The final appointment has been made to the board that will help determine the fate of the former College of Saint Rose property in the city of Albany.
All of the appointees have now been chosen to fill the seven seats on the Albany County Pine Hills Land Authority. New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation to help create the panel in June, just after the private college in Albany closed after more than a century.
Albany County Executive Dan McCoy named consultant Dominic Mazza, developer John Nigro, public defender Alejandra Paulino, and redevelopment planner Alison Walsh. County Legislature Chair Joanne Cunningham tapped community non-profit leader Sarah Reginelli and economic development consultant Jasmine Higgins.
Now, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan has named her appointee. Dannielle Melendez, President of the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association, was chosen from a group of about 20 applicants.
"I am very grateful that the mayor has selected me," Melendez said. "You know, the mayor has been part of this process since the beginning, and we've been able to work with her and we're very grateful that she's committed to really ensuring that the neighborhood has a voice in this process."
Sheehan commends both McCoy and Cunningham. "...for bringing on board people with really great skill sets for this important endeavor. But what was missing was somebody who currently lives in the Pine Hills neighborhood, and I felt it was really important for the Neighborhood Association to have a seat at the table, and Dannielle, as the president of that association, will be able to bring that voice to the table and also be able to communicate back to her neighbors in Pine Hills, to the residents there what's happening, what progress is being made and how things are moving forward. And I think that that's really important. We've got to make sure that we're creating a sense of trust and transparency around the future of this asset right in the middle of the city of Albany," said Sheehan.
The College of Saint Rose closed under financial pressure after the spring semester. Sheehan says while the college may sell all or part of the campus directly to interested purchasers, the state-created Authority has the right to issue bonds, acquire the campus and otherwise manage the disposition of the property.
The mayor is confident the Authority will bring the saga of Saint Rose to a successful conclusion.
"I am cautiously optimistic that there will be future uses and demand for property at that Saint Rose campus," Sheehan said. "I think it makes a lot of sense, given how central it is to all of the investments that are happening here in the city of Albany and in the Capital Region. And working together, I think that we can highlight that and market that, and find new uses for the campus and for the various buildings on the campus, which are in great condition, and we think lend themselves to a number of different opportunities."
Melendez is anxious to roll up her sleeves alongside the other board members and have at those opportunities.
"Since this happened, I'm still learning more," said Melendez. "My goal is to continue to work with our neighbors, to connect with our the other authority members, to ensure that they know who I am, and to get them to get to know them a little bit better. And yeah, so that's, that's where we are, and I believe that there is a meeting coming soon."
Melendez acknowledges that there is sadness and nostalgia surrounding the closure of the college, but finds there is "a real sense of hope that things will move forward."
It’s not clear when the new authority will begin meeting.
