Chinese delegation visits former Mid-Orange prison side
WARWICK The Town of Warwick held a welcoming ceremony last Friday morning, June 22, for a delegation from The Peoples Republic of China who had expressed an interest in forming a sister city relationship and exploring the possibility of establishing an agricultural college on the grounds of the now vacant Mid-Orange Correctional Facility.
The meeting, which could have an enormous and positive impact on the local economy, was suggested by the Orange County Partnership, whose mission is to promote economical development, and the Orange County Business Accelerator, a partnership between the Orange County Government and the Orange County Industrial Development Agency.
After posing for photographs with their hosts on the steps of the Warwick Town Hall, the Chinese delegation of government and business representatives from the Shanyin District of Shanxi Municipality joined local officials, representatives of the Orange County Partnership and Business Accelerator and a representative of Assemblyman Peter Rivera for an official ceremony.
Town of Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton welcomed the visitors and then he and the Vice Mayor of Shouzhou City, Lei Jiankun, signed a letter of intent for a friendly exchange between the Shanyin County district of Shanxi Municipality and Warwick.
The document stated that the two regions would discuss agricultural development and cooperation, keep in regular contact and exchange visits periodically.
Exchange of gifts Supervisor Sweeton presented Vice Mayor Jiankun with a replica of the Town of Warwicks logo, while explaining, with the help of a translator, the significance of the artwork in each panel.
Because China has history of clashes with England, there was some laughter and nods of approval when he mentioned that the chain pictured across the seal represented one forged locally that was strung across the Hudson River to help defeat the British in the American Revolution.
Vice Mayor Jiankun, in turn, presented Sweeton with artwork on leather of an 11th century leaning pagoda built long before Italys famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. And when Sweeton said that it would be hung in the Town Hall lobby for all to see, Jiankun, departing from Chinese, exclaimed, Oh! Great!
She also invited Sweeton to visit her district in China.
The town welcomes our visitors from China and looks forward to exploring their interest in investing in our community with the intent to create job opportunities for our residents, said Sweeton.
Milk processing plant Later that morning the group headed out for a tour of the former Mid-Orange Correctional Facility.
A year ago Gov. Andrew Cuomos office announced that the Warwick Correctional Facility was on the list of seven prisons to be shut down to save the state money and the 772.5 acre site and all buildings remain vacant.
The Chinese delegation, however, has been looking at sites for possible investment to create an agricultural college and a plant that would process raw milk into powdered milk for export back to China. They talked about a substantial investment and the creation of as many as 3,000 new jobs.
We were invited as their guests to a reception Friday evening in Queens where we met others from not only their city but other Chinese -American business associations who may have some interest in doing business in our Town, said Sweeton. We agreed to continue discussions in more detail.
Meghan Taylor, Orange County Partnership Director, Business Attraction, later reported that the Chinese delegation appeared to be pleased with the site and that all those involved are planning to have a follow-up meeting in the near future.
By Roger Gavan