KINGSTON – Ulster County is going to spend $137,000 for Central Hudson to upgrade the electrical system at the former Bank of America building at TechCity in the Town of Ulster.
The building had been selected recently as a site to treat COVID-19 patients if local hospitals became overloaded. That never occurred.
Legislator Lynn Archer was among the minority to vote against the expenditure noting the financial impact COVID-19 is having on all levels of government.
“We have no idea when the tax revenues will return to pre-pandemic levels and this resolution is asking the legislature to invest in a speculative project of which there were no clear plans for the taxpayer to benefit from,” she said.
Legislator Brian Cahill said it is a good investment to prepare the building for future economic development.
“One of the things we would have to do is disconnect from the east side of the campus, have our own utilities set up there, and have the building ready to be used with power and water and electric as soon as possible,” he said.
Those who support the measure say the property, which once was home to IBM, should be marketed for development ASAP.
