MONTGOMERY – The Montgomery Town Planning Board has yet to make a decision concerning the proposed construction of a Medline distribution center.
Those who spoke in front of the board Tuesday night remained evenly split, with half in support of the construction and half who are against it.
One of the most notable speakers to attend was State Senator James Skoufis (D, Woodbury), who criticized the proposed package of tax breaks, which are before the town’s Industrial Development Agency.
“Without a dime of IDA benefits, Medline will net $74.804 million in just the first year,” Skoufis said. “Any IDA benefits, especially after having already received a decade’s worth of incentives has nothing to do with financial viability and everything to do with pure, disgusting corporate greed that is built on the backs of taxpayers,” he told a cheering audience.
Skoufis said it is “no coincidence” that just as Medline’s 10-year pilot in Wawayanda is expiring, “they decide to pick up, move, and begin the process for a completely new pilot.”
One in support of the construction is Medline worker, Mark Rizzo. “The medical field has always been really important to me,” Rizzo said. “I have three kids and my wife is a cervical cancer survivor, and Medline has done nothing but everything to support me. I hope we get this new building so I can give back to the customers that support my family.”
Medline officials maintain they need the new 1.3 million square foot facility because they have outgrown the Wawayanda operation. They say the new center would add hundreds to jobs to the local workforce.
The town planning board will reconvene on Tuesday, October 15 in Montgomery Town Hall. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement will also be open for written comments for 20 days starting on August 14.
