When it rains it pours. But this time it was more than pennies from heaven - it was stacks of hundreds. It was announced last week that the Ellenville Regional Hospital received $2.1 million for its housing project, the Napanoch Fire District received approximately $167,000 for new equipment and the Shadowland Theatre received part of a Main Street Anchor grant to repair its heating system, allowing it to become a year round facility.

Ellenville Regional Hospital

The state approved $2.1 million and $768,000 in low-income housing credits for the first phase of a senior citizen housing facility to be placed on the Ellenville Regional Hospital campus.

The Ellenville Senior Housing's first phase will consist of a 55-unit residential facility that will be geared toward affordable housing for senior citizens. Hospital President Steve Kelley estimates that rents will be in the $300 to $600 range. The project is expected to break ground in late September or early October and should be completed by fall of 2008. There is already a waiting list of 80 potential residents.

The hospital is partnering with Jonah Mandelbaum of Warwick Properties, Inc. in the venture. Mandelbaum has produced several senior housing facilities in the area and has several more in progress. In addition to an already occupied Pine Bush facility, Mr. Mandelbaum currently has facilities either open or under construction in Warwick, Goshen, Monroe, Port Jervis, Monticello, Montgomery and New Windsor. Warwick Properties will be financing the remainder of the phase's $10 million price tag, Kelley said. The hospital is providing the land.

The 55-unit building is the first phase in what Kelley believes will be a three-phase operation that will be completed over a five-year period. The project's first two buildings will offer senior apartments with the third expected to provide assisted living care to its residents.

“At the end of this project the hospital will be a 50/50 owner of a $30 million project for the cost of our land,” said Kelley.

Kelley went on to say that, “We are very grateful to the village, the town, the county, and all of our local officials. This would not have been possible without all of their support.”

Kelley credited State Senator John Bonacic (R), in particular, with securing the state funds to make the project happen.

Shadowland Theatre

“We're thrilled by it. It's a great opportunity to serve the area as an anchor during the winter months.” That was the reaction Brendan Burke, the theatre's artistic director, had when he heard about the grant's approval.

Though there has been no official announcement of the $200,000 Main Street Anchor Grant, word has come down from State Assemblyman Kevin Cahill (D) and State Senator John Bonacic (R) that the theater will receive a significant portion of the grant to perform much needed work on its insulation, waterproofing, and heating and cooling equipment.

The current insulation and heating plant makes opening the doors during the winter months a costly prospect. Burke estimates that a one-day mid-winter event would cost $300 in heating costs alone - a prohibitive cost for the nonprofit.

The improvements are aimed at allowing the theater to stage productions year-round as opposed to its current seasonal schedule. In addition to the complement of plays it already produces, Burke said he hoped that the theater could become a venue for community meetings, youth outreach, children's theater and even a possible movie series.

Yet another possible benefit from the grant would include the renovation of 2 small apartments that would house the theater's staff.

The Main Street Anchor grant is a matching funds grant that will require the theater to fundraise a certain percentage for its own contribution. The exact amount of the theater's contribution remains unspecified at press time.

The Shadowland Theatre will receive a significant portion of the grant but funds will be available to other village businesses on a similar partial matching funds basis.

Napanoch Fire District

As part of his ongoing effort to provide firefighters with the best equipment possible, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) announced that the Napanoch Fire District has been awarded a $166,915 federal grant to purchase new equipment.

“This federal funding will enable the Napanoch Fire District to purchase new equipment that will help keep the department's firefighters safe as they bravely risk their lives to protect the community,” Hinchey said. “Ensuring that our firefighters are not using old, outdated, and unsafe equipment is the least we can do for all their heroic efforts. Additionally, these federal funds will help spare local taxpayers the full cost of purchasing this new equipment.”

The Napanoch Fire District plans to use the new federal funds to purchase 30 self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) units, 10 sets of turnout gear, and two accountability systems. Currently, the fire department has 50 SCBA devices that are up to 20 years old. Not all of the SCBA units meet federally mandated quality standards. The Napanoch Fire District also plans to acquire 10 complete sets of turnout gear to replace torn and worn out turnout gear that is approximately 10 years old and deteriorating with each fire to which the department responds.

The funds come from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United States Fire Administration (USFA). As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Hinchey has worked to secure full funding for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, since its inception in 2001. Since the fire grant program started, more than $11.5 million in grants have been awarded to fire and emergency departments in Hinchey's congressional district.

The congressman has sponsored a number of workshops across his congressional district to help fire departments successfully navigate the grant application process. Hinchey is also the author of the SERVE (Supporting Emergency Responders' Volunteer Efforts) Act, which would provide a $1,000 federal tax credit to individuals who are active members of volunteer firefighting and EMS organizations. The congressman plans to reintroduce that bill in the near future.

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