Letter to Williams, Assistant Secretary of the Economic Development Agency
Letter
Dear Assistant Secretary Williams:
I write to urge you to provide the City of Newburgh, New York with funding to undertake critical infrastructure upgrades at an old industrial site that could soon become the permanent headquarters of Hudson Valley Lighting. Hudson Valley Lighting is a growing business that is already one of the area's top employers, and is looking for new ways to expand in the region. If these key infrastructure improvements are made, Hudson Valley Lighting plans to create at least 50 new jobs and retain another 180 in the City of Newburgh. The project would also create space for two more companies at the site, opening the door for the creation of hundreds more jobs in Hudson Valley.
Hudson Valley Lighting is currently leasing space in Newburgh, but would like to build a new, permanent home at 5 Scobie Drive. The Scobie Drive location, however, is a post-industrial brownfield site that needs key water and sewer infrastructure improvements before the company can move in. If the City of Newburgh is able to secure a $2,997,967 grant from the EDA for this project, the financial burden of improving the water and sewer system would be taken off of local taxpayers. This worthwhile investment by the EDA would turn a formerly contaminated landfill into a modern manufacturing, assembly, warehouse, and distribution center that would serve as a gateway project for future economic development for Orange County.
The City of Newburgh has historically been one of Hudson Valley's largest industrial hubs, but the city and region have lost thousands of manufacturing jobs over the last few decades. There is a desperate need to bring back these good-paying manufacturing jobs, and this project at Scobie Drive signifies a step in the right direction. Securing the funding for this project will ensure that Hudson Valley Lighting and other similar local employers will prosper in Newburgh for generations to come.
Thank you for your consideration. For additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me or my Hudson Valley office.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator
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