Sarah Trafton reports for Columbia-Greene Media that, with occasional tempers flaring, the Greene County Legislature voted 9-5 November 7 to create a nonprofit local development corporation to secure state funding. The vote was needed for the county to use $850,000 in state Community Development Block Grant funds by March 31, 2019. The program gives loans to local businesses. Voting for the measure were legislators William Lawrence and Harry Lennon, a Republican and Democrat from Cairo; New Baltimore Republican Patrick Linger; Catskill Republicans Matthew Luvera, Linda Overbaugh; Durham Democrat Aidan O’Connor, Jr.; Republican Charles Martinez from Coxsackie; Democrat Lori Torgersen from Windham, and Greenville Republican Kevin Lewis. Voting against were Catskill Republican Michael Bulich; Coxsackie Republicans Thomas Hobart and Kevin Lennon; and Athens Democrat Lee Palmateer. Hunter Democrat Larry Gardner was absent, which counts as a no vote. Previously, similar block grant programs have gone to Crossroads Brewery in Athens, the New York Zipline Adventure, and to help rebuild the Blackthorne Resort in Durham after part of it was destroyed by a fire. “We’re creating a powerful real estate development corporation and we’ve made no case that we need one,” Palmateer said. “If we make one, we should create one with specific purposes. It should only operate the loan fund, not buy properties.” But Warren Hart, the county's Tourism and Economic Development Planning Director, said the nonprofit corporation would not be that large. “If we develop one or two properties a year on top of handling the loans, that’s a good year,” he said. “I don’t see us as property managers.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360.com.