Hochul upbeat about park plan
Lt. gov. confident voters will OK $3B bond act that’s needed to fund Kingston-Ulster project
KINGSTON, N.Y. >> Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday expressed confidence that the $3 billion “Restore Mother Nature” bond act proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo will be approved by voters.
The initiative, if approved, would include funding for a proposed state park along the Hudson River in the city of Kingston and town of Ulster.
“When the voters understand that this is an investment in their future, and their children’s and grandchildren’s future, I believe they will be on board,” Hochul said during an interview at the Daily Freeman office in Kingston.
She noted the borrowing would
be paid back over 30 years and would be “the first environmental bond act [in New York state] in a generation.”
“If we don’t act now, heaven help us, we will have to be accountable to future generations who will say, ‘What happened under your watch?’” she said.
The state park in Kingston and Ulster would be on 508 acres that an affiliate of Poughkeepsie-based environmental group Scenic Hudson bought three months ago from AVR Acquisition Corp. of Yonkers, which once planned to use the land for a large housing development.
The land has an assessed value of $5.1 million, but the amount Scenic Hudson affiliate Quarry Waters paid to AVR has been kept under wraps, and there’s been no estimate of what the state would pay Scenic Hudson for the property.
Hochul said she did not know much the state is willing to pay, and she said
there is no timeline yet for the park project.
When housing was proposed for the site, thenKingston Mayor James Sottile cited the need for the city to “grow its tax base, not the tax rate.” If the state buys the land, it will be protected from development and not generate taxes.
Hochul said she is sympathetic to the desire for tax revenue.
“You have to make sure that you are meeting the needs of your taxpayers . ... Expanding the tax base is always a good thing,” she said. “But also, if you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to keep land preserved and open for public use, I guarantee that future generations will say that was the right decision to make.”
Also, she said, the park plan is not being dictated by the state but rather is a response to the community’s wishes.
“This idea, it comes from the local community,” she said, noting state leaders have had discussions about the plan with Kingston Mayor Steve Noble and Ulster County Executive Pat
Ryan.
Hochul said, though, that the state does recognize housing as a need in communities, and she illustrated that point by noting the $3.8 million in state money that’s been dedicated to the proposed residentialcommercial development in Uptown Kingston known as The Kingstonian.
Later Tuesday, at Kingston City Hall, Hochul provided a recap of Cuomo’s recent State of the State address, focusing on issues that affect Kingston and the rest of the Mid-Hudson Valley. Noble, Ryan and several other city, county and town elected officials were in attendance.
Speaking to those officials, Hochul said she had been in their shoes, working in the level of government
that is closest to the people. And she said she has never lost sight of that in how she approaches solutions the state can provide.
“I used to complain about Albany all the time,” Hochul joked. “So I get it. But now you don’t have any reason to complain. We’re actually on your side, and we want to continue working together.”
Hochul said she viewed everyone at the City Hall event as a “thought leader” to whom other people will listen, and she said they would leave with more knowledge about what is being done at the state level.
Among the topics Hochul highlighted were the state investing $250 billion in infrastructure, and cutting tax rates for the middle class and manufacturers. She also spoke about the state’s paid family leave program, as well as social justice efforts.
Hochul also spoke about the state’s efforts to combat hate crimes, including a push to adopt a new domestic terrorism law that would include mass violence motivated by hate.