The Newburgh Armory on South William St. will be run by the Newburgh Armory Unity Center, Inc. non-profit.
By Nancy Peckenham
The city of Newburgh has agreed to a three-year contract that will allow a non-profit group to manage the Armory building on So. William Street, which the city purchased last year for $1 from the state of New York.
The new group, Newburgh Armory Unity Center, Inc., will be in charge of developing educational and recreational uses for the 60,000 square foot building and adjoining 12 acres of land, which will be available to rent as a venue for a wide-range of activities.
Dierdre Glenn, the former executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh, is serving as the executive director of Unity Center. She has been part of the effort to find a purpose for the building that began last summer when philanthropist Bill Kaplan provided the first $100,000 to the Armory. Most of that money was used to make it wheelchair accessible and to restore the gymnasium. The Kaplan Family Foundation remains involved with the organization’s board of directors.
The new gymnasium is the centerpiece of the refurbished Armory. Photo from the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh.
After a brainstorming session that attracted several dozen members of the Newburgh community last August, a smaller committee focused on developing the site as a resource for youth and community groups. An inaugural Thanksgiving weekend offering recreational and sports events attracted thousands of young people and showed the promise of the site.
Glenn told the city council last week that the group is fundraising for more upgrades to the facility, including a new roof over the administration area. As part of the agreement, the city has access portions of the building. It is already using 11,000 square feet in the basement for records storage and Glenn expects it will turn other space into offices.
The gleaming new gym is already seeing some more sports action. This weekend the Zion Lions will hold a basketball tournament and soccer clinics will start in a couple of weeks, Glenn said.
Loading...
