RELEASE: County Receives $300,000 Reimbursement from National Grid for Exit 29 Site Redevelopment Efforts

County and Village Have Received $6.5 million in Grants to Support Redevelopment Efforts

(CANAJOHARIE, NY) – Montgomery County Business Development Center received payment this week of a $300,000 reimbursement from National Grid’s Brownfield Redevelopment Program. The grant funding helped the county offset costs associated with removal of debris, demolition, and remediated efforts on the Eastern Side buildings completed earlier this year as part of the long-term strategy to breathe new life into the former Beech-Nut site in the Village of Canajoharie.

The funding is part of a combined $6.5 million in grants received by the county and the village to date. As a result of the demolition and cleanup efforts, the Business Development Center has begun to market 19 acres at the site for immediate development. In October the County Legislature selected Apollo Dismantling Services, LLC., to move forward with another round of demolition and asbestos abatement work at the former food processing facility.  

“These funds help us continue to build momentum at the site. We are grateful for National Grid’s support because it moves us closer to our goal of readying this site for significant private investment that will revitalize Canajoharie and boost Montgomery’s economy. A redeveloped Exit 29 site with new, good-paying jobs remains a major goal our team,” said Montgomery County Business Development Center CEO Ken Rose, whose team is managing the redevelopment process. “Thanks to the strong support from the state, the county leadership and others we’ve been able to make major progress and more work will be happening in the coming months.”

“We’re going to ensure this site is an economic engine once again. Partnering with local officials and the MCBDC, we’ve been able to secure funding opportunities like this to advance our efforts. We thank National Grid for its support of our redevelopment efforts,” said Montgomery County Executive Matthew L. Ossenfort.

The National Grid administered reimbursement grant program provides grants to fund utility related infrastructure improvements and other costs that are necessary to progress the redevelopment of a brownfield site or vacant building, such as the former Beech-Nut site. The Brownfield Redevelopment Grant could not exceed more than 25-percent of the full project cost, allowing the BDC to access the full funding amount approved through the program.

“It is crucial for economic development in upstate New York to be able to rehabilitate former properties and buildings for future use. National Grid provides funding to projects that find new life in vacant facilities and we are proud to be a part of building the future of this important site,” said National Grid Regional Executive Laurie Poltynski.

Full information on the Exit 29 site and Montgomery County’s redevelopment efforts can be found at www.Exit29Project.com.

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