Schumer with local officials at Amy’s Kitchen site
GOSHEN – US Senator Charles Schumer pledged to urge the Army Corps of Engineers to speed up its review of wetlands on the site of the Amy’s Kitchen production project in the Town of Goshen.
Amy’s Kitchen needs a wetlands permit from the feds to build their $95 million, 365,000 square-foot facility, where they will provide major distribution of meals to food industry businesses.
Schumer, visiting the site on Tuesday, said he wants to make sure Amy’s can get the go-ahead for construction as soon as possible.
“Here we want to make sure that the Army Corps dots the ‘I s’ and crosses the ‘T s’; they have to give approval because there are some wetlands around here. Amy’s doesn’t intend to build on the wetlands, but they need approval,” said Schumer. “And so, I want to make sure the Army Corps does it very quickly because the way these projects work, the sooner you can get a shovel in the ground, the better off you are.”
Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said he believes if the Army Corps grants the permit, Amy’s Kitchen will be able to begin construction immediately following approval.
“We just signed a contract with the City of Middletown, a memorandum of agreement. It had been talked about for 40 years, to provide water on this entire corridor, which would also facilitate the Amy’s project; so, that’s been done,” Neuhaus said. “The Town of Goshen’s been working day and night to make sure that the approvals are done and everything’s in order and now, the federal government, which is the ultimate review as far as the Army Corps of Engineers and the wetlands, they’re working diligently and I think, with the senator’s help, it’ll get done.”
The county executive said the Amy’s Kitchen project will create anywhere
from 600 to 700 jobs, making it critically important for the economies
of the county and outlying region.
If Amy’s Kitchen receives the permit from the Army Corps and all else goes according to plan, they expect to open sometime in 2019.
