Ulster County”™s Ulster Tomorrow Initiative, a blueprint for economic development that has involved hundreds of volunteers from various sectors, is an attempt by the county to take control of its own economic destiny. The idea is to bring in prosperity that is sustainable, benefits all and doesn”™t undermine the region”™s natural resources and other quality-of-life factors.
Four of the leaders charged with moving the plan forward presented a quick summary of Ulster Tomorrow”™s goals and progress at the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce”™s breakfast Jan. 15 at the Holiday Inn in Kingston. Glenn Sutherland, chairman of the Ulster Tomorrow steering committee, described the initiative as a partnership of the Ulster County Legislature and Planning Board, Industrial Development Agency (IDA) and Ulster County Development Corp. (UCDC). He said 70 participants “representing all walks of life” had volunteered their time to brainstorm and collaborate on how to implement 15 defined strategies. “Our mission is good quality jobs and good investment in Ulster County,” he said. “Our vision is prosperity and affordability.”
Noting that Ulster County had received a failing grade from The Business Council of New York and that economic development initiatives in the past had been ineffective, Sutherland said there had been some recent progress, including funding support for a shovel-ready site in Saugerties and The Solar Energy Consortium.
The first step to moving Ulster Tomorrow forward was for the Legislature to pass a resolution including the initiative in the county”™s comprehensive plan. He said the Legislature also needs to “assume a more active responsibility for economic development in Ulster County” and move beyond politics.
Lance Matteson, president of UCDC, said that what makes the Ulster Tomorrow plan different is that it”™s based on research (consultants were hired to provide expertise) and is a partnership among 200 participants, has a transparent process, measures performance and has a deliverable set of actions.
Each of the 15 strategies has a set of four economic development goals: to focus the process, build capacity, energize services (such as business incubators) and strengthen key industries. Among the latter, travel and tourism, agriculture and green business, and renewable energy have been identified as important clusters. Matteson said The Solar Energy Consortium was a project that draws heavily from many sectors, including agriculture ”“ solar projects are being discussed as a way for local farmers to reduce their energy costs.
So far, one of Ulster Tomorrow”™s greatest values is the opportunity it has provided for various stakeholders to meet and come up with solutions. For example, Matteson noted that to help solve work force issues, one of which is a lack of preparedness and training among the young, an abiding concern for many businesses, a roundtable has been formed bringing business and education leaders together. Discussions with school superintendents in the county are on-going.
Matteson said an annual summit would be held to measure progress, based on a set of specific metrics.
March Gallagher, chairwoman of the Ulster County IDA, said “better alignment of the existing resources” is the key to achieving Ulster Tomorrow”™s goals, rather than relying on an influx of extra money. She said the initiative would enable the county to better prioritize where economic development funds would be spent. “Up to this point it”™s been haphazard,” she said.
An informal survey of attendees after the presentation revealed a mostly positive reaction.
Frank Falatyn, president of Fala Technologies, a founding member of The Solar Energy Consortium who engaged in the discussions about renewable energy, said one positive outcome for him was a greater sense of community. Before his initial Ulster Tomorrow meeting a year ago, “I didn”™t know stakeholders outside the business community. But now we”™re all working together. It”™s not as fragmented as before.”
And while leaders from the different sectors might not agree, “we share a common interest of what we”™re going toward,” Falatyn said.
“It”™s a beginning,” said Joe Deegan, who is heading one of the strategy committees. Deegan said engaging 15 people in each of the 15 strategies was like “having 180 foot soldiers engaged in a project. It”™s unprecedented.” He said Ulster Tomorrow was also important because the county couldn”™t count on getting help from Washington or Albany. “We”™re taking control of our own destiny.”
County administrator Michael Hein, who is running for the county”™s first-ever county executive, to be elected in November, said Ulster Tomorrow “is a portion of the solution. Ulster County will have a successful economy when it”™s diversified.”
He said holding UCDC to performance measures, which had never been done before, was a critical step. “We”™re applying big business concepts to government. It”™s something long overdue.”
The process of discussion in itself “has advantages, to get a change in culture,” said Matteson after the presentation. He handed this reporter a chart showing each committee”™s progress, complete with a timeline. “The next step is to start the implementation.”
