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Wallkill Valley Times, Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Medline launches online platform to promote project
Medline has announced an online
landing page to provide project updates
on its proposed $120-million investment
in the community with its distribution
center project. The company, which
has been part of the Hudson Valley
community for more than a decade, also
repeated its commitment to growing its
current regional workforce from 340 to
700 in five years.
“We’re dedicated to being a good
community member and want to ensure
that Hudson Valley residents receive
timely and accurate information and
have the opportunity to submit questions
they have pertaining to our presence
in Montgomery,” says Dmitry Dukhan,
vice president of real estate facilities for
Medline.
The project, expected to involve the
development of a 1.3-million-square-
foot facility on a 105-acre parcel in the
Town of Montgomery, is currently before
the Town Planning Board for review.
If approved, Medline will increase its
Orange County employee base by nearly
400 within five years of its initial operation
in Montgomery. As part of its expansion,
Medline expects to hire an additional 100
workers prior to the warehouse’s ribbon
cutting.
Some of the questions answered on
the “Facts About Medline’s Facility in
the Town of Montgomery” landing page
include background on the firm’s growth
in Orange County and its expansion
needs that necessitated the sale of its
500,000-square-foot facility in Wawayanda
to Morgan Stanley.
Nick Fitzpatrick, the owner of Aden
Brook Farms, sold 105-acres of the former
207-acre Mazur Farm to Medline for $18
million last year. The deal has fueled the
Montgomery-based hay and agricultural
products firm’s expansion, including
the purchase of approximately 500 acres
that adjoin Medline’s project site or are
located in the Town of Montgomery,
enabling the agribusiness to increase its
local workforce by 30%.
Fitzpatrick said that his firm vetted
Medline and during the land negotiation
process came to trust the company
on a number of occasions with just a
handshake that would later turn into a
signed commitment. “They are excellent
neighbors,” Fitzpatrick said. “They don’t
cut any corners and are interested in
doing everything to the highest standard
that an American company can do
business at.”
He added, “We are excited to have
Medline as our neighbor, and I feel that
for Montgomery it is really a high-quality
company that is putting a high-value
asset in the Town that is going to increase
the values of everything around it.”
Medline, which has been named
to Becker’s Hospital Reviews “150 Top
Places to Work” for three consecutive
years, stated that the pay scale for its
Orange County employees range from $24
to $65.00 per hour, plus bonus, healthcare
and other benefits.
In addition to new Medline and Aden
Brook Farms jobs, the company also
detailed the significant economic benefits
to Montgomery and the surrounding
area. Pending the final PILOT agreement,
the Valley Central School District will
receive approximately $14 million in tax
dollars over 15 years, compared to the
$12,957 annually it receives today. Once
the PILOT expires, Medline will pay more
than $2.5 million a year in taxes. The site’s
current total tax burden is $45,000.
Maureen Halahan, president and CEO
of The Orange County Partnership,
praised the company for its commitment
to transparency in connection with its
$120-million investment in Orange
County. She also stressed that Medline
was courted heavily by New Jersey and
Pennsylvania, but the firm eventually
decided instead to remain in New York
State and Orange County, despite the
higher costs.
“Medline is so authentically loyal
to their employees and they are doing
everything they can to save those 340
jobs,” Halahan said. “They opted to
spend more money and remain in Orange
County to keep their workers and for that
I am so proud to be working with them on
this project.”
Dukhan noted that the launch of
factsaboutmedline.com/ is reflective
of Medline’s family business, inclusive
culture. “We’re a fourth-generation family
business, and Medline considers all of its
employees and neighbors as essential to
that family,” said Dukhan. “We want our
current and future neighbors to have the
information they want about the project
at their fingertips at all times.”
The Town of Montgomery Planning
Board has scheduled a public hearing
on the Medline project for Aug. 13 at 7:30
p.m. at the Valley Central Middle School
Cafeteria.
B riefs
Montgomery town board
extends solar moratorium
The Montgomery town board extended the six-
month moratorium on solar applications to allow for
further review of town solar law.
The moratorium was extended another three months,
to Oct. 18. Originally passed in January, the moratorium
would have ended on July 24.
The moratorium prohibits the permitting,
construction, and/or installation of utility scale solar
facilities in any districts in the town. It also prohibits
the planning board from accepting any applications or
granting any approvals for a subdivision plot, site plan
or special use permit for a utility scale solar farm.
All applications granted final approval or pending
applications submitted before Dec. 13, 2018 are exempt
from the moratorium.
Crawford solar project
completes construction
Construction is complete for Borrego Solar, a
community solar system in Crawford, and the project is
awaiting hookups to utilities.
Located on Crans Mills Road in Crawford, the two-
megawatt project has about 20 acres of panels. Steve
Long, Principal Engineer for Borrego Solar, returned to
the Crawford town board on July 24 to discuss changes
to the site plan which will mitigate drainage issues
caused by construction.
Long said the project is waiting to be hooked up to
the Orange and Rockland Utilities. The project cannot
be operational until the changes to the site plan are
approved by the town board.
The project was approved by the planning board
in 2017. Long said construction on the project was
completed about six months ago.
The project is a community solar project, meaning
the power from the projects feeds directly into the
energy grid. Anyone in the utility district can sign up
to receive power from the plant. While bills would still
be issued by residents’ utility company, residents would
receive credits for a discount on their energy bill.
Walden woman charged in NYC
A Walden woman has been arrested for running a
red light in Manhattan and striking two pedestrians
crossing a street, killing one.
New York City Police have charged Jessenia Fajardo,
38, of Walden with two counts of failure to yield to
a pedestrian, operating a vehicle without insurance,
disobeying a traffic device, and failure to exercise due
care.
Police said on Friday, July 19 at 3:32 p.m., the two
pedestrians were struck at West End Avenue and West
98th Street, Fajardo was driving on West End Avenue
approaching West 98th as the traffic signal turned red.
The car proceeded through the intersection as the
two pedestrians were crossing West End Avenue and
were struck by the car.
Both victims were taken to a hospital with severe
body trauma. The male victim, Alfred Pocari, 64, of
Brooklyn, died on Monday, July 22.
Town police to host
free Narcan training
The Town of Montgomery Police Department
will host free Narcan Training at the Town Police
headquarters, 110 Bracken Road, Montgomery on
Tuesday, August 6 at 11:15 a.m.
The event is sponsored by State Senators Jen
Metzger (SD-42) and James Skoufis (SD-39). Attendees
will learn how to administer the life-saving overdose
reversal agent called Narcan.
The training will be delivered in partnership with
Hope Not Handcuffs - Hudson Valley and the opioid
overdose prevention program, Keep It Moving.
Anyone interested in the free training is asked to
register at register at bit.ly/NarcanAug6.