Herkimer County IDA backs economic-impact study of Remington Arms site

The Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency on Monday agreed to sponsor an economic-impact study of the Remington Arms site, a step board members said is intended to quantify potential sales-tax, property-tax and construction-related employment benefits if the site is fully redeveloped.

"We think it'll help with a lot of misconceptions on what the site would do," said an unidentified staff member presenting the proposal and the quote from a consulting firm (Turner, Windsor & Turner). The board expressed support for moving forward but deferred detailed discussion of consultant fees to executive session and a later open-session vote.

According to staff, the study would analyze sales and property tax impacts and estimate jobs tied to construction and eventual operations. The proposal referenced a previous impact study and stated the new work would build on that analysis. A presenter said the firm provided a written quote; staff will finalize payment arrangements and return with that information for a public vote.

Board members asked procedural questions about timing and the data sources for the study. An unidentified board member asked whether the developer was engaged in preliminary work; staff said consultant work will rely on existing Empire State Development inputs and other local data.

The board indicated support for sponsoring the study and asked staff to return with a formal contract and payment recommendation after the executive-session discussion. No final consultant contract or payment was approved in open session.