Ground Broken for Green Chimneys

Officials break ground for the new Green Chimneys dormitory including (l-r) Joseph Whalen, Paul Agostini, and board members Walter Leinhardt, Mike Otten, Barbara Volz, Mark Lescault, and Roderick MacCrae. Green Chimneys celebrated its 62nd anniversary in grand fashion by breaking ground for the long-awaited dormitory complex. The rain let up just long enough last week for local dignitaries and school staff to dig deep into the earth with a dozen gold-ceremonial shovels.

The new 34,500-square-foot housing complex is being funded by the NY State Dormitory Authority and is expected to be ready for occupancy late next year. The 11-unit complex will result in each student having his or her own room.

In keeping with the school’s focus on green initiatives, the new dorms will be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified. Officials said Green Chimneys was hoping for a “silver” green building certification from LEED.

Green Chimneys Executive Director Joseph Whalen said the dormitory upgrades would make Green Chimneys the “best residential treatment facility in New York State.”

Whalen thanked staff, local political leaders, board members, and architects for their dedicated work that “helped make this project a reality.” Whalen had special praise for Green Chimneys’ associate executive directors, Paul Agostini and Angelo Matra.

The new center will not only be an enhancement for students attending the school but will also upgrade facilities for staff members.

Dr. Samuel Ross, who founded Green Chimneys more than six decades ago, called facilities “important, but staff are more important than bricks and mortar. Since our professional team is so critical to our successes, facilities must be constructed allowing staff to feel comfortable.”

Members of the Green Chimneys student body were especially thrilled about the new living accommodations. Several of the children read excerpts from original essays before the audience disbursed from a mud-filled field on Gage Road and Doansburg Road near the Southeast-Patterson town line.

Dr. Ross reflected on the past telling the COURIeR: “Life is good if you can dream the dream and still be as happy as I am each day.”

Ross was only 18 years old when his father purchased the 75-acre farm in Putnam County. The farm later became the site for the school, which has grown into a $35 million organization that Whalen said “restores possibilities and creates futures for children with emotional, behavioral, social, and learning challenges.”