Though Schoharie County seems a little like the forgotten child when it comes to state and economic development, County Administrator Steve Wilson is convinced that the fact that it’s so close to so much is an opportunity to exploit.
A July state Comptroller’s report profiling the economy of the Mohawk Valley Region groups Schoharie County in with Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Montgomery, and Oneida Counties. (See related stories in this week’s T-J.)
At first glance, they don’t have much in common.
But Mr. Wilson said Schoharie County’s unique because it’s at the edge of three economies: the Mohawk Valley, Capital District, and the Catskills.
“This is just a report about one of those economies,” he said. “Being at the edge of three different economies gives us challenges, but it gives us more opportunities too.”
Consultant Peter Fairweather’s Economic Development Study for the county, which is nearing completion, also talks about geographic and economic edges and Mr. Wilson said that’s a good sign.
“No economy exists by itself,” he said. “It’s all about connections. In Southern Schoharie County, those connections may be with Greene and Delaware Counties or even New York City. In the northern towns, the connections might be with Albany and Schenectady. The opportunities are there; it’s up to us to decide how to use them.”
Skeptics worry Mr. Fairweather’s report will end up on a shelf.
Mr. Wilson is confident that won’t happen—but only if individual businesses take advantage of what Mr. Fairweather has said will be specific recommendations.
“County government can’t solve this,” Mr. Wilson said, but it can do things like making space—maybe creating a business park so companies like Beekman 1802 don’t have to move their shipping operations somewhere else, or helping entrepreneurs write grants.
“What we can do is make it possible for all of those innovative little businesses out there—and there are a lot—to take advantage of the niches Peter identifies. If people can see opportunities to make money, they’ll run with it. And we need to keep talking about this.”
Mr. Fairweather is expected to present a draft of his final, complete report to supervisors this fall.
Already, he’s outlined shovel-ready sites in many towns, but Mr. Wilson expects what comes next will be the beginning of a lot of hard work, sweat and tears—not a “bang.”
“It’s going to take a lot of work,” he said, “and if we’re not careful, we can wreck it. It’s going to be a balancing act and it will be slow. Don’t expect otherwise.”
Mr. Wilson said he envisions a final report that offers specific ideas for each town.
Some towns may decide to run with those ideas; others may say no thanks, they’re good the way they are, others may want to pursue ideas floated for someone else.
“We can’t fix everything, but we can make it better,” Mr. Wilson added. “We need a spark in as many places as possible to light this fire.”