Frankfort's Newest Business Park

It's been a twelve year process but many in Herkimer County feel it was worth the wait. The 5S Business Park is completed and some in Herkimer County are calling the park "a game changer" for the area. Herkimer County Legislator Chairman Vincent Bono says, "It allow opportunity and hope for people who need jobs. And we're not talking minimum wage jobs, although some may be minimum wage, but there will be medium wage and high wage jobs, along with the administration end, you know management."

            One potential tenant at the park is Gold Medal Packing in Rome. According to the Herkimer County industrial development agency or IDA - they plan on building a thirty-five thousand square foot food processing plant and one crucial element to attracting companies like them is municipal power. Executive Director of Herkimer County IDA Mark Feane says, "Right now we're there, we have water, we have sewer, we have gas and really a large contributing factor in our efforts to attract potential tenants is it now has municipal electric. Low cost electric which goes right to a company's bottom line."

Governor Andrew Cuomo has stated that New York is open for business and now Herkimer County is trying to do the same with their latest business park. Chairman of the IDA John Piseck says, "We're open for business, we don't have water issues, sewer issues. That park is ready; it has all the infrastructure in place. Did is take time to put all that infrastructure in place, yes it did, but it was good time. It gave us time to understand how to market the area and I think we're being very successful with it now."

            Another key to attracting new business is grants and currently gold medal in partnership with the industrial IDA is waiting on a nearly seven hundred and fifty thousand dollar grant to help with an estimated ten million dollar project. Chairman Bono added, "You know the $750,000 is definitely a key part of that, um I would hope that they would still want to go forward with the project and you know we'll do everything we can to accommodate them and help them out in the process."  The IDA says they will find out if the grant has been approved in about a month.