MONTICELLO — During the Economic Development Committee meeting on November 6, Workforce Development Director Loreene Gebelein provided metrics on the national economy, prefacing her comments by saying that the CPI (Consumer Price Index) was the only official economic data allowed to be released during the government shutdown. 

Gebelein provided some highlights for the month of September, which included a 4.1% jump in gasoline prices, a food price increase of 0.2%, an overall commodity price rise of 0.5%, and a “fairly muted inflation pressure.” 

On an annual basis, Gebelein reported a 2.8% increase in energy costs and a 3.1% increase in food prices. Over the last year, she said electricity (5.1% increase) and natural gas (11.7% rise) prices surged, while gasoline prices fell by 0.5%.

President and CEO of Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development Marc Baez moved the conversation to the local job market and economic development, saying, “We lost Pepsico, and they were hovering [between] 280-300 jobs. We’re down 200 jobs year to year…not really a bad position to be in given what the future holds [with] projects.” 

Baez then spoke about several ongoing projects, characterizing 2025 as a “year of approvals” in which planning board delays stymied progress. “We expect to hit the ground running on several [projects] next year that are going to be impactful.” 

Projects on the horizon

Baez said developments at Grossinger’s Resort in Liberty are undergoing due diligence in planning and engineering, and that they should be coming to the town planning board in early 2026. 

He said there are two interested prospective investors in the future of Liberty’s vacant Pepsico plant, one of which is in manufacturing, while the other is in food production. He expected them both to make offers, and described it as a “competitive situation.” 

Baez said the FIMFO project, a proposed $43 million campground in Highland, is “getting to the tail end of EIS (Environmental Impact Studies) and there will be a decision before the year’s out. Hopefully, it will be a good one. In terms of record, and research, and inquiry, I don’t think there’s a project in Sullivan County that has had more.” Baez said plans for FIMFO are going into the fourth year of the project and hoped that it will get off the ground in 2026.

Coming to fruition in 2026 is an upcoming construction project at Center for Discovery’s Rock Hill location, and the construction of two warehouses in Mongaup Valley for Prestige Energy and Silverman Mechanics. Baez also mentioned a tech company that is interested in building a facility for “de-manufacturing”; “they take computers, they take electronics and they recycle all the parts on it and then distribute them to a variety of sources. It’s 100% recycled, every component, every material. No EPA certification or permits necessary, so we’re looking at sites for that. Good paying jobs there as well.”

Baez’s list of upcoming projects included two businesses that will impact the taste buds of Sullivan County: the Starbucks coming to Monticello, and a sake microbrewery, boutique hotel, and restaurant, that has been initially approved to open in Livingston Manor. The latter project, put forth by the Livingston Legacy Holdings project, plans to reuse existing structures to install a craft sake brewery, an authentic Japanese Restaurant, and a conference space, as well as public gardens and a rail trail welcome center. 

“I think that’s gonna be really good… Manor continues to be a hit… It’s definitely a destination place for Sullivan County,” said Baez. “I think 2026 will be the year that things really start to take off—all these projects we’ve been sitting around waiting for for quite some time,” Baez concluded.

Attracting development

After Baez announced that his team will be doing heavy marketing for the four-million-square-feet of pre-approved, shovel-ready sites in Sullivan County, District 7 Legislator Joseph Perrello asked if the newly revitalized airport terminal and the available space for large hangars would be part of the script. “Absolutely,” Baez responded, “that is a critical component to our messaging.” Baez added that Archtop Fiber’s Broadband infrastructure project is also a piece of the puzzle. “I hope people understand how massively important that project is to our community. It sets us up for the future.”

District 3 Legislator Brian McPhillips inquired about the shovel-ready sites: “Where do we rate, at 4-million-square-feet of available space, versus Orange County?”

Baez said room of available building space is running out in Hudson Valley; he qualified his statement by saying that Orange County still has inventory to develop, but that development “is coming our way. Our position at the Partnership is that if it’s coming our way, let’s be in a position to be able to respond, and by doing the pre-approvals, that’s just a step that we don’t have to worry about, when that bell rings.” 

Baez admitted that power continues to be a big challenge for Sullivan County. “We’re dealing with two entities right now that need a certain amount of equipment put in to be able to get the power they need to run their businesses.” He said the cost is “astronomical,” so the businesses are looking at alternatives, like solar to battery storage, which is a less expensive investment.