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2019

CHEERS: To Forward Thinkers

February 18, 2019

Morning Editorial in Times Herald-Record Applauds Vision of SUNY Orange's Innovation Grand Street Project

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CHEERS: To SUNY Orange for an ambitious project that will extend its Newburgh branch campus by turning three adjacent buildings on Grand Street into college-run job-training centers and business incubators. The buildings, all built more than 80 years ago and now owned by Orange County, line the block next to the Kaplan Center, the 87,000-square-foot structure that opened in 2011 as part of an $85 million campus expansion and makeover. The college and its foundation envision leasing space in the buildings to local businesses for training new workers. Officials say they have received expressions of interest from existing employers such as St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital and Orange Regional Medical Center and future ones such as Amy’s Kitchen, which is building an organic-food plant in Goshen, and the operators of the Legoland theme park under construction in Goshen. Though students later may be drawn into more-advanced studies, the plan first envisions training programs that last about 12 weeks and are accessible on foot or by bus in Newburgh to serve a major need in the area.