County to buy Italian center
Facility to house senior programs
TROY, N.Y. » The city’s Italian Community Center will take on a new role serving the city’s senior population.
Rensselaer County Executive Kathleen M. Jimino announced Thursday morning that the county will purchase the center, located at 1450 5th Ave., to be used to deliver senior services and program currently provided from the current location of the Troy Area Senior Services Center at 19 3rd St. As part of the resolution submitted to the County Legislature, that building will be sold.
The county will pay $685,000 for the ICC building, but expects to sell the 3rd Street building for $575,000.
“This is an excellent opportunity to move our senior services programming to a more suitable and efficient location that addresses our significant need for off- street parking for those seniors seeking the services we provide,” Jimino said in a news release. “Additionally, the layout of the ICC will allow for the majority of our programming to be provided on the first floor.”
With the resurgence of downtown businesses, Jimino said parking for seniors seeking services at the current center has become a significant problem, limiting attendance at activities and events that include health and wellness programs, as well as congregate and home-delivered meal services. Moving to the ICC addresses this, as its parking lot allows for 108 vehicles.
“I amconfident that this investment is a true win-win, as the senior center will be moving to a more accessible and efficient location that will be better able to provide services to our senior citizens, all while allowing for the current building to be put on the market and eventually on the tax rolls for a more suitable use,” Jimino said.
The ICC had been among the options considered in 2016 by a special committee tasked by the City Council to examine the future of City Hall, which is currently in leased space on the fifth floor of the Hedley Park Place building on River St. That committee eventually recommended the city eye a move into an existing building, specifically recommending the ICC, but the council and Mayor Patrick Madden never took action on that recommendation.
The organization that runs the ICC has been looking to sell the building for more than a year, cit-
ing declining enrollment as a major factor. In talks with the city committee, they had mentioned the possibility of retaining some space in the building in return for a reduction in the sale price.
Rensselaer County counts more than 31,000 individuals ages 60 and older who are eligible for nutritional and other services aimed at keeping them active and able to stay in their own homes and administered through the Rensselaer County Unified Family Services Department for the Aging. The agency provides health, legal, transportation and home- care services, as well as information and opportunities to stay active and involved in the community. The county’s five senior services centers also play host to a number of events and activities, including education, recreation, exercise and entertainment.
“The programs and services offered through the Department for the Aging can significantly improve the quality of life of many of our senior citizens,” Jimino said, “and I urge seniors and members of their family to take a look at the opportunities available in Rensselaer County.”
For more information on county programs and services for seniors, call 518270-2730, visit the county website at www. rensco. com or stop in at senior services centers in Hoosick Falls, Cropseyville, Rensselaer and Castleton, as well as Troy.