A state-of-the-art $10 million Youth Opportunity Center is coming to the Hudson Valley.

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On Monday, the Dutchess County Legislature authorized a land agreement and a $10 million request from Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro to begin work on creating a state-of-the-art Youth Opportunity Center in the City of Poughkeepsie.

The center, to be constructed at the former YMCA site on Montgomery Street, will be a multi-use facility that focuses on recreational, educational and healthy opportunities – both physical and mental – for youth, officials say.

The center also will be a fixture for County’s Path to Promise initiative that employs strategic ways to ensure all young people in Dutchess County have the assets they need to realize their full potential as they grow into young adults.

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“Just as we have transformed mental health services and led a national movement to change the way we care for and support those with intellectual and physical disabilities, we will begin to set a new example, create new opportunities and help Dutchess County kids and their families in new ways,” Molinaro said. “We are partnering with a passionate coalition of trailblazers and are dedicated to rebirth in our city centers, connections to our suburban and rural communities and establishing a new foundation upon which we will harness the passion, professionalism and potential of this team – and help our kids and their families set out on a new path to promise for generations to come.”

On Monday, two months after the City of Poughkeepsie approved the sale of the property to Dutess County for $10, Dutchess County lawmakers authorized acceptance of the property. The Legislature also authorized the County to spend $10 million from American Rescue Plan funds for the initial costs of the center, which will include demolition of the former YMCA building and site remediation, design services and $1.5 million toward construction.

Once construction estimate costs are determined, County Executive Molinaro will request the County Legislature authorize $15 million in bonding to complete the County’s $25 million commitment to the project.

“The time is ripe to build this center. The County has made a firm commitment to its youth through the Path to Promise initiative, and a youth center is a sound investment that will pay dividends for the county far down the road. I’m proud the legislature is taking this bold step to create a youth center that promises to serve as model for the region and beyond," Legislature Chair Gregg Pulver said.

A non-profit group run by former Nickelodeon president, Geraldine Laybourne, has been tapped to run the 24-hour child development center.

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