Sarah Bradshaw

Poughkeepsie Journal

HYDE PARK – They were grand plans.

A workforce-development, training and disaster-readiness center would move into the newest building on the campus of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park to help farmers in the region cultivate profit.

The college's Marriott Pavilion would serve as a "hub" for the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp.'s Food and Beverage Alliance.

Comprised of a small staff overseen by a board of advisers, the marketing and networking group would organize up to five seminars and conferences each year, and create a disaster-readiness plan for agribusinesses.

If major storms like 2011's Irene or Lee flooded fields and devastated crops again, farmers could quickly bounce back from the economic blow.

However, a $3.4 million U.S. Economic Development Administration grant, which the college sought to help pay for the pavilion's brick and mortar, was never received, said Victor Gielisse, the college's vice president of advancement and business development.

"Unfortunately, we didn't get it," he said. "It's wasn't the right fit."

And, while the 42,000-square-foot pavilion opened earlier this year, most of the alliance's plans –, as outlined in the CIA's grant application obtained by the Journal – have stalled.

"It's a matter of funding from our side," said Laurence Gottlieb, president and CEO of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. "If you install a director or staff, there's some permanency to it. I don't believe in doing something halfway."

The "preliminary" approval of the federal disaster recovery grant was first announced by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, in October 2012.

He had said it was a "smart federal investment" to help the farm economy build up a resistance to natural disasters.

Reacting to his announcement, some farmers told the Journal that they didn't understand how a conference center would help them recover from storm damage.

A main criterion for the disaster grant applicant was "a clear link" between the proposed project and disaster recovery and resiliency efforts, the EDA's website states.

Gielisse said that criticism "might have lifted an eyebrow." Ultimately though, the college lost the grant because it moved forward with construction before receiving final grant approval.

"With any government-funded project, the work cannot initiate until the funding is approved," he said. "It's a situation where you make decisions where you need to move forward, otherwise constructions gets held up."

The Economic Development Administration said, in a written statement, that the $3.4 million stayed with the agency, and its staff is "currently engaged in identifying possible projects" to fund.

Schumer's spokesman Max Dworin said, "Because we worked very hard to secure this funding, we are disappointed that the EDA and Culinary Institute could not figure out how to dot all the I's and cross all the T's to get the grant for this worthwhile endeavor over the finish line.

"Fortunately, they've found a way to move forward with this project, which is designed to help Hudson Valley farmers move their products to market, and now the EDA grant money can go toward other worthy economic development projects in upstate New York."

Gottlieb said while the alliance is "not physically located there, we do do so much work together."

This October, the pavilion's conference center will hold the alliance's second annual Beer, Wine & Spirits Summit, a well-attended event in 2013.

Gielisse while the plans outlined in the grant application didn't work out:

"If you drive by [the campus], you see the beautiful building standing here. We still have a conference center, we still have magnificent impact. We move forward."

Sarah Bradshaw: sbradshaw@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4811; Twitter: @bradshawsarah