County exec touts partnerships in helping to advance projects
Ulster County Executive Michael Hein, speaking to the Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce at a breakfast meeting Thursday, touted government partnerships with local businesses and civic groups for helping to improve the quality of life in the county.
Hein said cooperation with New Paltz businesses and residents helped the county replace the Carmine Liberta Bridge on state Route 299 over the Wallkill River without causing a traffic hardship.
“Here’s the problem: Tens of thousands of cars go across it every single day,” he said. “If you were to shut it down, you would bring massive gridlock to New Paltz and cost our countywide economy tens of millions of dollars. The businesses would have been so negatively impacted that we could have caused closures.”
Hein said requests were made for the bridge to become a tool for advancing recreation goals in New Paltz.
“The bridge that’s there now, because we worked with the community, (is) wider, safer, (has) well-lit sidewalks ... (and) we opened up about 120 yards of viewshed,” he said. “Where the former temporary bridge was, we repurposed it. Instead of tearing out the old abutments ... we created a public space in New Paltz, right next to it, that overlooks Mohonk, the mountains, sunsets.”
Hein said part of his job is being an advocate for community groups like rail trail volunteers in discussions with state officials.
“It’s a great economic driver and it’s a wonderful attraction point to bring businesses to our commu-
nity,” he said. “What’s really exciting is to watch the state of New York decide that they agree with us completely. They were going to build an interconnected rail trail system that runs from New York City all the way to the Adirondack State Park ... (except) it was 100 percent on the eastern side of the Hudson River . ... But we fought and I could not tell you how proud I am of our team, people who said, ‘Look at the progress that our community as a whole has made,’ ... and with one look at all that progress, they changed the plan.”
Hein said county partnerships have included public safety and health innovations, including dropboxes for people to discard unused medications and a program that provides information to friends and families of people who are drug-addicted.
“There will be a smart phone app rolled out for everyone with easy access to critical information, all the resources you could possibly need, to take action to try to help a loved one in their time of greatest need,” Hein said.
“We are blessed in our community with real warriors,” he said. “Not-forprofits that have stepped up to the plate, a whole host of other people who have worked on this issue, people who have been impacted directly, all stepping up.”
Hein said he is also optimistic about getting a boost from the entertainment industry after recent changes in state law allowing film producers to get the same tax breaks in Ulster County that had previously been allowed in other upstate communities. He said the absence of tax breaks had led to productions being done in other regions.
“What really doubled down on the local frustration was this truth: our creative economy was spurred by some of the most artistically talented individuals anywhere in the world,” he said. “We have more artists per capita than any county in the state of New York and we have a breathtaking level of global talent here in our own backyard.”
Hein said the county’s position immediately outside of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority taxing jurisdiction gives it an edge over communities closer to New York City as a cost effective film location.