Marshall: EDA Not Used to Fast-Track Projects

AVON – The director of the Livingston County Development Agency said at Wednesday’s Livingston County Public Services meeting that the road construction project at Tek Drive will be completed and open to new businesses sooner than anticipated.

Julie Marshall, Director of the Livingston County Industrial Development Agency (IDA), said that the U.S. Economic Development Agency (EDA) is impressed with the ability of the IDA in handling the Tek Drive project.

“We had a monitoring visit from the EDA and they are very impressed,” said Marshall. “They’re not used to fast-track projects or organizations that know what they’re doing when it comes to grant management.”

To the contrary, Marshall told the Avon Planning Board on June 2, 2015 that the project was delayed. County Administrator Ian Coyle and County Supervisor Eric Gott were also in attendance. Check out video footage of that meeting below.

“Our funding source was the U.S. Economic Development Administration, and they’ve had some staffing changes and told us that we were unable to use town forces and needed to put that out to bid,” said Marshall on June 2. “We appealed that decision and were unsuccessful in that appeal. We’ve had to put the project out to bid and that has caused some delay in the project.”

Marshall added that the road construction, which was originally scheduled for completion in June 2014, will begin soon.

“Road construction will start soon, sooner than I thought actually,” said Marshall. “Our sign will go up in the next few days, by law it needs to go up by Friday. The sign will face 390, which gives us more visibility.”

Marshall added that several businesses plan to use the road once it is completed.