. Look at how many businesses are not there.

1390
01:55:38,520 --> 01:55:45,000
Used to be a big business. They don't have any really big businesses anymore. You've got to try

1391
01:55:45,000 --> 01:55:47,180
to figure out how to make that move along. Thank you.

1392
01:55:55,040 --> 01:55:57,500
I usually don't disagree with Ken Walter,

1393
01:55:57,660 --> 01:56:03,440
but on the fishing thing, Ken, there's fishing maps available. You go to New York DEC.gov,

1394
01:56:04,020 --> 01:56:07,960
shows you there are a lot of private lakes, but there's plenty of public access for fishing in New

1395
01:56:07,960 --> 01:56:10,760
New York State and it's all available at public information.

1396
01:56:10,760 --> 01:56:11,860
Thank you.

1397
01:56:11,940 --> 01:56:17,120
Yeah, there's 15 managed areas within Sullivan County at the PCS and then there's

1398
01:56:17,120 --> 01:56:18,300
unmanaged areas as well.

1399
01:56:18,400 --> 01:56:21,920
Commissioner Brown could tell us all about like superior and the other legs.

1400
01:56:22,120 --> 01:56:23,600
We got Lake Ida and Thompson.

1401
01:56:24,780 --> 01:56:25,540
Morning Marty.

1402
01:56:25,820 --> 01:56:26,820
Hello, how's everyone doing?

1403
01:56:26,980 --> 01:56:27,540
Good to see you.

1404
01:56:29,420 --> 01:56:35,040
Last point in time counting Sullivan County bared some news that homelessness is up over

1405
01:56:35,040 --> 01:56:45,480
but 30%. I sent everybody a picture yesterday of when I walk around early in the morning

1406
01:56:45,480 --> 01:56:52,360
of folks who were sleeping on benches with their covers and blankets and what I see every

1407
01:56:52,360 --> 01:56:58,700
day in the county is more and more people walking over Route 17 with shopping carts or baby

1408
01:56:58,700 --> 01:57:02,840
carriages that have plastic bags with their clothes and while they're holding their children

1409
01:57:02,840 --> 01:57:08,620
their arms. I haven't seen this for some months but I'm starting to see more and more and more.

1410
01:57:09,720 --> 01:57:17,320
And we're talking about money being you know spent and money being wasted and what we need in

1411
01:57:17,320 --> 01:57:21,540
the county and we're up to a million point seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars

1412
01:57:21,540 --> 01:57:28,600
collateral that we spent since January not being able to house a hundred people. I'm not talking

1413
01:57:28,600 --> 01:57:31,900
about the four to five hundred people at home was about a hundred people in the county

1414
01:57:31,900 --> 01:57:37,980
collateral that we're bleeding every month we're bleeding dollars and last year at this point in

1415
01:57:37,980 --> 01:57:44,300
time we were arguing and talking about Gateway what Brian had promised me that he had the votes he

1416
01:57:44,300 --> 01:57:51,120
had the sight and he had the funding and none of that has changed which is why we just correct the record

1417
01:57:51,120 --> 01:57:58,580
let me just let me finish which is why we didn't apply for the and I might be wrong

1418
01:57:58,600 --> 01:57:59,600
because I'm the idiot in the room.

1419
01:57:59,780 --> 01:58:02,460
You guys, you guys got the long shoes on.

1420
01:58:02,640 --> 01:58:05,080
I might be wrong, and I'll even say right now I am wrong,

1421
01:58:05,440 --> 01:58:05,660
all right?

1422
01:58:06,400 --> 01:58:07,800
But I just remember what I heard,

1423
01:58:08,040 --> 01:58:09,640
and my wife remembers the same thing.

1424
01:58:10,360 --> 01:58:12,960
And maybe my character can be questioned,

1425
01:58:13,200 --> 01:58:15,540
but Lynn's friggin' saint, you know what I mean?

1426
01:58:17,380 --> 01:58:20,960
I will say this, that we have an opportunity this year

1427
01:58:20,960 --> 01:58:23,720
to do the same thing, to collateralily save

1428
01:58:23,720 --> 01:58:25,520
a quarter million dollars every single month

1429
01:58:25,520 --> 01:58:27,480
in Sullivan County, all right?

