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Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, May 29, 2019
I n B rief
Donat named permanent
City manager
In a unanimous vote Wednesday evening, the Newburgh
City Council named Acting Manager Joseph Donat as
city manager.
Donat, who will receive an annual salary of $135,000
with a performance-based increase, gave up his job as
regional representative for Congressman Sean Patrick
Maloney to take the permanent city manager’s post.
Suspicious packages reported
at shopping centers
Law enforcement agencies are investigating the
discovery of two suspicious packages at two shopping
facilities in the Town of Newburgh on Saturday evening.
They were found in the parking lot of the Stop and
Shop supermarket off Route 300 and in the parking lot of
the former Bon-Ton department store at the Newburgh
Mall.
Town Police and the FBI investigated.
Both were water bottle containers filled with an
unknown liquid with other jars and a watch attached.
The investigation into who placed the apparently fake
devices in the two locations is continuing.
Plum Point Park closed on June 1
Plum Point Park in New Windsor will be closed from
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 1st as 50 New York
Air National Guard members conduct combat survival
training in the wooded area of the facility. Plum Point is
located off Route 9W in New Windsor.
The National Guard training will involve on shore
exercises in the morning and water survival exercises
during the second half of the day. No weapons or
simulated munitions will be used during the training.
Residents will likely observe low-flying C-130 transport
aircraft and HH-60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopters in the
area during the exercise period.
In case of inclement weather, the training will be held
on Sunday, June 2nd. The training being conducted is
required for United State Air Force aircrew members,
who undergo periodic training to simulate survival
situations in the event of a downed aircraft. This training
includes Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape
instruction, which familiarizes personnel to survive in
the wilderness and avoid detection by enemy forces.
Members of the 105th Airlift Wing, based at Stewart Air
National Guard Base in Newburgh, are being trained by
specialized instructors from the New York Air National
Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing to accomplish this life-saving
and critical training.
Dog park opens in
Town of Newburgh
Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus and
Commissioner of Parks and Recreation Jim Brooks have
announced that the County has opened a new dog park
at Algonquin Park, located at 54 Powdermill Road in the
Pam Lounsbury of New Windsor walks her dogs Lily, an
Italian Greyhound mix, and Maggie, a Yellow Labrador mix,
at the County’s new dog park at Algonquin Park in the Town
of Newburgh
Town of Newburgh.
“This new amenity at our beautiful Algonquin Park
provides residents with a wonderful space to spend time
outside with their dogs,” Neuhaus said. “It’s a great
venue for dogs to exercise and socialize and serves as
another way for the community to enjoy Algonquin
Park.”
The 30,000 square-foot park is open from dawn until
dusk and includes benches, tables and pet stations. The
dog park cost $25,000, with the County saving $10,000 by
utilizing an outfield fence from a ball field at Algonquin
and by installing equipment and signs in-house.
Algonquin Park, listed on the National Register of
Historic Places, features both passive recreation in a
historic setting with powder mill buildings and remains
from the Civil War era. Amenities at Algonquin Park
include multi-purpose ball fields, playgrounds, nature
trails, a pond area, fishing, a picnic shelter, a comfort
station, picnic tables, grills and parking.
The County’s Parks, Recreation and Conservation
department manages and maintains over 3,400 scenic
acres of parkland.
SUNY Orange to reimagine
workforce training programs
The Orange County Community College Board of
Trustees has directed President Dr. Kristine Young to
reimagine the College’s proposed Innovation Grand
Street workforce training initiative in the City of
Newburgh into a geographically more diverse project
that will educate and train a broader clientele.
The College remains committed to its pledge to help
spark downtown Newburgh revitalization while growing
a skilled talent pipeline for local employers. However, at
the Board’s urging, SUNY Orange will seek alternative
locations on its own campuses, as well as within the City
of Newburgh, and at potential sites throughout Orange
County, rather than the three Grand Street buildings
originally targeted by the College for renovation and use.
The College’s two-phase proposal for Innovation Grand
Street had called for renovations to the Masonic Lodge
(48 Grand St.) and the American Legion building (62
Grand St.) in Phase I with the YMCA building (54 Grand
St.), located between the Masonic Lodge and American
Legion facilities, to be upgraded in Phase II. The College
learned recently that the County Legislature has other
plans for the YMCA.
“It is our very strong belief that the recent decision by
the Legislature to exclude the YMCA building from this
project negatively impacts the financial plan and overall
proforma of our initiative, and we could not reasonably
proceed,” Young explained. “The overall strategy for
Innovation Grand Street incorporated an integrated
and thoughtful use of all three buildings, providing for
specific uses by building type, scale, internal footprint
and collaborative mix.
“We are moving forward with a new, exciting and
geographically broader approach to educating and
training a dynamic and better prepared workforce of the
future,” Young added. “The Grand Street buildings were
optimal from our perspective because of their proximity
to our Newburgh campus, but the reality is that we can
offer the type of programming we envision in a variety
of locations both within the City’s borders and beyond.
For us, ‘how’ we develop programming and offer training
is more important than ‘where’ that training happens.”
The Innovation Grand Street initiative has garnered a
sizable influx of public and private financial support, to
the tune of more than $3 million to date.
“Our core vision for this initiative remains the
same, and our commitment to have a major presence
in Newburgh is as strong as ever,” Young said. “But,
moving forward, we will evaluate other potential space
and locations on our current campuses, in the City of
Newburgh and in other Orange County communities.
Our mission to provide value to private sector employers
with an enhanced workforce development strategy
remains a top priority.”
Skoufis holds hearing on
housing conditions
Senator James Skoufis (D-Hudson Valley), Chairman
of the Senate Investigations and Government Operations
Committee, held a joint public hearing in the City of
Newburgh with Senator Brian Kavanagh (D-Manhattan),
Chairman of the Housing Committee, on the current
investigation into housing conditions and code
enforcement, the first of its kind.
Witnesses who testified included: Assemblymembers
Zebrowski and Jacobson; officials from the City of
Albany, City of Newburgh, City of Mount Vernon,
and Town of Ramapo; Citizens United to Protect
Our Neighborhoods; The Orange County Landlord
Association; the Department of State; and the Firemen’s
Association of the State of New York.