DeStefano:
Possibly two more colleges
MIDDLETOWN – Last year was very bright for the City of Middletown
and 2015 is expected to be as good or better, Mayor Joseph DeStefano said
in his annual State of the City address Tuesday night.
In 2014, Touro College opened for classes at the former Horton Campus of Orange Regional Medical Center, two micro-brewery projects were announced and the Middletown Community Health Center continued its efforts to secure the funding to renovate the former O&W Station.
There are also big plans for the former Middletown Psychiatric Center property, DeStefano announced. The Fei Tian College of Fine Arts is “seriously considering” relocating to the former psych center and the city is going to begin the environmental review for the possible acquisition of other property there.
“This includes 33 acres, 13 parcels and 485,000 square feet of office space,” he said. “Our focus is to secure the property while at the same time meeting with another medical school possibly interested in locating here in the City of Middletown.”
The city is under a state mandate to update its court facilities. Currently it has one courtroom for two judges and uses the common council chambers part-time for the other judge. DeStefano announced that Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther has submitted a funding request for $2.7 million in the state budget to purchase and renovate the federal court building on South Street, which was built several years ago, but recently vacated.