1430
01:58:27,480 --> 01:58:34,720
We're choosing not to do that right now. I'm here at all these things about we need this business and that business and the county

1431
01:58:34,720 --> 01:58:39,460
And as long as I've been here a lot of the contractors when you contacted you to work in your homes

1432
01:58:39,460 --> 01:58:45,880
They don't even contact you back. They don't come all right, so especially in the summertime

1433
01:58:45,880 --> 01:58:49,140
You got a problem you got an electrical problem. You got a plumbing problem

1434
01:58:49,140 --> 01:58:52,360
You got you got a construction problem in your house. They're not coming back

1435
01:58:52,360 --> 01:58:57,460
But you know something there's a lot of people now and it's increasing every month that don't

1436
01:58:57,460 --> 01:59:01,300
have to worry about those issues because they are sleeping on benches. And in the morning,

1437
01:59:01,400 --> 01:59:05,760
if you take a walk, and I've invited everybody here several times over the past couple

1438
01:59:05,760 --> 01:59:11,660
of years to come out with our outreach to get on the truck, all right, and see at five

1439
01:59:11,660 --> 01:59:15,940
o'clock in the morning who's walking out of the woods, which we saw this morning, all right,

1440
01:59:16,300 --> 01:59:21,700
and see what's going on. And I would beg you to do that. And I've been asking people in

1441
01:59:21,700 --> 01:59:27,940
Sullivan County to do that for a long long time and a lean Gunther did it and

1442
01:59:28,660 --> 01:59:32,720
Michelle Frazier approached us and did it not as somebody who's running for

1443
01:59:32,720 --> 01:59:36,980
office but as somebody who was coming out with us and giving harm reduction

1444
01:59:36,980 --> 01:59:43,700
materials out giving giving giving hope to people all right you know and and not

1445
01:59:43,700 --> 01:59:47,800
oh how do you end up this way but we love you we care about you we want to keep

1446
01:59:47,800 --> 01:59:54,080
in the game all right and I've asked you guys to come out and cat as well that's right I was there

1447
01:59:57,020 --> 01:59:59,400
but what's horribly frustrating to me

1448
02:00:00,000 --> 02:00:29,560
Is that we're not going to put on a billboard and we're not going to put in a brochure of those people sleeping on a bench. We're not going to put on a billboard or in a brochure. The people that are walking over the overpasses, but you know we're going to see it, the people that are visiting our county. And for business, and again, I'm the asshole in the room. I'm an idiot, but from a business perspective, all right. You would think we would start having that conversation. All right.

1449
02:00:30,500 --> 02:00:34,800
Yeah, I agree. Compassion, consideration, because when we knock on people's

1450
02:00:34,800 --> 02:00:39,200
go, as we say, we love you, we want to keep you in the game. Can we give you an

1451
02:00:39,200 --> 02:00:43,820
arcane kit? We're in every Bethel Woods concert. We're talking about Bethel Woods.

1452
02:00:43,900 --> 02:00:46,940
It's not hard to get there because we've been doing it for years. We have

1453
02:00:46,940 --> 02:00:52,860
attended. People go to concert, see us. Food from the regional food bank of the

1454
02:00:52,860 --> 02:00:59,140
Hudson Valley, the last inventory, over 50% were candy cookies or sugar drinks.

1455
02:00:59,140 --> 02:01:01,620
They were not nutritious things.

1456
02:01:02,280 --> 02:01:04,040
I know that because we still deliver

1457
02:01:04,040 --> 02:01:06,540
to 758 people a week in this county.

1458
02:01:07,400 --> 02:01:10,660
And the more we have less access to food,

1459
02:01:10,660 --> 02:01:12,080
I know that's kind of an oxymoron,

1460
02:01:12,660 --> 02:01:15,080
the more people are gonna be sleeping on benches.

1461
02:01:16,040 --> 02:01:18,140
And that concerns me, that worries me.

