A meat packing plant that was to have been built in the Clyde Industrial Park will locate in the Tug Hill region instead.
The Finger Lakes Times quotes the Waterville Daily Times as saying California businessman Rezk “Rez” Abdelrahman will locate the plant in the town of Lyonsdale, outside Lowville. Abdelrahman first proposed building the facility in the industrial park. The Clyde Industrial Development Corporation favored the idea, but village officials were afraid it was not compatible with other businesses in the park.
Many residents were opposed to having a meat packing plant so close to a school and homes. Also, the village has an ordinance against such facilities, which would have had to have been overturned.
Abdelrahman briefly considered another Wayne County site, the former Lyons landfill, he has signed a contract with the Lewis County Industrial Development Authority. The packing plant is the first step in Abdelrahman’s plan, which could include retail outlets throughout the state. He says the plant will eventually employ a hundred people. He paid $75,000 for the Lewis County property and did not ask for any tax breaks.
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