Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger, Ulster County Economic Development Alliance Chair the Rev. Dr. Gregory Simpson and other educational and local government leaders gathered at the former IBM-Kingston campus in Lake Katrine Monday to announce the signing of a master lease for 40,000 square feet of space for the new Sustainable Ulster Workforce Innovation Center, a collaboration of the county, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Ulster, Ulster BOCES and community-based partners.

They were joined by Ulster BOCES District Superintendent Dr. Jonah Schenker, who announced a lease for 105,000 square feet of iPark 87 space for a new Career and Technical Center. Other speakers included SUNY Ulster President Dr. Alison Buckley, SUNY New Paltz Vice President for Administration and Finance Michele Halstead, Ulster County Legislative Chair Peter Criswell, President of National Resources Joe Cotter and Town of Ulster Deputy Supervisor Clayton Van Kleeck.

The Sustainable Ulster Workforce Innovation Center will house the county’s Departments of Employment & Training, Tourism and Economic Development. There will also be programming space for workforce development partners, along with new instructional and programming space for SUNY New Paltz and SUNY Ulster, Ulster YouthBuild and other workforce development organizations. The Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Center in the same building complex will serve approximately 1,200 students.

“This project is truly transformational for Ulster County, involving a unique collaboration of government, educational and community-based partners, and businesses,” Metzger said. “Our shared vision is to create a vibrant hub of learning and professional development, and a direct pathway into jobs through partnerships with employers. No matter where you are in your level of education, no matter what your economic or life circumstances, you will have opportunities here.”

“Ulster BOCES has access to the largest potential labor market pool in the area — the nearly 600 seniors we graduate each year looking to enter the workforce and pursue postsecondary experiences, as well as indirect connections to the graduating classes of every public high school in the County,” Schenker said. “This positions us as a lead partner in workforce development, and being centrally located in the economic development hub of Ulster County being created at iPark 87, along with county government, SUNY New Paltz and SUNY Ulster, will allow us to be a true engine to support these workforce development needs. But it also allows us to create rewarding opportunities and experiences for all students and is a step forward in developing equity, access and belonging for all.”

“Signing this lease agreement with National Resources at iPark 87 marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the former IBM property,” said County Legislature Chair Peter Criswell. “After years of being underutilized, the facility is poised to become a vibrant hub of activity, innovation, economic development, and community engagement. We are breathing new life into this space, transforming it into a dynamic center — from employment and training opportunities to tourism and economic development initiatives, this property will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Ulster County. We are ushering in a new era of possibility and prosperity for this historic site."

It’s not yet clear how much the refit of the spaces will cost — complex owner National Resources will pay for that. The new tenants are expected to take up residence there in the fourth quarter of this year.

The announcement is the latest chapter in the long and oft-bleak history of the multi-building complex IBM left behind 30 years ago when it radically scaled back its Hudson Valley workforce. For decades, it was owned by entrepreneur Alan Ginsberg (no relation to the poet) and called TechCity. Tenants came and went; a succession of plans touted to bring hundreds of jobs to the region fell flat, like so many souffles in a kitchen just struck by an earthquake. Problems with groundwater contamination and asbestos didn’t help things.

The county eventually took possession of the site in 2021 and flipped it to National Resources, which has successfully redeveloped a former IBM site in East Fishkill. But iPark 87’s to-be-anchor tenant, a battery company called Zinc8 Energy Solutions, also collapsed, leaving National Resources in a fiscal pickle. Issues surrounding owed taxes and mortgage payments to the county, which holds the note on iPark 87, have been resolved. The new tenants’ status as government-funded entities promises to provide a reliable revenue stream to National Resources, keeping the enterprise going as more renters are sought.