Richard Moody is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Greenport Town Board has approved the plan to connect the Gerald R. Simons Commerce Park on Route 66 in Ghent to the town’s new sewage processing plant. The board approved the resolution at its year-end meeting last week, following months of debate over how the town would fare under the proposal. “This is a long time coming; the county has been looking at options since the fall of 2015,” said outgoing Town Supervisor Edward Nabozny. Town Supervisor-elect Kathy Leck Eldridge called the board's approval of the connection despicable. She has long opposed the plan. “This is a last-minute, back-door deal,” Eldridge said. “They wanted to get it done before I took office because they knew I would have opposed it.” The county has agreed to pay the town an extra incentive of $20,000 every year for 40 years, or for the lifespan of the processing facility. The county will also pay for the operation, maintenance and debt related to the construction of the facility, totaling $50,000 in annual revenue to the town. Matt Murell, Chairman of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, said the arrangement was a positive move for the town and for the county. “The town will have another source of revenue now,” Murrell said. The new line will run from the park up Route 66 to the waste facility at 176 Fairview Ave. and include three pump stations along the way. The county will now work with the state to finalize the plans. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.