Mid Hudson Times Oct. 10 2018

T IMES MID HUDSON Vol. 30, No. 41 3 OCTOBER 10 - 16, 2018 3 ONE DOLLAR Pirates & puppets Goldbacks win 35-7 Page 16 Page 40 SERVING NEWBURGH AND NEW WINDSOR Newburgh Proposals sought for City Hall building DPW: understaffed and M an ’ s B est F riends overworked By KATELYN CORDERO [email protected] The Newburgh city manager has put out for proposals for its city hall, a building riddled with failing infrastructure at 83 Broadway. City Manager Michael Ciaravino believes a boutique hotel would be a fit for the building and that location in the city, to boost tourism and revitalization in the area. “I mentioned in the council meetings that we would be going out for an RFP,” said Ciaravino. “Ultimately whatever the response is that comes back is going to be information we will share with the council. Not only we have a mold issue, the roof leaks and there are structural issues. Not only can we not afford to repair the building, so in the interest of providing what potentially may be a viable option, we want to provide what will at least gather the data through the process to see what other interest may be out there.” The building has been the home of the City of Newburgh Administration since Continued on page 2 By KATELYN CORDERO [email protected] The City of Newburgh Department of Public Works (DPW) has been understaffed for years performing a juggling act to perform all the necessary work to keep the city running while staying in line with a tight budget. George Garrison, Superintendent of Public Works, does the best he can with the staff he is provided, but the manpower always runs short for the amount of work needed to be done each day in the city. “It’s a juggle everyday,” said Garrison. “We sometimes get a call that we have to go fix something on a property, then I have to pull my guys from what they’re doing to go address the issue.” A crew of 50 workers is expected to do the same amount of work that 72 workers did in 2007. The amount of work performed by the DPW is often behind the scenes and unnoticed. Two employees alone are in charge of maintaining the 260 properties owned by the city. They have to cut the grass, clean the properties, and make sure the buildings are running properly. The DPW has a laundry list of responsibilities to take care of for the city. They are in charge of property Continued on page 4 Kristen Haight Father Bill Damroth blesses some furry friends in the prayer garden ouside of St Francis of Assisi Church on Sunday. Each year, in honor of the Feast of Saint Francis, patron saint of animals, the pastor blesses pets. This year, about 40 people turned out with their pets. WWW.MIDHUDSONTIMES.COM