MONTICELLO ­­— The study for development along Route 17 passed the Sullivan County Legislature by a contentious 7-2 vote last week. The county will pitch in $100,000 toward the cost of the study. Both the Town of Thompson, as well as the Town and Village of Liberty will also each contribute $20,000.

“This corridor study is an important first step toward positioning ourself to bring in more dollars and more infrastructure on that corridor,” said Marc Baez, president and CEO of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development.

Members of the public took to the microphone with a few choice words for legislators, while officials from the Partnership defended the study.

Legislators Alan Sorensen and Catherine Owens were the two holdout votes, with Nadia Rajsz casting a reluctant vote in the resolution's favor.

“I still don't believe the scope of the study has been defined,” said Sorensen. “I'm not convinced that the approach being taken will be the most fruitful.” Sorensen stressed that while the Route 17 corridor has visibility that will attract industry, there will be enormous costs in extending water and sewer infrastructure to serve those sites.

A few local residents took issue with tens of thousands of dollars coming from Thompson and Liberty instead of the taxpayer funded Industrial Development Agency, which reported a budget surplus at the end of 2016.

“I don't think anyone in this room has an issue with doing this study, I think we have an issue with who's paying for it,” said Grahamsville's Ken Walter. “I think there are other sources, mainly the partnership and the IDA, to do the job without asking the taxpayers to do it.”

Rajsz said while she agrees that this study should be done, the Legislature should reevaluate who will be paying for it.

Town of Thompson Supervisor Bill Rieber said the town board will take an official vote in support of the corridor study in June. “I can tell you right now, the Town of Thompson is 100 percent behind getting this study done,” said Rieber. “I've been in the real estate business 40 some odd years, and when a guy comes in to buy something, and they can't find what you want, they're going to go somewhere else.”

Rieber said diversifying industry along Route 17 will give local residents an alternative to working in food service or resort industries.

Lawsuit

The Sullivan County Legislature voted unanimously last week to enter into a retainer agreement with the law firm of Simmons Hanly Conroy, LLC to commence a lawsuit on behalf of the county against various manufacturers of prescription opiates.

“The time is long overdue to hold the pharmaceutical companies accountable for their role in creating the opioid addiction crisis,” said Sorensen.

“After seeing Governor Cuomo's comprehensive report on the opioid overdoses of medications, this is a movement heading in the right direction,” stated Legislative Chairman Luis Alvarez. “I fully stand behind the unanimous decision that the Legislature made today and support all the other counties on this task.”

“In regards to the addictions and deaths we have seen in the county lately due to opioid abuse we need to hold the pharmaceuticals responsible for formulating and manufacturing these pain medications accountable,” stated Nadia Rajsz, District 2 Legislator and Chair of the Health & Family Services Committee.

In April, Sullivan County Manager Josh Potosek, officially declared a public health crisis related to the opioid epidemic that exists in Sullivan County and the Legislature ordered the creation of the Opioid Epidemic Task Force.

In addition to the Opioid Task Force efforts, the Legislature voted to pursue litigation against certain pharmaceutical companies who engaged in and financially benefitted from a course of conduct meant to mislead doctors, patients and the medical community, and whose conduct resulted in, among other things, over-prescribed opioid medications that caused increased emergency room admissions, increased opioid overdoses, increased Medicaid costs, and increased law enforcement costs.

Jared's Law

In other business, the Legislature voted unanimously to rename the social host law as Jared's Law. The local law allows a host to be charged with allowing underage drinking to take place at his or her home. Jared Santilo of Monticello was killed in a truck crash on Oct. 9 2016.

“This didn't have to happen,” said his mother Goldie Moore at Thursday's meeting. “Jared would always think of others before himself. He dedicated himself to being a designated driver every weekend in order to save lives.”

However, the last night as a designated driver at a party in Slate Hill cost Jared his life. When a friend fell into a bonfire and suffered serious burns, Jared tried to take the teen in his truck to the hospital. When another teen who had been drinking insisted on taking the injured friend to the hospital himself, Jared reluctantly went along, not wanting to leave his injured friend's side. On their way to the hospital, that truck skidded off the road, crashing into a tree and a utility pole. Jared was killed instantly.

“This change to here and after call the law Jared's Law will put a face to this issue,” said DA Jim Farrell. “Goldie has promised that when I go around to talk about this, that she will come with me to help educate parents about the perils of hosting underage parties.