EDITORIAL A Year To Remember For Sullivan Economy, Tourism Decades from now, 2018 will likely be remembered as the year that Sullivan surely got its tourism groove back. Sure, it had been in the making since Bethel Woods opened in 2006 along with the return to life of so many Main Streets in places like Roscoe, Rock Hill, Jeffersonville, Callicoon and Narrowsburg along with Bethel’s restaurant row and the vastly improved shopping districts in Monticello and Liberty. But let’s look at what happened this year: --The long awaited opening of Resorts World Catskills in Thompson that has employed many and boosted many local businesses. -- The opening of the Yo1 Wellness Center in Thompson -- Plans taking shape for The Eldred Preserve Project in Highland, set to open in 2019. -- Groundbreaking of The Chatwal Lodge in Bethel, set to open in 2020 -- Foster Supply Hospitality expanding and bringing great attention to the County, including The DeBruce just named as one of the top new restaurants in America. When the Sullivan County Visitors Association holds its Annual Dinner meeting this week, much of the above will surely be mentioned. And, starting next month, the entire County will likely begin to embrace (and benefit from) the build up to the 50th anniversary of Woodstock. The significance of the anniversary, regardless of what musical acts get signed, is sure to draw old hippies and new hipsters and thousands of other types back to the garden. The media attention will be enormous. There will be major cable networks, the most influential newspapers and magazines and more to shine the lights on our County as we move closer to the anniversary weekend. We saw that on the 40th anniversary and this will only add to more buzz about our region. We can only hope that the communities in our County still struggling the most --like the Village of Monticello and Town of Liberty -- truly benefit from this continued economic revival that’s taken hold. They can’t be left behind, especially because Monticello and Liberty were the backbone of the Borscht Belt economy that carried so many of our towns and villages for most of the 21st century. Two areas that still need more attention? Route 17B and Route 52. While there are stories of great success on both of these gorgeous roadways, there are still giant swaths of vacant land/commercial space that can be occupied with new businesses that serve their communities and our seasonal visitors. We continue to believe that Empire Resorts should unload the racino -- and let that big, beautiful piece of property be purchased by a socially responsible company that can create even more middle class jobs here. The Sullivan Times Editor & Publisher: Rich Klein PO Box 502 Jeffersonville NY 12748 sullivancatskillstimes@gmail.com Follow Us On Facebook and Instagram
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