Poughkeepsie, Dutchess Reach Agreement On YMCA Building's Future

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — The city of Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County reached an agreement on the future of the long-vacant YMCA site at 35 Montgomery St.

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro and Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison announced Wednesday that the county will take ownership of the site and invest $25 million to build a new, state-of-the-art youth opportunity center on the property.

According to a news release, the city and the county will be seeking approval from the Poughkeepsie Common Council to transfer ownership of the property for $10 to the county.

That would allow the county to invest $25 million to demolish the existing structure and design and construct the new center, officials said.

A coalition of stakeholders will give a special presentation about the proposed agreement to the Common Council at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The registration link for the meeting can be found here.

City officials said Poughkeepsie doesn't have the financial capacity to complete the project on its own, so a collaboration with the county and community stakeholders would be more likely to make the center a reality.

Under local finance law, the county has to have ownership of the property in order to finance the project through municipal bonding.

The Dutchess County Legislature would have final approval for transfer and bonding of the property, after the Common Council approves ownership by the county.

Molinaro said this was the best way to begin what he called an immensely important project.

"The site is the ideal location, and the project fits perfectly into the county's Path to Promise initiative, designed to ensure that all young people in Dutchess County — from birth through employment — have the assistance they need to achieve their full potential as they grow into young adults," he said.

"Working together with the city of Poughkeepsie, the county Legislature and community stakeholders, we can make this a model," Molinaro said.

Poughkeepsie conducted a preliminary environmental and structural review of the property and concluded the building had to be demolished. Under the proposed agreement, the city would pay 25 percent of the demolition costs.

Rolison said the community has wanted a youth center since the YMCA closed more than a decade ago.

"The partnership between the city of Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County governments makes this project possible and will develop the former Dutchess YMCA site as a safe, structured space that will benefit our area youth and provide much-needed educational and healthcare services, childcare and recreation opportunities," he said.

The city became the property's owner in February 2019 and issued a request for expressions of interest to the public in April 2019, seeking proposals to develop a youth and community center on the site.

The 35 Montgomery Community Coalition was the successful respondent to the request for interest process, city officials said. It seeks to create a multi-use facility that would provide services to the community.

The coalition, which includes the YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County, is working to make the former YMCA building a hub for educational and recreational resources for all Dutchess residents.

The city, county and coalition will work to secure funding sources in addition to the county's $25 million commitment. An advisory board will be created to have input on the design of the youth activity center and its future operations.

Like Hudson Valley Patches' Facebook Pages.