NEWBURGH – SUNY Orange President Dr. Kristine Young will be developing a plan to ‘reimagine’ the college’s proposed Innovation Grand Street workforce training initiative in the City of Newburgh to include a geographically more diverse project that will educate and train a broader clientele.
Her new mission comes under the direction of the college board of trustees.
That means the college is going to abandon the original plan to redevelop the three Grand Street buildings originally targeted for educational development.
The board wants SUNY Orange to instead seek alternative locations on its own campuses, as well as within the City of Newburgh, and at potential sites throughout Orange County.
The college’s two-phase proposal for Innovation Grand Street had called for renovations to the Masonic Lodge at 48 Grand Street and the American Legion building at 62 Grand Street in Phase I with the YMCA building at 54 Grand Street 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 said. “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.”
She said they 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 said the Grand Street buildings were “optimal” because of their proximity to the 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.”
