By Kaitlin Carney
MONTICELLO — Tuesday’s Town of Thompson board meeting opened with a presentation about the possibility of a new business, Cambridge Pavers, coming to the town.
Marc Baez, an economic development consultant from Baez Associates of Monticello, presented on behalf of his client, the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development. Cambridge is seeking to build a manufacturing plant on a site on Kroeger Rd., south of Bridgeville Rd., just off of eastbound Route 17 at exit 107. It formerly housed the 3-D Block Company.
Cambridge also requested a change in zoning designation to Commercial-Industrial from the current RR-2.
Cambridge Pavers selected the location because of the proximity to the highway, and also to other manufacturers and retailers like Callanan, who supply products vital to Cambridge’s production. The $50 million plan includes the use of the current Bagley property to build a plant that is 95,000 square feet and will provide 50 new jobs for the area.
The concept team submitted a site plan that outlines the placement of the 24-hour operation, with built-in environmental modifications to sound-proof and reduce the dust created during production.
Concerns about noise were addressed by Baez, “There is a buffer zone.… the closest area to Southwoods road is 750 feet with 1,000 feet to a residence on that side. On the other road side there is a substantial distance of 2,000 feet. There is very steep topography, and the building will be in the deepest part.”
Questions on truck traffic were also fielded by Baez, who reported that planners had observed the traffic pattern for nearly an hour and there were about 75 trucks servicing other businesses. The Planning Board will require a formal noise and traffic study to see what impact, if any, the building will have on the already substantial truck traffic.
Baez also reported that the company looked at other sites in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but settled on the Town of Thompson because of its “historical stance on supporting and encouraging business growth.”
The new business fits with what was previously at the site, and being a manufacturing company, Baez observed, makes its establishment a “local home run.”
Councilman Richard Sush suggested it was “a perfect use for this property.”
Supervisor Anthony Cellini suggested that if the main manufacturing building was not built within a year, there would be a clause reverting the zoning to its previous status. This proposal was without opposition from the board or other people in attendance.
The board voted unanimously to approve the zone changing request, which allows Cambridge Pavers to move forward to the next step in development of their project and brings the Town of Thompson one step closer to adding jobs and bolstering the economy.