Hard times ahead

Partnership annual meeting comes with warning

By FRITZ MAYER

BETHEL, NY — The chitchat was lively and upbeat before the speakers took the podium, but once they did, the message was tinged with caution.

The occasion was the annual meeting of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development on October 16 in the Events Gallery at Bethel Woods, and the keynote speaker said that the economic times coming up would not be easy.

Michael Skrebutenas, the assistant secretary of state for economic development for New York State, made a reference to the ongoing Sarah Palin phenomenon in the opening sentences of his remarks. He said that talking about economic development in the current economic crisis was “like putting lipstick on a pig.” He said the economic environment that the state and country is facing is “the worst in my lifetime,” and he added that the task facing Governor David Paterson and other Albany officials was to figure out how to cut at least $1.2 billion from the current year’s budget.

This came moments after Tim McCausland, CEO and President of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development, predicted that the current events involving Wall Street and the federal government would be “remembered for generations,” like the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Still, the evening was not all gloom and doom. McCausland pointed to bright spots in the local economic scene, such as the re-opening of the Villa Roma and the completion of the third successful season at Bethel Woods. He also said the Monticello Motor Club, which caters to wealthy drivers who speed around an exclusive private racecourse, is an important investment in the county.

And Skrebutenas, too, had some words of encouragement. He said that Governor Paterson is “personally excited” about the creation of Entertainment City, the $1.2 billion resort being constructed on the grounds of the old Concord Resort Hotel.

To underscore the point that the Concord project is moving forward, Bruce Berg, an executive vice president of Cappelli Enterprises, said that workmen are once again moving dirt at the location after work was stalled for a week or two because of “minor permitting issues” that needed to be worked out.

Questions about the progress of the ambitious project arose last week when a newspaper reported that the “grandeur” of Entertainment City was being scaled back to reduce the cost. However, in a subsequent phone interview, Berg said that neither the scope nor the “grandeur” is being scaled back. He said there is a redesign underway to help make the buildings more efficient and to improve aspects of its operation, but the quality and ambition of the facility will not be lessened.