The Times Herald-Record reports that St. Cabrini -- a home for troubled girls in Esopus, founded in 1890 by St. Frances Cabrini's Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart -- is looking to build something new on its 600-acre, $4.2 million Hudson waterfront property.
Esopus Supervisor John Coutant said the home's staff wanted to know what local zoning laws would allow, but they also tossed around ideas for single-family homes, senior citizen housing or a hotel.
The catalyst? St. Cabrini is in dire financial straits, and looking to bring in more income. St. Cabrini representatives didn't say much in the article, but perhaps they'd like to get into a less fractious line of work: In the last two years, they've had a resident die after running into traffic on 9W, seen a staffer charged with the rape of a girl under the home's care, and gotten embroiled with the state police after residents threw rocks at a state trooper's car.
Coutant noted St. Cabrini already has some of the key infrastructure needed to build, including water and a small sewage-treatment plant. Equally important, Coutant said, the nonprofit home wants to build something that would stay on the tax rolls.
"I think this represents a golden opportunity for the town," Coutant said.
