Who Killed the Catskills

One of the least spoken items that killed the Catskills resorts was the excessive property taxes. Most of the time when these resort hotels went broke the prime culprit was real estate taxes. In the case of the giant Concord Hotel this was a crippling blow.

The problem was the State and the municipality lacked vision. Long term the tax and social spending consequence of a giant employer failing was much more serious then the tax bills. The municipalities has seen ample examples of abandoned hotels and should have worked with the ownership on forgiving debts and encouraging maintenance of the facility.

Instead of having a giant employer who supported hundreds of families we have a pit of dust. Maybe the state will work to save Kutshers and restore it to its brilliance. Stevensville can likely be refurbished if the local community had vision.

 It is sad to look at the deterioration of Monticello and Liberty. Part of my dream was to retire there. Unfortunately, the property taxes and crime have turned that dream into a fantasy. Sadly, it was the place where I learned to love the land. Pretty much the lights went out when the Concord closed.