County goes out to bid for work on new Cairo Senior Center

CAIRO―A brand-new senior center in Cairo is one step closer to becoming a reality.

Greene County lawmakers voted this week to go out to bid for renovations, site improvements and infrastructure expansion at 7485 State Route 32.

The plan comes with an estimated price tag of $2.7 million, authorized in 2024 when the Greene County legislature established a capital project to fund the new center.

Greene County does not own the property. It was purchased for $399,000 back in 2021 by the Town of Cairo with the intention of converting the building, a former dojo, into a new gathering place for local seniors.

But the project never got off the ground due to hefty renovation costs, sparking Greene County to step in.

The county’s initial cash contribution of $1.9 million will be offset by a $500,000 state Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology (CREST) grant pledged in 2024 by Senator Michelle Hinchey (D-Saugerties), explained Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden.

The town’s longtime senior center, located on Old Route 23 in Acra, is currently leased by Greene County as one of several congregate meal sites but has been described by town and county officials as beyond repair.

Under the agreement with Greene County, the Town of Cairo must reimburse the county $300,000, either in cash or from proceeds should it sell the Acra property, Groden noted.

Greene County is also planning to tap into $500,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money, Groden said.

Two county public hearings pertaining to CDBG funds are currently scheduled for April 15. One of those is related to asking the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), that administers the CDBG program, to allow funds already allocated for the county’s Quantum Fund to be applied toward the commercial kitchen at the new senior center.

Presently, the county has an income balance in its Quantum Fund, used to provide low-income loans to local businesses.

“There isn’t much activity with the loan program so we are looking to put it toward another purpose that satisfies HUD’s National Objectives of benefitting low-to-moderate income individuals,” explained James Hannahs, executive director of Greene County Economic Development, Tourism, & Planning.

“Seniors qualify as this designation by definition, so we are confident that this will be approved as an allowable use of those funds. The resolution authorizes a public hearing for an amendment application that will be submitted to HUD by the end of April,” Hannahs said.

The capital project also includes running municipal water and sewer lines about 1,620 feet south on State Route 32, something that expanded the scope and cost of the project due to state Department of Health (DOH) regulations.

Groden said those new utility lines may end up sparking new future development in the area.