Skip to content

News Release: NYC DEP Rep To Speak At October 29 Breakfast

Chamber News

$1+ billion Project Will Impact UC Economy
 
The local Ulster County economy is about to see a massive boost, as the New York City Department of Environmental Protection is set to launch a $1.3 billion construction project at the 110-year-old Ashokan Reservoir.

John Milgrim, Director of External Affairs for the New York City Environmental Protection Bureau of Water Supply, will be the featured speaker at the October 29th event, at The Venue Uptown at the Best Western Plus, 503 Washington Ave., Kingston. The breakfast Sponsor is the Hudson Valley Credit Union.

According to Milgrim, “The decade-plus series of capital projects includes work to the dam, dikes, replacing the dividing weir bridge, the spillway, and all of the water management infrastructure bringing water from the reservoir into the Catskill Aqueduct,” Milgrim said. “It will be the largest capital project to take place in the Catskill Mountains for generations and will include hundreds of good-paying construction jobs, as well as ancillary economic benefits throughout the region.”

Milgrim also intends to highlight the DEP’s economic impact on the region, namely, how the agency directly infuses hundreds of millions of dollars each year to local economies throughout the watershed.

“The DEP is the No. 1 taxpayer in Ulster County, paying 100 percent of the assessed value on virtually all land and infrastructure that New York City owns,” he said.

A glimpse of last year bears that out. In the 2024 tax year, the agency paid $3,895,152 in Ulster County property taxes and $18,152,546 in school taxes, including $174,726 for the Kingston City School District.

The agency also boosts the local economy by employing 1,000 people throughout the upstate watershed and water supply system.

“Kingston is host to the DEP’s largest office and laboratory complex in the watershed, and roughly 200 employees work at DEP facilities throughout Ulster County, including scientists, engineers, police officers, forestry and wetlands experts, lawyers, mechanical technicians and operators, land planners and stewards, and administrative personnel, among others,” Milgrim said.

Milgrim, who previously served as a Deputy Ulster County Executive under Pat Ryan, will take questions following his presentation.
 
Chamber Breakfast Meetings are a great way to stay on top of current events and connect with other local business leaders. Reservations are required. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door for Chamber members ($45 for non-members.) For more information, contact the Chamber at (845) 338-5100 or go online at www.ulsterchamber.org. 
 
-30-

News Release: NYC DEP Rep To Speak At October 29 Breakfast

Scroll To Top