Planning Ahead

On Friday, May 1, Matt Murell, chair of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, announced the formation of a committee called Columbia Comeback, tasked with serving as a resource for county businesses "to navigate the new normal and develop initiatives to help business owners adapt and respond." Columbia Comeback will be chaired by Jeff Hunt, president of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, and Mike Tucker, president and CEO of Columbia Economic Development Corporation. The committee will be made up of the following members:

• Robert Beaury, supervisor for Germantown
• Rob Lagonia, supervisor for Austerlitz
• Tistrya Houghtling, supervisor for New Lebanon
• Holly Tanner, county clerk
• P. J. Keeler, county treasurer
• Kamal Johnson, mayor of Hudson
• Ann Cooper, Columbia County Tourism
• Bill Black, Emergency Management
• Jack Mabb, Department of Health
• Rita Birmingham, Mount Merino Manor
• Bruce Bohnsack, GTel
• Annie Brody, Crandell Theater
• John Brusie, Ginsberg's Foods
• Jay Calahan, Columbia Memorial Health
• Tom Crowell, Chatham Brewing
• Carlee Drummer, Columbia-Greene Community College
• Joe Gilbert, The Berry Farm
• Allison Herrington, Herrington's
• Derick LaTorre, MetzWood Insurance
• Neil Howard, Taconic Hills Central School District
• Bob Lucke, The Cascades
• John Lee, Saturn Industries
• Marie Balle, Look Hudson
• Elena Mosley, Operation Unite
• Bob Rasner, Elijah Slocum, Inc., and Inn at 34

At twenty-five, not counting the two chairs, this committee is even bigger than the Hudson DRI Local Planning Committee which was assembled back in 2017, and it includes some of the same people—Jeff Hunt, Bob Lucke, and Elena Mosley. 

According to Murell, "In its initial phases, Columbia Comeback will look to guide the implementation of the Governor's Guidelines for the Phased Re-Opening, facilitate communication to ensure the safe reopening of businesses, and provide resources, guidance, and assistance to businesses as they work to ramp up to full operation." The press release that made the announcement goes on to say, "Chairman Murell envisions a number of potential Columbia Comeback activities, which include—but are not limited to—developing an online portal for businesses to stay up-to-date with key industry training, resource materials and other best practices in limiting community spread; providing guidance and resources to individual businesses to help them develop strategies to remain profitable; and providing business resources or hosting training sessions for future planning."

Comeback Columbia is currently setting the date of its first meeting, which will be "open to the public via an online medium." All future meetings will also be accessible to the public.