Diane Pineiro-Zucker reports in the Daily Freeman that the former Channel Master and Schrade knife company building on U.S. Route 209 has sat empty for the past 17 years, but now Cresco Labs wants to build a large cannabis cultivation, processing, packaging and distribution facility on the property, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said Aug. 4. He said the proposed facility would create “a very, very exciting moment for Ellenville as we come out of 16 months of fear, challenge and uncertainty” and add “more fuel on the fire of the economic engine we’re building now in Ellenville and really in Ulster County.” Oddly, no one from the Chicago-based Cresco Labs attended the press conference, or would answer questions by phone or text. Jason Erkes, a company spokesperson, released a statement saying the company is “excited about adult use and expanding our footprint in the state of New York — we know the economic impact a large-scale cannabis facility can have on a community, and we look forward to continuing to work through the process with Ulster County on the location in Wawarsing.” Cresco has not yet submitted applications for the business to either the village or town planning boards. Even without many specifics, Ryan claimed the business "would employ 300 to 400 residents once fully operational.” New York legalized recreational cannabis use this spring, though it will take another year or two to get regulations in place for retail sales. Towns and cities have until Dec. 31 to opt-out of sales in their communities. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.