WATERTOWN, NY — Approximately 18 months ago The Lundy Group of Companies announced plans for a new agribusiness park on Route 3 in the town of Watertown.
Michael E. Lundy, President of The Lundy Group of Companies, is pleased to announce that the plans have come to fruition and site work is to begin on the
150-acre park.
The Thousand Islands International Agriculture and Business Park will provide the premier location for commercial, industrial, and retail ventures, as well as those related to agricultural businesses. This new park will provide a compatible, less intrusive setting leading to more development and business recruitment for the region.
In addition to the announcement for the park development moving forward, Mr. Lundy is very pleased to announce the first tenants of the Park.
Cazenovia Equipment Company, the region’s Authorized John Deere Dealer, will be building a new centralized 25,000 square foot sales and service facility in the park.
The new facility will service their large base of agricultural of customers, as well as their residential, municipal, and commercial customers.
Jim Frazee, President of Cazenovia Equipment, described the project. “As a prominent John Deere Dealership and Distributor in Central and Northern New York we will be combining our Watertown and Sandy Creek locations into one modern centralized location in the new AgriBusiness Park. Our roots are
in agriculture and we continue that strong relationship throughout much of the State, especially in Northern New York. We have experienced significant growth in the past 10 years and have outgrown our existing local facilities. The new building will offer increased capacity for in-house and mobile service for our agricultural, commercial and residential customers, as well as expanding our parts and sales
inventories. We are most excited to bring together our employee talent from both locations and be better positioned to serve our customers with an even higher quality customer experience. Ultimately it is the customer who will benefit.”
Mr. Frazee did specifically mention that the consolidation plans and new facility do not affect the Lowville location. “Our plans to consolidate locations do not include our Lowville location. It is an integral part of our business and we look forward to continue to serve the needs of the Lewis County customers for years to come from Lowville.”
Mr. Lundy commented on what a great fit Cazenovia Equipment will be for the new AgriBusiness Park. “Cazenovia Equipment and John Deere are not only synonymous with the agriculture community, but also as a growing presence for rural homeowners and local commercial interests with the John Deere lawn and garden equipment. Having them as our first tenant is a great opportunity and it shows the versatility of the various business and agricultural related companies that the Park will bring to the area. It also demonstrates the importance of this key location for future tenants. The close proximity to a population center like Watertown, and easy access from Route 3 and Interstate 81 are what companies like Cazenovia are looking for.” Mr. Frazee agreed that those were very important reasons as to why they chose the AgriBusiness Park for their new location.
Jay Matteson, Jefferson County Agricultural Coordinator with the Jefferson County Local Development Corporation, further commented on Cazenovia Equipment’s addition to the AgriBusiness Park. “It is fantastic to see a solid company like Cazenovia Equipment making a significant investment in our agricultural industry, and our local economy. With their new facility they will be better able to serve our
local farms and agricultural community, as well as rural landowners.”
Mr. Lundy has hired GYMO to work with the Town of Watertown and Town of Hounsfield to handle all the zoning and site engineering requirements, including development of the road and infrastructure for the park. “Working with Both Townships, as well as the JCIDA in a cooperative manner has been wonderful,” added Mr. Lundy. “Everyone understands that by working together on this park will allow for more business and more jobs to be brought into our community.”
Announcements of additional tenants will be made in the very near future.