1462
02:01:18,580 --> 02:01:21,240
And it seems like that conversation and this meeting

1463
02:01:21,240 --> 02:01:24,460
should be the meeting we're talking about, this stuff.

1464
02:01:25,100 --> 02:01:27,180
Because if we wanna make this a healthy county,

1465
02:01:27,180 --> 02:01:31,660
if we want to make this a vibrant county that we need to consider those who are helpless

1466
02:01:31,660 --> 02:01:40,380
and every faith and every culture on this planet has a clause built in where we help the hopeless

1467
02:01:41,080 --> 02:01:46,720
and I would beg you guys again I'll be here next month but it's really frustrating because I love

1468
02:01:46,720 --> 02:01:51,620
you and I love these people and the people that are out there that are homeless and you know I love them

1469
02:01:51,620 --> 02:01:54,620
Because that could have been me that should have been me

1470
02:01:54,620 --> 02:02:00,040
All right, and I would beg you to keep that conversation alive, and I would beg you

1471
02:02:02,170 --> 02:02:07,410
To consider gateway it might be an eye sore people might not want it in their backyard put it in my backyard

1472
02:02:07,410 --> 02:02:08,790
I'll take it any day of the week

1473
02:02:09,770 --> 02:02:14,130
But but please you know consider applying for it. We might have blown it again this year

1474
02:02:14,590 --> 02:02:18,550
But we did blow to people sleep it on the bench. They're still there, and I love you guys

1475
02:02:18,550 --> 02:02:25,450
I hope everybody says they say if you wake up in your air-conditioned houses or your warm beds because there's people out there who can't do that

1476
02:02:25,990 --> 02:02:28,170
Stay safe. Thank you. Thank you, Marty

1477
02:02:29,310 --> 02:02:29,810
chair

1478
02:02:32,210 --> 02:02:33,350
Good when I

1479
02:02:34,250 --> 02:02:36,350
Well, I just to correct the record

1480
02:02:36,350 --> 02:02:42,950
I mean the conversation Marty's talking about is one when we were presented with the 20 bed facility for eight million dollars that

1481
02:02:43,510 --> 02:02:48,450
Although it might have helped 20 people it did not solve the issue at hand

1482
02:02:48,550 --> 02:02:50,450
No, it would have held 80 to 100 people per year.

1483
02:02:52,150 --> 02:02:57,070
So they said, however, our census right now is at 244.

1484
02:02:57,510 --> 02:02:58,810
Normally, it was at 300.

1485
02:02:59,050 --> 02:03:01,970
So I don't want public conversation

1486
02:03:01,970 --> 02:03:05,730
to take away from the work that family services is doing.

1487
02:03:06,690 --> 02:03:10,750
And everybody in that field, as an update,

1488
02:03:11,330 --> 02:03:14,190
as promised before my character gets

1489
02:03:14,190 --> 02:03:16,390
questioned by somebody who doesn't want to hear it,

1490
02:03:16,390 --> 02:03:21,130
There is work going on to come up with a facility that's going to

1491
02:03:22,070 --> 02:03:31,410
provide a wraparound service because of what we're educated with is that majority of your homelessness comes from drug addiction and mental health.

1492
02:03:31,950 --> 02:03:41,590
So instead of just putting up an eight million dollar facility for 20 beds, we are looking to properly handle the crisis that is in front of us and to get

1493
02:03:41,590 --> 02:03:53,070
But it will be a wraparound service place that has got the information and the assistance

1494
02:03:53,070 --> 02:03:57,690
necessary to first help the people that has contributed to their homelessness.

1495
02:03:58,370 --> 02:04:04,270
And there's a law that says that your gateway housing cannot be in the same building and

1496
02:04:04,270 --> 02:04:07,470
share a common doorway as your homeless facility.

1497
02:04:07,470 --> 02:04:11,010
So we're looking at a place which we have numbers on.

1498
02:04:11,390 --> 02:04:14,750
We've had DPW go check to see if it's a suitable location.

1499
02:04:15,210 --> 02:04:16,450
So it is being worked on.

