ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY IDA LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY IDA CIVIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
~ Meeting of May 9, 2014~
CALL TO ORDER: Vice-Chairman LaBaff called the meeting to order at 8:30 AM at the IDA office, Ernest
J. LaBaff Industrial Building, Canton.
ROLL CALL:
Blevins ..........................
LaBaff ...........................
Peck ..............................
Weekes .........................
Present
Present
Present
Absent
Hall ............................
McMahon .................
Staples .......................
Present
Present
Present
Others: SLCIDA Staff (Patrick Kelly, Thomas Plastino, Richard Williams and Natalie Sweatland); Andrew
Silver, Esq., Agency Counsel.
PUBLIC NOTICE: Public notifications sent May 2, 2014 to, at a minimum: St. Lawrence County’s
newspapers designated for the publication of local laws and other matters required by law to be published;
additional local media sources and websites.
PUBLIC COMMENT: Mr. John Byrne was asked to introduce himself. He informed the Board that he is
a candidate for the 116th NY Assembly District, and spoke about his education and his campaign for the
Assembly.
Mr. LaBaff noted that he felt an IDA meeting was not the appropriate arena for political campaigning.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: LaBaff/McMahon motion to approve the minutes of the March 27, 2014
meeting. Carried unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORTS: Financial Summaries for January and February 2014, and Financial Statements
for March 2014. Mr. Plastino pointed out a formula error in the Core Agencies’ report. Overall, the financial
reports show positive operating and general revenue.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES: None
STAFF REPORT:
Mr. Kelly reports on the following:
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Presentation: A video from the Northern Corridor Transportation Group will be presented at the
end of the staff report.
Agenda: Mr. Kelly briefly reviews the meeting’s agenda items.
Loan Closings: High Peaks Winery’s loan, along with CDEIP loans to the Massena BDC (Rail Spur
project) and the Massena Town Hall (Revitalization project) have closed since the last IDA meeting.
Buildings Report: Church and State, a coffee roasting operation, is leasing 1,000 sq. ft. of space
within the Potsdam Commerce Park building. Illusion ATC, another new tenant, is leasing space in
the MIP Lot 19 building. Mr. McMahon asks if partial-building or month-to-month leases preclude
other long-term uses or building sales. Mr. Kelly notes that with month-to-month leases, we have
flexibility. With longer-term leases, we have provisions within the leases to relocate companies to
comparable sites/buildings should the opportunity arise for the sale of a building.
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North Country Grown Cooperative: SLCIDA staff released an RFP for a refrigerated truck pursuant
to the Cooperative’s RBEG application. No responses were received. The staff will re-release an
RFP and widen the search.
Newton Falls Rail: Mr. Williams reports that Phase I of the project (clearing and creation of draft
construction bid documents) should be complete by July. An inspection of the bridge will include
an underwater element. The engineer has, so far, identified no major bridge issues. In response to
questions from board members, Mr. Williams estimates that the line has been unused for 12 or 13
years. He also estimates that it will be 18 months before we can use the rail.
Canton Industrial Park: Mr. Williams goes on to report on the CIP expansion project, noting that
we have released an RFP and have a pre-bid meeting next week. The project will be a Type I
environmental review.
Marketing: Mr. Kelly reports on the recent marketing efforts put forth by the SLCIDA, including
trades shows in Toronto, Ottawa and Hartford Ct., and upcoming shows in Montreal.
Video: Northern Corridor Transportation Group: Mr. Kelly relates an email he received from Mark
Bellardini, requesting funds for the NCTG’s marketing efforts. Board members reviewed the videos
provided by Mr. Bellardini. Mr. Blevins notes they are nice ads, but they should not be run locally.
They should be run in New York City, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo, etc. We don’t need to convince
ourselves of the need for better transportation infrastructure.
EXECUTIVE SESSION: LaBaff/Peck motion for Executive Session at 8:53 AM to discuss the finances of
a specific company and pending litigation with another company. The Board returns to Regular Session at
9:50 AM.
OLD BUSINESS: None
NEW BUSINESS:
Announcement of Date of Annual Meeting: The Chairman sets Thursday, June 26, 2014 at 8:30 AM for the
Annual Meeting.
Appointment of Nominating Committee: The Chairman appoints a Nominating Committee consisting
Mssrs. LaBaff, Blevins and Weekes.
