Albany County accepts $725,000 grant to renovate Delmar freight depot
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Summary
Albany County authorized acceptance of a $725,000 County Infrastructure Grant from Empire State Development to renovate the historic freight depot on Kennewood Avenue in Delmar; the award combines a $425,000 state grant with a $300,000 match from MVP Health Care, county staff said. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2026.
Albany County legislators voted to accept a $725,000 Empire State Development County Infrastructure Grant to renovate the historic freight depot on Kennewood Avenue in Delmar.
County staff told the Legislature the award combines a $425,000 state grant with a $300,000 match from MVP Health Care. "I'm here to request authorization for a $725,000 award to renovate the historic freight depot on Kennewood Avenue, at Delmar," said Morty Dolan, a grant specialist on the county team. He said the work will include running new water, sewer and electrical lines, adding a foundation and creating interactive community health and tourism displays.
The project budget is larger than the grant award: staff said the total estimated cost is about $850,000, but a substantial portion of that figure represents the county's existing building and property contribution rather than a cash match. "There is a county match portion of this that's it's a total of 850,000 estimated for the project. But a big chunk of that is actually our contribution of the existing building and the property. So it's not even a cash contribution," Dolan said.
County staff provided a tentative schedule: issue a request for bids by this fall, start construction in early spring 2026 and aim for completion by late fall 2026. "We're hoping to have an RFP by this fall. Start construction early spring 2026, and then hopefully by end of fall, it'll be completed," Dolan said.
A commissioner raised whether the county would face additional cash obligations after the grant is spent; staff reiterated the county’s noncash contribution and said the grant and match should cover the planned scope. Following discussion, a legislator moved the authorization and the body approved it by voice vote; the meeting record shows ayes and no recorded opposition.
The project was presented by county economic development staff with MVP Health Care identified as the private match. Implementation details, including final construction contract awards and the specific budget line items, were not provided during the presentation and will require subsequent board actions.
Funding and next steps: staff will proceed to accept the grant and move forward with procurement and bidding for construction contracts according to the timeline described.