1500
02:04:16,630 --> 02:04:19,390
And in the meantime, we are collaborating

1501
02:04:19,390 --> 02:04:22,490
to provide the financial support necessary

1502
02:04:22,970 --> 02:04:25,450
as somebody that represents District 3

1503
02:04:25,450 --> 02:04:27,070
that encompasses Liberty.

1504
02:04:27,630 --> 02:04:30,690
Liberty is inundated with five of the eight locations

1505
02:04:31,170 --> 02:04:33,510
that are being utilized for these services.

1506
02:04:33,710 --> 02:04:36,630
And we are not doing a good service to the people

1507
02:04:36,630 --> 02:04:41,410
of our communities when we're putting those that have drug addiction next to domestic violence,

1508
02:04:41,850 --> 02:04:46,490
next to families that have been displaced so it is not the proper answer and I do not feel

1509
02:04:46,490 --> 02:04:53,090
personally that we are doing it any justice by throwing something up to put a bandaid on a

1510
02:04:53,090 --> 02:04:59,110
bigger problem because if I build a 300 bed facility there's going to be other areas in this county

1511
02:04:59,110 --> 02:05:04,170
and state that's going to fill that facility whether it be 300 beds and I'm sorry you're leaving

1512
02:05:04,850 --> 02:05:10,190
We can continue this discussion next week in Health and Human Services because I

1513
02:05:12,560 --> 02:05:14,580
would

1514
02:05:16,050 --> 02:05:16,730
encourage us.

1515
02:05:17,250 --> 02:05:18,330
I do agree as well.

1516
02:05:18,610 --> 02:05:23,950
I could stretch this, you know, economic development is not having homeless people around

1517
02:05:23,950 --> 02:05:27,890
but it really is more of a health and human services issue.

1518
02:05:28,890 --> 02:05:33,010
Legislator Solomon and then if we could just keep the comments related, we're

1519
02:05:33,010 --> 02:05:38,790
economic development that you know happy to give everybody a little leeway but um that was maybe a

1520
02:05:38,790 --> 02:05:46,470
little more too much. I'll be brief okay if you go back six years ago unemployment was 10%

1521
02:05:46,470 --> 02:05:53,030
in Sullivan County today with 3.8 so we should get a little bit of credit uh number two with the

1522
02:05:53,030 --> 02:05:58,090
schools I don't want to pay higher school taxes but thanks to the breakdown of the family

1523
02:05:58,090 --> 02:06:03,010
you got to have security, you have to have a monitor on the bus, you have to have cameras,

1524
02:06:03,430 --> 02:06:09,690
that won't cost money. I think the formula of school taxies should be changed, but it

1525
02:06:09,690 --> 02:06:10,230
costs money.

1526
02:06:12,920 --> 02:06:19,240
All right. Public comment? Yes. My name is Star Hussie. I'm a member of this. Senior Legislative

1527
02:06:19,240 --> 02:06:27,500
Action Committee. I was quite discouraged to see in an earlier RFP list that the county

1528
02:06:27,500 --> 02:06:32,960
apparently is still pursuing, and from some of the comments that were made, they are pursuing,

1529
02:06:33,440 --> 02:06:41,840
putting a waste incinerator into quote-unquote, solve all our garbage problems, question-marked.

1530
02:06:45,040 --> 02:06:56,160
Anyway, this is just one example of the cognitive disconnect between people who profess the desire

1531
02:06:56,160 --> 02:07:02,300
to increase having more people come to Sullivan County, visitors increase, people living

1532
02:07:02,300 --> 02:07:10,480
here and working here, and promoting these things that are going to be totally destructive

1533
02:07:10,480 --> 02:07:16,960
of many of the things that people come here for, not the least of which is possibly their

1534
02:07:16,960 --> 02:07:29,480
own lives. I just don't understand this is not a NIMBY issue. Chemical pollution is all

1535
02:07:29,480 --> 02:07:37,240
over the world. And if any of you have heard of the QC saying there is no planet B, that's

1536
02:07:37,240 --> 02:07:38,060
absolutely right.

1537
02:07:38,440 --> 02:07:41,880
I'm going to give you a little leeway but we're really this is really a public works project

1538
02:07:41,880 --> 02:07:47,260
not an economic development project, although he tried, but a little bit, give you a little

1539
02:07:47,260 --> 02:07:47,620
leeway.

