Economic development committee clears Brownfields assessment RFQ, workforce lease and tourism items

The Economic Development and Tourism Committee reported several routine approvals and a longer-term federal grant for brownfields work.

James, an economic development staff member, told the committee that the county received a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to move forward with a Brownfield Coalition assessment that the county first applied for in 2023. The agreement will fund Phase I/II environmental work and related planning for roughly 20 properties across Greene and Columbia counties; staff said they expect a cooperative-agreement reimbursement budget of about $1,500,000 and that the county will advertise a request for qualifications for a qualified environmental professional (QEP) to support the program.

Committee members voted to authorize the RFQ for the Brownfields consultant and indicated a likely forthcoming budget amendment to recognize the federal reimbursement. The committee also authorized a lease agreement with the Columbia-Greene Workforce Development Board to formalize the board’s use of county space.

Two annual tourism items were also approved: formal designation of the county’s tourism promotion agency for the state and an application that pledges local matching funds for an “I Love NY 2026” grant application. Staff said the tourism items are routine annual resolutions with no substantive change from prior years.

Why this matters: The Brownfields support will pay for environmental due diligence on underused or potentially contaminated properties to enable redevelopment; the QEP is mandatory for federal reimbursements. The workforce lease secures office space for a regional workforce partner; tourism-designation and matching funds maintain eligibility for state tourism programs.

Next steps: staff will solicit RFQs for a QEP, execute the workforce lease, and prepare any required budget amendments for the EPA cooperative agreement funds.