Northern Saratoga County, Washington County, and all of Warren County view it as a municipal hub.” The city is home to Glens Falls Hospital, a 400bed facility, employing 2,400 people. Additionally, Hudson Headwaters Health Network provides rural healthcare services throughout Northern New York and across the Adirondack Park region. “Healthcare is a fundamental part of our economy,” he reports.“A lot of that has to do with our demographics. We are an aging area, and that’s going to provide a pretty constant base for our ability to provide healthcare.” Emphasizing the spirit of innovation in Glens Falls, Siplon claims that the real differentiator is not only the incentives it offers to businesses, but the exceptional lifestyle, and the ideal location near the Adirondacks and Saratoga County. “This is a place where people with great ideas have always come to develop them, and they come because of the sense of place,” he maintains. “The quality of life here is really unmatched.” Siplon highlights the abundant natural resources, including water from the Southern Adirondacks, which are contributing to the city’s growth in the area of sustainable enterprises. One notable example is JUST Water, a company that bottles the city’s water in eco-friendly packaging. This partnership is advantageous for Glens Falls, with JUST Water paying five times the municipal rate for every gallon. ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Constrained by the town of Queensbury on three sides and the Hudson River on the fourth, Glens Falls covers just four square miles, bringing some unique growth challenges. This has led to a focus on redevelopment, with many new projects involving repurposing existing properties, including brownfields. State funding is available for Brownfield Opportunity Areas, aiding in identifying potential environmental issues that could hinder development, as well as providing tax credits and helping to source additional grants to cover remediation costs. “We don’t really have any major post-industrial 194 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 11
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