Resolution IDA-14-05-10: Authorizing Payment to Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority. Motion to
approve Resolution IDA-14-05-10 by Mr. LaBaff, seconded by Mr. Blevins. The motion is carried by 5
“aye” votes and Mr. Peck abstaining.
Resolution IDA-14-05-11: Authorizing the Provision of Additional Financial Assistance for the Benefit of
St. Lawrence Gas Company, Inc. and Authorizing the Execution and Delivery of Related Documents. Mr.
Kelly notes that this project corrects issues with Sales and Use Tax Exemptions. Board members were
previously notified of public hearings and the results of the hearings. Motion to approve Resolution IDa14-05-11 by Mr. Blevins, seconded by Mr. LaBaff. The motion is carried by unanimous vote.
Resolution IDA-14-05-12: Authorizing Modifications to the SLCIDA’s FY2014 Budget. Motion to
approved Resolution IDA-14-05-12 by Mr. Peck, seconded by Mr. LaBaff. The motion is carried by
unanimous vote.
Resolution IDA-14-05-13: Accepting Application from Defelsko and Scheduling Public Hearing. Mr. Kelly
explains that the Company has applied for financial assistance in the form of a PILOT and Sales and Use
Tax exemption, and will be constructing a 25,000 sq ft structure in Ogdensburg. Motion to approve
Resolution IDA-14-05-13 by Mr. Blevins, seconded by Mr. LaBaff. The motion is carried by unanimous
vote.
Resolution LDC-14-05-04: Extending Revolving Bridge Loan of $300,000 to Slic Network Solutions, Inc.
Mr. Kelly explained that the current authorization has expired, and this will extend the bridge financing for
12 months. Motion to approved Resolution LDC-14-05-04 by Mr. Hall, seconded by Mr. LaBaff. The
motion is carried by unanimous vote.
Resolution LDC-14-05-05: Authorizing Modifications to SLCIDA-LDC’s FY2014 Budget. Motion to
approve Resolution LDC-14-05-05 by Mr. LaBaff, seconded by Mr. Peck. The motion is carried by
unanimous vote.
Resolution LDC-14-05-06: Authorizing a Loan of Up to $200,000 to Riverside Iron, LLC. Mr. Kelly
provides a brief overview of the project, noting the Company will be purchasing the Riverside Iron Works
facility. The Company is already bidding jobs. The project is expecting to create a total of 12.5 FTEs and
2 consultants over the next three years. Motion to approve Resolution LDC-14-05-06 by Mr. Peck, seconded
by Mr. Blevins. The motion is carried by unanimous vote.
Resolution LDC-14-05-07: Authorizing a Loan of Up to $88,000 to BlastBoss, Inc. Mr. Kelly explains that
the Company is currently headquartered in Richfield Springs, New York, and has been manufacturing multimedia blasting systems for six years. The Company’s specialty includes environmentally-friendly
sandblasting and surface preparation systems. The project is expected to create 4.5 FTE jobs. Motion to
approve Resolution LDC-14-05-07 by Mr. LaBaff, seconded by Mr. Blevins. The motion is carried by
unanimous vote.
Resolution MIC-14-05-04: Authorizing Loan Funding to Proline-Striping, LLC. The Company has applied
for $20,000 in loan assistance through the Microenterprise Revolving Loan Fund to assist the company as it
purchases machinery and equipment, and for working capital. The project is expected to create 1 FTE
position, 51% of which shall be filled by a person(s) determined at hiring to be of low-moderate income.
Motion to approve Resolution MIC-14-05-04 by Mr. Peck, seconded by Mr. McMahon. The motion is
carried by unanimous vote.
Resolution MIC-14-05-05: Authorizing Loan Funding to Sharrow’s Home Repair and Renovation, LLC.
The Company has applied for $20,000 in loan assistance through the Microenterprise Revolving Loan Fund
to assist the company as it purchases equipment, and for working capital. The Company is phasing out
roofing projects due to the increased cost of Workers’ Compensation, and intends on adding excavating and
plowing services. The project is expected to create 1 FTE seasonal position, 51% of which shall be filled by
a person(s) determined at hiring to be of low-moderate income. Motion to approve Resolution MIC-14-0505 by Mr. Hall, seconded by Mr. Blevins. The motion is carried by unanimous vote.
ADJOURNMENT: Adjourns at 10:10 AM by unanimous consent.
(Mr.) Lynn Blevins, Secretary