1540
02:07:47,760 --> 02:07:53,200
This is about the issue that was being discussed here this morning.

1541
02:07:53,580 --> 02:07:57,120
People are professing that they want to make Sullivan County prosperous.

1542
02:07:57,400 --> 02:07:59,540
What do we have to do to have that happen?

1543
02:08:00,000 --> 02:08:04,120
Well, this is something that you do not have to do or should not do.

1544
02:08:04,120 --> 02:08:12,120
So you cannot bring in a super polluter like this that's going to affect everybody and

1545
02:08:12,120 --> 02:08:16,760
think that you're going to get people that are coming up and buying and building houses,

1546
02:08:17,380 --> 02:08:23,200
coming here to visit, or even just coming to see Woodstock for a day and then going home.

1547
02:08:24,040 --> 02:08:30,520
If you want to truly turn Sullivan County's income and economy around, you've got to start

1548
02:08:30,520 --> 02:08:35,300
looking at the factors that might be affecting that downturn. Thank you.

1549
02:08:36,440 --> 02:08:39,480
Anyone else for public comment? Yes, Rabbi Mendelweck.

1550
02:08:42,120 --> 02:08:47,880
Hi, my name is Jakob Mendelweck and if I can speak a minute, there was very good numbers

1551
02:08:48,920 --> 02:08:57,620
and employment and the number one was private education and health care. I just want to make

1552
02:08:57,620 --> 02:09:08,340
where the legislature microphone the about the childcare situation if we are not opening reopening

1553
02:09:09,480 --> 02:09:16,260
the childcare program the applications right now right now is the time when every day care

1554
02:09:16,260 --> 02:09:23,020
is centered on making the decisions who to hire what to hire how much kids they going to have how

1555
02:09:23,020 --> 02:09:28,420
much students are going to be enrolled the time is now the school year starts on September so the time

1556
02:09:28,420 --> 02:09:34,400
is now. If everyone needs to wait till October to reopen the childcare program because we're

1557
02:09:34,400 --> 02:09:41,200
waiting on how much money the state allocated, there's not going to be in October. It's now the

1558
02:09:41,200 --> 02:09:46,720
beginning of the school year and it's useless. So if we want to continue the good numbers in private

1559
02:09:46,720 --> 02:09:54,940
education, which goes tremendously and Laura said it that one of the things that we see it's going

1560
02:09:54,940 --> 02:09:59,180
a little bit down is because of the child care situation that people are right now outside

1561
02:09:59,180 --> 02:10:04,100
of the child care assistance program. If we could take it in mind that the time to act

1562
02:10:04,100 --> 02:10:11,640
is right now because the time when you're hiring people is now. So with no direction, no

1563
02:10:11,640 --> 02:10:16,780
one knows what's going to be and waiting on October is now the solution. Thank you.

1564
02:10:17,080 --> 02:10:20,000
You are correct. Thank you for stating that out loud.

1565
02:10:21,440 --> 02:10:26,480
So, right now, I just want to speak to that right now, we are waiting for more information

1566
02:10:26,480 --> 02:10:31,420
from the state, so we have overspend our allocation by over $2 million.

1567
02:10:32,460 --> 02:10:40,440
We reimburse about $500,000, yeah, so we're still at like a deficit of almost $2 million,

1568
02:10:40,680 --> 02:10:42,520
and that's why the program hasn't opened up again.

1569
02:10:43,120 --> 02:10:47,480
The good news is that the state doubled our allocate, almost doubled our allocation, right?

1570
02:10:47,480 --> 02:10:52,380
So starting October, we will have double the funds that we had for the last fiscal year,

1571
02:10:52,840 --> 02:11:00,300
but until the state either provides more of a guarantee that they're going to help fund

1572
02:11:00,300 --> 02:11:07,400
that gap, we literally do not have the resources. So we understand the issue, but at this point in

1573
02:11:07,400 --> 02:11:15,020
time, Sullivan County is not in a position to fund that deficit. Could I come up? Yes, sir.

