$40M ORMC office building plan

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Orange Regional Medical Center wants to add a new office building on its site, located at 707 E. Main St. in the Town of Wallkill.JOHN DeSANTO/Times Herald-Record

Published: 2:00 AM - 01/19/14

TOWN OF WALLKILL Orange Regional Medical Center is hoping to build a new, $40 million office building next to its hospital on East Main Street.

According to an application ORMC filed seeking an Empire State Development grant, the building would be 120,000 square feet. It would house doctors' offices, medical treatment space and "retail health care services." Eateries, flower and book shops, pharmacies and day spas are all mentioned as possibilities in the application.

The building would include a fitness center that would be used for patient and rehabilitative therapy, but would also be open to the public and offer memberships, like a regular gym. This center, the application says, would feature health-education classes and access to personal trainers, as well as standard exercise equipment.

"We are exploring numerous opportunities, including cancer services, outpatient services, a medical fitness center and on-campus housing for medical students," Scott Batulis, ORMC's president and CEO, said in an emailed statement. "Developing the site is complex and requires detailed engineering, traffic, soil and architectural studies that will take six months, or more, to complete."

ORMC was seeking $8 million from the state; the application says the hospital had intended to chip in $4 million and get $28 million in private financing. In December, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that it would receive $750,000 in this round of Regional Economic Development Council funding.

Hospital spokesman Rob Lee said ORMC isn't currently planning to apply for any additional grants, but "that could change if other opportunities arise."

The application says the project could create almost 500 construction jobs and more than 450 permanent health care and office jobs when the building is done.

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$40M ORMC office building plan