Ulster County to lease 8,200 sq ft at iPark for Workforce Innovation Center; BOCES relocation drives space changes

The Ways and Means Committee on March 13 approved a five‑year lease for 8,200 square feet at iPark for the Ulster County Office of Employment and Training (OET) and reserved roughly 2,000 square feet for YouthBuild, a vocational partner.

UCEDA staff told the committee the county will lease directly from iPark 87 at $12.75 per square foot, the same per‑square‑foot rate previously subleased through UCEDA and lower than the county’s current rent for OET. Committee members were told the lease is intended to maintain the county’s presence at the campus and support a larger plan that includes relocation of the Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Center to iPark. “BOCES is facing a rather stark deadline of having to have the facility ready for them to move in by September of this year,” a UCEDA presenter said.

Committee members asked about private investment on the iPark campus, tax payments by National Resources (the site owner/operator), and the condition of utility infrastructure that has left some parcels running on backup power. UCEDA staff said National Resources is pursuing private residential construction on part of the campus and has multiple business leads, but some remediation and abatement work — including removal of asbestos in Building 1 and remediation of rubble piles — took years and delayed readiness for tenants. On utilities, UCEDA staff said some privately owned parcels remain affected by a nonfunctioning powerhouse; the county’s planned leased space in the main building is not on generator power and should not be affected.

A county official said the direct lease is intended to simplify relationships and remove UCEDA from the intermediary role, which may help in resolving outstanding utility and property issues. “Pursuing a direct lease between the county and iPark is actually a better situation for the county,” the official said.

The resolution authorizing the lease passed the committee without roll‑call detail in the transcript excerpts; committee members spoke in favor, while others asked for additional updates on taxes, vendor payments and remediation timelines. Committee members were told that the county’s sublease footprint was reduced to accommodate BOCES’ revised space needs and that UCEDA has discussed a plan to terminate its prior master lease to accommodate the change.