1574
02:11:15,020 --> 02:11:17,700
So, yes, I understand.

1575
02:11:18,400 --> 02:11:22,400
Follow the pattern that the state reimburse Sullivan for everything.

1576
02:11:22,820 --> 02:11:26,560
I know that right now there's only 600,000 and still there's $2 million.

1577
02:11:27,040 --> 02:11:32,260
But there's a legislative director and OCFS which can be reached each and every day.

1578
02:11:32,800 --> 02:11:38,980
And I personally called and asked, will is it the risk that Sullivan County is taking by...

1579
02:11:38,980 --> 02:11:40,840
So he said, follow the pattern.

1580
02:11:40,840 --> 02:11:43,840
and solving county walls and reimburse for everything.

1581
02:11:44,380 --> 02:11:46,040
And that's the panel that the state is taking.

1582
02:11:46,480 --> 02:11:48,340
If in October, let's say in October,

1583
02:11:48,340 --> 02:11:49,920
it's going to be reopened.

1584
02:11:50,220 --> 02:11:52,620
It's useless because it's already the beginning

1585
02:11:52,620 --> 02:11:53,300
of the school year.

1586
02:11:53,680 --> 02:11:57,220
Everyone has made already the plans and this.

1587
02:11:57,900 --> 02:11:59,680
How are you hiring staff when you don't know

1588
02:11:59,680 --> 02:12:00,740
what's going to be in October?

1589
02:12:00,840 --> 02:12:02,860
But in the past, the state has promised funds

1590
02:12:02,860 --> 02:12:04,060
that they have not delivered on.

1591
02:12:04,460 --> 02:12:08,060
So if the state does not give us a specific guarantee

1592
02:12:08,060 --> 02:12:08,920
on those funds,

1593
02:12:08,920 --> 02:12:13,920
So the state is willing to give a guarantee not yet the state has not guaranteed those funds yet

1594
02:12:13,920 --> 02:12:19,260
They will not given a writing but there is a legislative director, which it has to it has to be a guarantee

1595
02:12:19,260 --> 02:12:24,400
This county is not in a position to fill that two million dollar deficit at this time

1596
02:12:25,120 --> 02:12:30,820
It just we're not and when we have more direction and we get more information from the state

1597
02:12:30,820 --> 02:12:33,060
We are definitely going to put that information out

1598
02:12:33,060 --> 02:12:38,600
We are well aware of the impact this is having within the community within the job numbers within sale with

1599
02:12:38,600 --> 02:12:44,620
within all everything that it impacts but right now we cannot guarantee that money until we get

1600
02:12:44,620 --> 02:12:49,280
something firmer from the state because the state says things they don't follow through on things.

1601
02:12:49,480 --> 02:12:55,100
We are not in a position right now to have the state ghost us on two million dollars. We're just

1602
02:12:55,100 --> 02:13:02,940
not. And from a percentage that's almost a 3% increase that we would be assuming to the everyday

1603
02:13:02,940 --> 02:13:10,280
tax payer to be waiting to be reimbursed on. So on top of the potential 30% decrease

1604
02:13:10,280 --> 02:13:18,520
that we have, we'd be additionally adding 3% on top of that, almost with a maybe we'll

1605
02:13:18,520 --> 02:13:22,220
get reimbursed. But we will follow up with our state representatives. We have a state

1606
02:13:22,220 --> 02:13:26,640
senator and a state assembly woman that represents us in the state, and that's where we should

1607
02:13:26,640 --> 02:13:29,820
be directing our, what, what, like what?

1608
02:13:30,100 --> 02:13:31,960
I urge each and every one of you,

1609
02:13:32,060 --> 02:13:34,840
you can contact directly the legislative director.

1610
02:13:34,940 --> 02:13:35,260
And the government.

1611
02:13:35,500 --> 02:13:39,700
As they are willing to share all of this information,

1612
02:13:39,920 --> 02:13:42,240
I know how much they're willing to give a writing.

1613
02:13:42,720 --> 02:13:43,120
Thank you.

1614
02:13:43,360 --> 02:13:43,820
Thank you.

