Standing Ovation for Neuhaus at State of County Address Part I - Local Impacts & a Peek at LaGuardia Park Plan
- ejreporter
- 54 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Growth in the Orange County tax base
showed an 81.4 percent increase from 2017 to 2025
and full value Property in 2025 of $56,308,003,701.
By Edie Johnson
1/24/25
Goshen - Like a finely tuned Swiss watch, Orange County Executive, Steve Neuhaus addressed a full house at the Emergency Services Center, covering a lengthy list of "Notables" items, barely taking a breath without missing a step between the seemingly endless items to present. The giant screen and in-depth descriptions made the volume of details easy to understand.
On entering the building attendees were greeted by several Sheriff's Department Officers, led by the County's Emotional Support K9, Yoda, a "Certified Health and Wellness Service Dog", who wagged his tail vigorously in a big "Hello" to anyone who looked his way. Neuhaus said that if you doubted the impact that Yoda makes on people needing emotional support you should have seen him in action at the Jennings Creek Fire. A lengthy positive speech by the CE was punctuated by a dozen or so humorous asides along with an emotional descriptions of staff and citizen heroic actions during the year, like the young woman in Washingtonville who proved the benefit of the Youth Bureau Program by saving the life of a neighbor who had fallen while mowing his lawn. Neuhaus showed his passion for the developments he plans to bring to fruition in the near future, includinge hi tech companies and film groups who are considering locating their businesses here.
The speech began with upbeat figures of the county's financial and structural status including 8 primary overall achievements including: Less Debt, Smaller Government, Lower Tax Rate, Lower Tax Levy, Safer Schools, Major Investment in Infrastructure, a Top Notch OC Department of Emergency Management and Protected and Preservation of More Open Space. A chart depicting the County's decrease in Property Tax Rate was impressive, as was another chart that showed a growth in the tax base that showed an 81.4 increase from 2017 to 2025 and culminating in a full value Property in 2025 of $56,308,003,701. On top of that, the 2024 Sales Tax Revenue of $395,410,,712 allowed over $103 million to be distributed to municipalities. And this leaves a $184.7 million Unassigned Fund Balance, gaining them a Triple-A Moody's Rating.
Among the most local recent significant impacts are several projects that will provide new open space for outdoor recreation and hiking.,,,, And an announcement that thousands of residents have been eagerly waiting for was the first stylized drawing plan for turning the former Camp LaGuardia site into a new County Park. While it is not 100 percent ready to proceed it is enough to give hope and see commitment toward a soon to be finished First View Final Layout. Neuhaus quipped that the image of the existing buildings at the front currently look like they are right out of a horror story. Only the one main building will remain and the rest will soon be demolished. The vision, he said, is "kind of like if Winding Hills married Thomas Bull Park and had a child". It is a vision that residents of the area, and especially Chester and Blooming Grove have waited for for a very long time. From Women's Prison to Homeless Center to a proposal for over 600 affordable housing units with a tiny park, it has been a gruesome history that will finally lead to some beautiful recreation space and continued protection of significant historic black dirt fields (black dirt is the incredibly rich and nutritious residue from a time when glaciers passed through areas of Orange County, creating some of the best agricultural soil on earth).
THE VISION OF A NEW COUNTY PARK
ON THE CHESTER/BLOOMING GROVE BORDER
The CE also went out of his way to emphasize that the new Schunnemunk Rail Trail that will connect The Heritage Trail at the new "Park" and continue through Blooming Grove and Washingtonville along the new Schunnemunk Rail Trail to its new section right at the Moodna Trestle is already happening. Like a breath of fresh air this newly completed section at the Trestle had visitors walking toward the Trestle on Easter Sunday (zoom in, they are tiny)
The best thing about this wonderful new accessibility trail to walk the approach to the historic Moodna Trestle is that while it is significantly developed enough to allow a significant number of hikers, walkers, and even wheelchair bound individuals, it does not detract from the beautiful naturalness of this historic view which seamlessly blends iron and scenery.
Around the bend at the Moodna Trestle
Neuhaus said "The people want it. They will get it and it will be a wonderful recreational resource." Neuhaus added that he runs on it frequently, and always before a State of the County Address, as he had done earlier today.
Also on the Recreation Front, he wants the County to buy SLPAC in Sugar Loaf from Chester. He said that it is currently not financially viable and in need of repairs. It would require a large and very experienced group to do it justice and he is afraid that without the proper management it will become "all broken down". He added "I don't need to make money out of it. We could offer free events and workshops for the community. Did you know that 1/3 of Broadway actors live in Orange County?"
One of the special places in Orange County that people love to visit is the Arboretum in Montgomery. Plans are in the works for an indoor Event Space that can help make the site useful throughout the year and in both beautiful and inclement weather.
Another hyperlocal story during the speech was concerning the County's new
Youth Bureau. Neuhaus said that it has already proven its value in Washingtonville when a young woman who was in the program was able to save the life of a neighbor when he had fallen while mowing.
A State of the County Address this year would not be complete without a recount of the horrific Jennings Creek Fire at Greenwood Lake. 5,000 acres of treasured woodlands were lost, as well as the life of a young man when a tree fell on him early during the rescue efforts. Orange County was not called to join
the firefight until after that happened, but duriing the remainder of the week long battle they assisted with an "army" of other firefighters (more details in Part II). Neuhaus was at the scene as well, much of the time.
STAY TUNED - PART II will cover more of the the nuts and bolts of running Orange County and all of its departments and projects and other "Notables" like why he thinks "Orange County's EMS is the envy of the East," and all of the money and trouble that the DMV is saving residents by doing a great deal of DMV business at Town Halls and Village Halls. Neuhaus said there were over 100 residents getting their DMV functions at the Cornwall Town Hall yesterday.
This week Neuhaus signed the papers to buy the Maple Avenue School in Chester, to renovate and develop as a Hi-Tech Center. It has many problems, including a lot of asbestos, but it also has a remarkable history having been built in 1935 as a Roosevelt Public Works Project. A remarkable photo review of its history can be seen at Maple Ave School Exhibit He said that when he went to look at it with his son he offered the Board of Education $1 for it. Lol, meanwhile, his young son followed his dad's example and said "I'll give you $5". Steve's offer was accepted. His son's was not, so Steve said he told him "Hey, look at it this way. You still have $5 in your pocket."
A Neuhaus favorite topic of late is his trip to Kaohsiung City, Taiwan a little over a month ago. He brought a team with him, including Commissioner of Planning Alan Sorensen, to explore the environmental cleanup of a formerly heavy industrial area, the rehabilitated shoreline, and most ardently the successful hi-tech business conducted there in the hope of repeating some of those efforts. Hi-tech and AI are touted to be the top economic generators during the next big business growth, and with its position just outside of New York City, and with the connections already made with many players in that field, he thinks it is a great direction to develop clean and high skilled jobs in our area.
Two other important notables discussed were the efforts that Orange County has made recently to find good jobs for the Otisville staff that were fired after the recent prison strike. Another socially positive accomplishment is that the legal case resulting in cease and disorders in the court as far as bussing and housing undocumented immigrants is still in place.
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