Ulster Co. awarded $2 million grant for emergency communication center

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. (NEWS10)-- A clean energy grant is helping Ulster County build a new space to house emergency communication services. On Monday, county officials shared that the communication center, to be constructed soon on Paradies Lane in New Paltz, is out to bid.

The $2 million NYSERDA clean energy grant will build a 15,650-square-foot facility from which the Department of Emergency Services will operate. The facility will also operate during natural disasters, power outages, and other emergencies.

Officials estimate the project to take a year and a half to two years to complete. The county anticipates construction to begin in the late spring or early summer.

The county purchased the land on which the communication center is being built in March 2024 for $2.8 million. With 57.3 acres, the land was $200,000 less than the price agreed upon between the county and the property owner in 2022.

County Executive Jen Metzger said the county created an $18 million capital reserve for the emergency communication center in the 2024 executive budget. As a result, taxpayers can expect to save over $1 million in borrowing costs.

"The County’s current emergency facilities are outdated, under-sized, and vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as power outages during severe weather when those facilities are needed most," Metzger said. "We have designed a new Emergency Communications Center that is energy-smart, resilient, and capable of withstanding any kind of natural disaster or threat, and I want to thank NYSERDA for investing in this worthy and much-needed project."