MEDIA ALERT: Newburgh Neighborhood CORe Revitalization Groundbreaking Friday, April 7

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

START DATE: 4/5/2017

END DATE: 4/7/2017

RUPCO CONTACT: Tara Collins

Director of Communication & Resource Development

Office: 845-331-2140 ext. 276

Cell: 607-643-5148 after 5p

LINKS OF INTEREST

RUPCO, Inc. website

Map of Newburgh Community Renewal in 4-block area

Newburgh Community Land Bank

Safe Harbors of the Hudson

NYS Homes & Community Renewal

High-resolution photos provided upon request

NEWBURGH, NY, APRIL 5, 2017 - Regional housing and community developer RUPCO, of Kingston, is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony to share its collaborative vision for 45 apartments on four city blocks just off Broadway in downtown Newburgh.

WHO: RUPCO announces construction launch at several properties in Newburgh, part of a scattered site development in collaboration with NYS Homes & Community Renewal, Newburgh Community Land Bank, and Safe Harbors of the Hudson.

WHAT: Newburgh Neighborhood CORe Revitalization Groundbreaking Ceremony marks the start of construction of the community redevelopment of 15 buildings on four city blocks located on Lander, South Miller, First, Johnston and DuBois Streets.

WHERE: Safe Harbors Lobby at The Ritz, 107 Broadway, Newburgh (This is a new location to accommodate the weather.)

WHEN: Friday, April 7 11a-1:30p (Tapas & light refreshments provided)

WHY: to give the Press an opportunity

To celebrate the exciting momentum in the Newburgh community
To hear about the Newburgh vision from RUPCO and its partner agencies
To see the architectural renderings created by Coppola Associates
To tour the neighborhood and building exteriors
To ask questions about the redevelopment and changes ahead

AGENDA

Press kits with print materials and supporting resources will be shared at the groundbreaking. An electronic press packet will be distributed after the press conference with high-resolution images and other content as requested.

11a Networking, tapas & refreshments

Entertainment by singer Ayanna Martine

11:20 Groundbreaking Ceremony Speaker Presentations

Kevin O'Connor, Chief Executive Officer, RUPCO

Catherine A. Maloney, Chairperson, RUPCO Board of Directors

Madeline Fletcher, Executive Director, Newburgh Community Land Bank

Lisa Silverstone, Executive Director, Safe Harbors of the Hudson

Darren Scott, Upstate East Director of Development, NYS Homes & Community Renewal

Frank Skartados, NYS Assemblyman, 10th District

NYS Attorney General's Office

K. James Dittbrenner, Managing Director, Sterling National Bank

Judy Kennedy, Mayor, City of Newburgh

Michael Ciaravino, City Manager, City of Newburgh

Richard Carron, Chief of Police, City of Newburgh

Joe Donat, on behalf of Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney

Karen Mejia, Councilmember, City of Newburgh

Joan Straussman, Regional Vice President, NeighborWorks America

12:30p Walking tour of neighborhood & buildings

12:50p Ceremonial groundbreaking photo at 195 First Street

RUPCO, affordable housing advocate and innovative community developer in the Hudson Valley, is a charter member of NeighborWorks America, a national network of 240 housing and community development change agents. RUPCO affects the lives of over 8,000 people through its work with homelessness, rental assistance, foreclosure prevention, first-time homebuyers, real estate development, home rehabilitation and energy efficiency.

RUPCO currently owns/manages 16 properties with 411 apartments providing homes to over 560 people. The majority of those residents represent our community's most vulnerable populations: the elderly, seniors, disabled, veterans and working class families. RUPCO's Housing Choice Voucher Program helps 1983 families with rental subsidies. RUPCO awards $11 million to local landlords in Ulster and Greene Counties through this program alone. Through its NeighborWorks America HomeOwnership Center, RUPCO helped 30 first-time homebuyers in the first three months of 2017, 81 families in 2016, and another 75 in 2015 to achieve their American dream of homeownership. Through its subsidiary, RDAC assists Orange County homeowners through a variety of homeownership, home preservation, and home weatherization services. Over the last five years, RUPCO's energy-efficiency and weatherization program, Green Jobs | Green New York, has helped 2,409 homeowners complete energy audits; 523 of those families conducted energy retrofits worth $5.8 million to the local economy, saving money and energy throughout 10 counties.

With 65 employees working in five offices, RUPCO is working on $71-million worth of real estate development in the Hudson Valley, including Energy Square, Landmark Place, and The Metro in Kingston along with the 15-property Newburgh Neighborhood CORe Revitalization underway in Orange County. For more information, visit www.rupco.org.

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rupco.org | 289 Fair Street | Kingston, NY 12401 |845-331-2140