Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for Roger Ailes Senior Center in Cold Spring at Butterfield

Carmel, N.Y. – Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell and other elected officials participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Butterfield redevelopment project and the dedication of the Roger Ailes Senior Center on Wednesday, July 8 in Cold Spring.

The Roger Ailes Senior Center will be a senior friendship and nutrition center, run by the Putnam County Office for Senior Resources, which will offer more space and services to the aging population on the western side of the county than where services are currently being held. It is being named after Garrison resident Roger Ailes, who with his wife Elizabeth, donated $500,000 toward a senior center facility.

“I’m very proud to say that we did fulfill our promise, that we would bring services here to Putnam County here on the western part of the county,” Odell said. “You have been sorely underserved for so long but, the future is bright. I want to thank Roger and Beth Ailes, Paul Guillaro, Leg. Barbara Scuccimara, the senior citizens, our beloved veterans and all the residents who supported such an important project, which will position us for the future.”

Patricia Sheehy, director of the Office for Senior Resources, is looking forward to the new center which will help her office with its mission of keeping the aging residents healthy, active and social so they can live longer happier lives.

“Putnam County has the fastest growing senior population in New York State and it is growing even faster on the western side of the county,” said Sheehy. “Having more space will allow us to provide more activities and help more residents. It is a dream come true and I cannot thank County Executive MaryEllen Odell, The Putnam County Legislature, Roger and Beth Ailes and Paul Guillaro enough for making this a reality.”

The Butterfield property is being repurposed by Paul Guillaro, a private developer, into a mixed use complex that, in addition to hosting the senior center, will offer retail, office space and senior housing.

Odell commended Guillaro for his vision to renew this once thriving heart of the community.

“Butterfield Hospital was once the center for community and care in Cold Spring and the surrounding area,” said Odell. “As time passed, it seemed to have lost its purpose, but thanks to Paul Guillaro and his vision this once vital asset to the community will be reborn and become a driving economic force in the Hudson Valley.”

The development will also have Pataki Park, a 1-acre park named in honor of former New York Governor and Garrison resident George Pataki.

“This year is the Year of the Family in Putnam County and the Butterfield project will help our families,” said Odell. “The Butterfield project has been blessed by the contributions of great Americans, who reside here in Putnam County, most notably Roger and Beth Ailes and of course Gov. George Pataki. Two keystones of the property will be Pataki Park as well as the Roger Ailes Senior Center, both improving the quality of life for our residents in the western part of the county and those in the Hudson Valley by providing an opportunity  to enjoy open space and a new senior friendship and nutrition center.”

Legislator Barbara Scuccimara, who represents Philipstown, Cold Spring, Nelsonville and parts of Putnam Valley, who has been advocating for the senior center and the Butterfield project, was thrilled to be at the groundbreaking.

“It is a great day for the residents of Philipstown,” said Scuccimara. “We are finally getting this vital project underway. The seniors deserve this and I can’t wait to see this center when it is complete. I feel like somebody should pinch me. I appreciate Paul Guillaro for sticking with this project and thank the Ailes for donating the funds needed to make this project affordable for the county.”

The cost of establishing the senior center at Butterfield is $850,000 minus the $500,000 contributed by the Ailes family.  The total outlay for internal construction, operations and rental occupancy over 15 years is projected to be $3,428,950 as compared to the costs of county-owned senior citizen centers in Putnam Valley and Mahopac which are projected to be $5,929,913 and $5,186,440, respectively in the same period.

“Today, I can be proud, along with my colleagues on the legislature that supported this project, that we, as elected officials, have met our fiscal and social responsibility to the people of Putnam County,” said Odell.

The senior center is expected to open in the summer of 2016.

Photo Caption: Roger Ailes, Elizabeth “Beth” Ailes, Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, State Senator Sue Serino, County Executive MaryEllen Odell, Sheriff Don Smith and Paul Guillaro put the shovels in the ground during the celebratory groundbreaking ceremony.