The Schenectady County Airport is expecting to host more than planes. County officials announced Thursday, Oct. 25, that it would be creating a new tech park at the site.
The new Airport Tech Park would take up nearly 700 acres at the County Airport on Route 50 in Glenville.
Global nutrient premix manufacturing company Fortitech, which has its headquarters in Schenectady, will be building a 40,000-square-foot distribution facility and a corporate research and development center on 20 acres as part of the new Tech Park.
Chairwoman of the County Legislature Susan Savage, D-Niskayuna, said the move is another great win for the county’s economic development team.
We are proud to announce plans for the Airport Tech Park on land that is no longer used for aviation purposes at the county-owned airport in Glenville, she said. `Not only will this sale benefit county taxpayers, the establishment of a new tech park at the airport will create more jobs and more tax base for the town of Glenville and Schenectady County.`
The county plans to sell the land to the Schenectady County Industrial Development Agency for $1 million, which in turn will sell it to Fortitech.
County lawmakers plan to use the $1 million generated from the sale to balance the county’s $280.9 million budget, which the Legislature adopted Thursday, Oct. 25.
Fortitech, which was founded in 1986, is a world leader in the development of custom nutrient premixes for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. The company has its headquarters in Schenectady, where it employs about 180 people, but also has manufacturing and distribution facilities throughout Europe, Asia, South America, Mexico and the United States including Ontario, Calif.
The company plans to invest $4 million into the airport site with plans for further investment in the future.
`We have had great success with building a global business in Schenectady,` Fortitech president Walter Borisenok said. `The purchase of this property will allow us to continue this growth within the county.`
County officials are actively marketing the Schenectady County airport to developers. A new military reserve center is nearly completed, and plans for a multi-use retail and housing development called Patriots Square is in the works.
Currently the Schenectady County Airport is home to the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard and private and corporate aircrafts. “