Capital District Times

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan has announced the appointment of Dannielle Melendez to the Pine Hills Land Authority. Melendez, who is also the president of the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association and a Government Relations Analyst for Farrell Fritz P.C., holds a Master's in Business Administration from The College of Saint Rose. She was selected from a pool of approximately 20 applicants.

The College of Saint Rose recently decided to close its doors, necessitating a new use for its Pine Hills campus. While the College may sell all or part of the campus directly to interested purchasers, the State created the Authority with rights to issue bonds, acquire the campus, and manage its disposition.

If the Authority purchases the campus successfully, it will be responsible for planning, development, and disposition of facilities; operation of facilities; issuing bonds; and collecting fees and other income.

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan commented on the situation: “The closing of Saint Rose was devastating for the staff, students, and neighborhood of Pine Hills. This campus acted as the centerpiece for the neighborhood and brought people from all over to study and live in our great City. It is important for the Authority to have the option to acquire the campus and ensure we continue to have a vibrant and active core in the center of our Capital City. Given the campus' importance to the Pine Hills neighborhood, I felt strongly that my sole representative on the Authority should be a voice for the Pine Hills neighborhood, and who better to be that voice than the president of the neighborhood association. I sincerely appreciate Dannielle's willingness to serve in this capacity and look forward to working with her, the County Executive, the County Legislature Chairperson, and their appointees to develop a meaningful plan for this campus should the Authority purchase it."

Dannielle Melendez expressed her gratitude: “On behalf of the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association, I sincerely thank Mayor Kathy Sheehan for appointing me to the Authority. Mayor Sheehan has shown up for the Pine Hills neighborhood over these last several months since The College of Saint Rose announced its closure, and we couldn’t be more grateful for her commitment to ensuring neighborhood voices continue to be heard. I would also like to thank volunteers on our PHNA board and members of PHNA Committee on Future Reuse of Campus at The College of Saint Rose for their support, hard work, and dedication during this process. I look forward to representing Pine Hills neighborhood on Authority and collaborating with other stakeholders ensuring properties are returned productive use.”

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