Richfield business park
gets boost as
Otsego County
approves loan

By GREG KLEIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

Otsego County’s Board of Representatives approved a $600,000 loan for Otsego Now to cover extending natural gas, water and sewer lines to the nonprofit industrial development agency’s property in the town of Richfield.

The Representatives passed the motion unanimously at their meeting Wednesday, June 2.

Rep. Keith McCarty, R-Richfield, Springfield, said the decision was a wise one for the county, because state Route 20, which includes Main Street in Richfield Springs, is a major location of industry in neighboring counties and could be the same for Otsego.

“This is going to be a great opportunity for that part of the county,” McCarty said.

Otsego Now Executive Director Jody Zakrevsky said the money will be repaid from a grant from Empire State Development and possibly from the sale of part of the property to Andela Products, which wants to expand into Richfield.

Otsego Now, the county’s private-public IDA group, bought the 48-acre property on Route 28, south of the village of Richfield Springs, in order to turn it into a business park. A survey found 22 acres prime for building and Otsego Now has been working with the town, village and county to get services routed about a half mile from Route 28 to the build site, he said.

Zakrevsky said about $1.2 million for the project will come from Federal economic development money.