T IMES
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION FIRST-PLACE AWARD FOR GENERAL EXCELLENCE, 2016
MID
HUDSON
Vol. 29, No 22
3
MAY 31 - JUNE 6, 2017
3
ONE DOLLAR
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Page 19
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SERVING NEWBURGH AND NEW WINDSOR
4th homicide of the year
Accused killer pleads not guilty in shelter homicide
The Ridge
seeks $40
million loan
By LAUREN BERG
Robert Munson, 61, was killed while he worked an overnight shift at a Youth Advocate Programs shelter, located at 44 Grand Street.
By SHANTAL RILEY
[email protected]
A 61-year-old man was found dead
in the early morning hours last week
at a Youth Advocate Programs shelter
on Grand Street. Robert Munson had
been working the overnight shift at the
facility when he was killed in an assault,
according to police.
The homicide took place early on
Wednesday, May 24. A wanted bulletin
was released to the public with a photo
of suspect Wilfredo Mercado that day.
The notice stated Mercado should be
considered “extremely dangerous.”
Police later found Mercado in the area
of 219 Broadway. He was charged with
second-degree murder and arraigned in
Newburgh City Court the following day.
Continued on page 29
WWW.MIDHUDSONTIMES.COM
The Ridge Hudson Valley LLC,
formerly known as “The Loop” and “The
Marketplace”, which is looking to develop
the site across from the Newburgh Mall
as a new shopping and business center, is
also seeking an Industrial Development
Agency (IDA) benefit resolution from the
T
own of Newburgh board and the board of
education in the form of a 40-million-dollar
loan. IDA benefits for construction sites
usually take the form of a tax reduction
or waiver on building materials or on
property taxes for a set period, but the
Ridge is asking for the issuing of bonds to
help finance the cost of the infrastructure.
Town supervisor Gil Piaquadio said in the
May 22 meeting that the Ridge also wants
to borrow the large sum to “finance public
improvements.”
The public improvements discussed
at the meeting included the company
offering to build a 3-million-dollar
senior recreation center for the Town
of Newburgh on their property. The
recreation center would be owned by the
town upon its completion, and possibly
may contain space to hold a library and
media center for the school district to
use. There was additional discussion of
building a field house on property owned
by the school district that could hold
4,000 people to be used for graduations
in the event of rain. However, Piaquadio
admitted he didn’t see how such a building
could be constructed with a set budget of
$3 million.
The IDA loan would have to be
Continued on page 29