Coming to Liberty, a distribution center

Possible warehouse or cooling facility

By Mio Moser | Manor Ink

Liberty, NY – With the growing popularity of e-commerce in past years, there has been a sharp increase in demand for distribution centers and warehouses. Such distribution centers are essential to the business of online shopping, as they allow businesses to streamline their supply chain operations as they rush to ship products to customers.

Distribution centers are especially hard to come by in rural areas, such as large portions of Sullivan County. These areas, with low population densities, are challenging for the online shopping business, as it is often much harder for businesses to justify providing services such as rapid delivery. One possible solution to this dilemma is the modern distribution center, which allows companies to make their delivery process more efficient.

As of now, there are plans for a distribution center of this sort on Old Rte. 17 near Liberty. It is still uncertain what exactly this building will contain, but there are proposals for a warehouse and a cooling center. The facility is expected to bring economic benefits to the region and will provide many new employment opportunities.

“All throughout the country there is a need for these distribution centers,” Town of Liberty Supervisor Frank DeMayo said. This project was first proposed several years ago. Since then, it has been approved by the town’s Planning Board, and has passed a public hearing with virtually no opposition. DeMayo expects construction to start in about two years, with the center reaching completion about a year after that.

With unemployment being such a huge issue in the county, the promise of a new distribution center offering 150 to 500 new jobs close to home is certainly great news for Sullivan residents. However, there has been some disagreement about who will actually be working at the center.

“Naturally, we would prefer to have unemployed Sullivan County locals, but the workforce is a very interesting place right now,” DeMayo said. “People don’t want to work. So this is a big challenge. I would personally like to see us work with New York City or Albany on a plan to help train their incoming immigrants and employ them at the distribution center.”

As of now, most of these immigrants are of Hispanic origin, coming from countries in Central or South America. This raises another interesting problem. Though these workers are often praised for their reliability and trustworthiness, their lack of English is often a large concern for potential employers. In the entirety of Sullivan County, only one agency is teaching English as a second language to adults. Additionally, many planning decisions on behalf of county government still need to be made, such as whether the current capacity on Rte. 17 will be able to handle the increase in truck traffic.

Despite the many hurdles left to overcome, this new distribution center promises to streamline the delivery process for business looking to cater to Sullivan County and the Catskills, as well as provide a desperately needed source of employment in the region.