1615
02:13:44,340 --> 02:13:45,320
Anyone else for public comment?

1616
02:13:51,670 --> 02:13:52,070
Two things.

1617
02:13:52,570 --> 02:13:54,030
One, if you're going to put a sign up,

1618
02:13:54,470 --> 02:13:55,350
I would put it down.

1619
02:13:55,670 --> 02:13:57,770
One of the safest communities in the state,

1620
02:13:57,770 --> 02:13:59,270
thanks to the sheriff's department.

1621
02:13:59,270 --> 02:14:04,250
a little prejudice because I was a deput up here and I don't know where you're probably

1622
02:14:04,250 --> 02:14:12,790
over 50 years. But my main concern today is the 4,300 acre, not 1,200 acre, 4,300 acre

1623
02:14:13,270 --> 02:14:18,970
of solar panel plants they're going to put in between the town of Forestburg and the

1624
02:14:18,970 --> 02:14:25,730
town of Thompson. I know it's a state run thing. So in other words, what you're telling me

1625
02:14:25,730 --> 02:14:31,630
or the other people that live down there is you don't run the county, the state runs the county, okay?

1626
02:14:31,930 --> 02:14:38,530
They make all the decisions. This has been going on, unfortunately, I had to leave the county for a while, since

1627
02:14:40,630 --> 02:14:41,590
2020, and

1628
02:14:41,590 --> 02:14:47,630
you won't believe the amount of people you want people to come in, you won't believe the people that are

1629
02:14:47,630 --> 02:14:54,570
Selling their houses, even if it's worth half of what they paid for it to get out of the county because of these solar panels.

1630
02:14:54,570 --> 02:14:59,270
There's also seven lakes down there okay a few that are private

1631
02:15:00,000 --> 02:15:29,800
And the old state fish hatchery, okay? But they're going to ruin the lakes when they put the solar panels in. They say, oh, it doesn't have any effect, but it has effect on the grounds, because when it rains, it only affects until the ground becomes, and then it goes into the river, okay? The river runs from Melody Lake and seven other springs to the river, okay? So I understand why they

1632
02:15:29,800 --> 02:15:37,520
concerned but I think that the county to do something about this. I know it's

1633
02:15:37,520 --> 02:15:42,400
passed already but they've been cutting wood down for the last two years.

1634
02:15:43,020 --> 02:15:48,920
All right and without a permit from the county. I hear you. That lady right there

1635
02:15:48,920 --> 02:15:54,880
Commissioner Heather Brown talked to her about Oris the Office of Renewable

1636
02:15:54,880 --> 02:15:57,160
energy-sighting, electric transmissions.

1637
02:16:00,180 --> 02:16:04,700
It's an anomaly, like nothing else. When we say that

1638
02:16:04,700 --> 02:16:10,020
we don't have control, we don't. There are intervener funds. We passed resolution. But please,

1639
02:16:10,160 --> 02:16:15,260
if you don't know Commissioner Brown, she's a lovely lady. Go talk to her about this. She has

1640
02:16:15,260 --> 02:16:21,120
got a handle on it. You couldn't even imagine. Also, you don't have to say publicly, but the clerk

1641
02:16:21,120 --> 02:16:24,540
would love to know your name for the records. You can come to her privately. You don't have to say

1642
02:16:24,540 --> 02:16:30,420
it publicly? No, my name is William. His name is Capito spelled K-A-P-I-T-O.

1643
02:16:30,720 --> 02:16:36,260
Thank you. But please do talk to Christian Brown chief chief right now. I'm

1644
02:16:36,260 --> 02:16:42,260
on the stop. Almost everybody but in Washington which I can do the congressman

1645
02:16:42,260 --> 02:16:48,120
for this district unfortunately refuses to turn recall calls on anything all

1646
02:16:48,120 --> 02:16:54,000
right so as far as I'm concerned we elected him he's worthless all right I got

1647
02:16:54,000 --> 02:16:59,100
Mr. Brown you're you're gonna talk to him right? Okay. Good. All right anybody else for public comment?

1648
02:17:00,620 --> 02:17:04,940
All right motion to adjourn by Brian 2nd by Louis 1201