OCCC plans to build
You don”™t have to be a grown-up to go to college ”“ at least not in Middletown.
Here, children from 18 months to 5 years old attend Kindercollege on the campus of Orange County Community College; students, faculty members and the public can register their preschoolers for fall and spring semesters.
Rather than going for better grade point averages, however, attendees receive pre-K care and education, while psychology and childhood education students benefit from an on-campus learning opportunity.
A new building dedicated for Kindercollege use is being proposed for the Middletown campus, which would also serve as an “on-campus lab for our child psychology and early childhood education students,” said Dr. William Richards, president of the college. He said the 10,000-square-foot facility would be “a benefit to both the children and the students.”
The current pre-K program is in the Sarah Wells building on South Street, a structure that would be razed once the new Kindercollege building is constructed. “Sarah Wells Hall is pretty much at the end of its useful life,” said Richards, “and the cost to make constant repairs is never-ending. Further, it is not ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant, and the cost to bring it up to compliance as well as keep patching it up just can”™t be justified.”
The Sarah Wells building will be replaced with a 110,000-square-foot science, engineering and technology building, “which would take up most of the space between Harriman Hall and Orange Hall,” said Richards. In addition, a multi-tiered parking garage facing Wawayanda Avenue is planned to alleviate the congestion around the campus, adding approximately 200 parking spots.
The total cost of the expansion project is approximately $43 million. “Of that, $21.5 million was set aside in 2009 by the New York state Legislature,” said Richards. Now, he”™s in the process of getting the Orange County Legislature to agree to the campus expansion. If approved, the Legislature would bond matching funds over 20 to 30 years, he said.
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At first glance, it may not seem like an ideal time to build, given the recession, “but there really is no better time to build a capital project,” said Richards. “Nothing is being built in the private sector, so the opportunity to bring this project in under the original projected cost is a definite possibility.
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“We have already saved $3 million on the new Newburgh campus construction since we originally proposed it ”“ competition is brisk among contractors.”
And, it”™s a matter of timing, he said. “I don”™t think the Legislature is going to walk away from $21.5 million already committed by the state to Middletown”™s expansion. We have the Legislature”™s approval to move forward; the county”™s bond rating is exceptional, so I don”™t foresee a problem,” he added.
He did say that, while unlikely, the state could renege on its commitment. “Funding for capital projects does not come out of the General Fund,” said Richards. “Conceivably, the state could pull $21.5 million that is has already committed; while I can”™t see it happening, anything is possible.” Richards is optimistic this will not be the case when it comes to funding capital projects.
County Legislator Patrick Berardinelli, R-Newburgh, is now chairman of the Education and Economic Development Committee since his election in November.
“We”™re supportive of the Middletown expansion 100 percent,” said Berardinelli. “The plan in place will consolidate and improve the campus ”¦ the college”™s next move will be to present us with an architectural rendering for review, which we expect to see in April.”
Berardinelli added the Newburgh campus has just received a $1.6 million grant for classroom enhancement, and Richards has promised to mount a clearly defined capital campaign to raise funds for the Middletown expansion, as was done with the new Newburgh campus. (Newburgh”™s new college benefited from a $10 million grant from the Kaplan Foundation, for which its new science and technology center will be named.)
One thing that won”™t be removed from the Middletown campus is Sarah Wells”™ legacy or her name. “We plan to display it prominently in our new science and engineering building,” said Richards. “It plays an important historic role in our college and our community.”
Wells was among the first settlers to the region, and many of her ancestors, along with her husband”™s, Thomas Bull, remain stalwart keepers of the family flame in Orange County. The home she and Bull built in the 1700s in Hamptonburgh is open to the public and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Each year, descendants of Sarah Wells and Thomas Bull have a family reunion on the homestead”™s 120-acre parcel.