At its Sept. 2 meeting, the Town Board of Poughkeepsie approved several plans in relation to the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) campus in Poughkeepsie.
The Town Board passed an amendment to allow Scenic Hudson, a local environmental organization, to purchase 100 acres of IBM land. The organization plans to eventually transfer ownership of that land to the Town of Poughkeepsie to establish a public park.
The Town had initially planned to purchase the land through a combination of state and local grants, as well as a donation from Scenic Hudson. However, Town Supervisor Rebecca Edwards said at the meeting, the original deal has been delayed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which Edwards said has taken longer than expected to test the groundwater at a construction debris landfill on the site.
While the Town waits for the tests to be conducted, Scenic Hudson has agreed to purchase the land now. That is so the property can be acquired before the purchasing contract between IBM and the Town expires. It was unclear at the Sept. 2 meeting when that contract is set to expire. Emily Watson, who represents the Town’s Fourth Ward on the Board, explained, “We’re kind of running out of time to close the contract, so what this amendment would allow is for us to authorize Scenic Hudson, instead of the Town, to go through the closing process and then transfer the land to the Town after the fact. So, [it is] the same outcome, but it just allows us to act a little faster once those test results come in eventually.”
According to the Board, Scenic Hudson would reimburse the town for a $110,000 contract down payment as part of the sale. When the Town acquires the land from Scenic Hudson in the future, they are set to pay the organization $100,000 to regain ownership of the land.
Edwards expressed gratitude at the meeting for Scenic Hudson’s willingness to help the project. “Thank you to Scenic Hudson for helping with this,” she said. “They’ve been a really incredible partner.”
How come the article doesn’t inform the reader of where the land is that is being purchased???