Delaware County: Gitter done

The Delaware County Board of Supervisors has unanimously passed a resolution in support of Dean Gitter's Belleayre development project, the Daily Freeman reports. (The story also appears in the Catskill Mountain News, but their content is behind a paywall.)

Individual members of the Board of Supervisors praised the project and its backers. The most vocal support came from: Dennis Valente, supervisor of the town of Davenport and chairman of the Delaware County Economic Development Committee; Len Utter, the supervisor of the town of Middletown; Martin Donnelly, supervisor of the town of Andes; and Jim Eisel, supervisor of the town of Harpersfield and chairman of the Board of Supervisors.

"The Delaware County Board of Supervisors is committed to, and strongly supports economic development and the tourism industry in Delaware County," reads the beginning of measure, which also notes the county has suffered loss of jobs, reduced household income and a drop in sales tax revenue during the recent economic downturn.

The resolution doesn't have much actual power over the deal, which is currently in the hands of the state. It's a largely ceremonial show of support for Gitter on behalf of the town leaders of Delaware County, which has shown considerably less opposition to the project than its neighbors over the mountain in Ulster County.

The Freeman/CMN also report that Gitter is denying a claim made in a recent dirt-digging New York Post story: that Albany is holding up a critical land deal between Gitter and the state because of inflated land values.

Earlier: Ulster County legislature endorses Crossroads resort.