IDA Ends Broad Band Project,

Puts Pony Farm On Fast Track

Rebuffed By County, Board Focuses On Own Priorities

ONEONTA – The Otsego County IDA has received 20 queries from small businesses with expansion plans, but will now forward them to the county after a key committee has decided not to participate in "single point of contact" economic development.

"We remain open to cooperating," said Sandy Mathes, the IDA's CEO, at the end of an action-packed meeting. "But we are happy we can now focus on things that we can do."

The IDA board today reviewed a letter from count Rep. Betty Anne Schwerd, R-Edmeston, who chairs the Inter-govermental Affairs Committee, saying the IGA "is not taking action at this time" on transferring small-business and community-development responsibilities, which the IDA had offered to assume.

County Board Chair Kathy Clark, R-Otego, was at the IDA meeting, and said she was seeing Schwerd's letter for the first time.