Springbrook to Expand Services With the Acquisition of St. Mary's School Property

ONEONTA, N.Y., Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Springbrook, a leader in providing innovative supports for people with developmental disabilities, today announced the planned purchase of the St. Mary's School property located on state highway 7 in Oneonta, New York.

The property will provide a programmatic hub for the growing agency, which recently completed a historic $22.5 campaign. The success of the campaign will mean the creation of 112 new jobs in 2012 and an estimated $5 million annual increase to the local economy. Springbrook plans to use the 52,000 sq. ft. building to house an expanded Kids Unlimited Preschool and centralize many of its community functions. The purchase will be made possible by an agreement between Springbrook, Citizens Bank, and the County of Otsego Industrial Development Agency.

Plans for the building include creating a new employee training center as well as relocating administrative offices for many of Springbrook's community programs, including day habilitation, Consolidated Supports & Services, service coordination, respite and rehabilitation services, and community recreation. In addition, Springbrook plans to relocate their IT and Purchasing departments. Springbrook's existing main campus, located on state route 28 near Portlandville, NY will remain the agency's headquarters and location of the recently expanded K-12 residential school program.

Additional plans for the St. Mary's School building including relocating and expanding the Kids Unlimited Preschool. Kids Unlimited Preschool offers early intervention and evaluation services and is the only preschool in Otsego County, New York with an integrated program for both typical and disabled children.

"This agreement has provided us with not only a beautiful, well-maintained facility, but also a wonderful opportunity," said Springbrook CEO, Patricia Kennedy.  "Expanding our Kids Unlimited Preschool is just one more way we can meet the increasing needs of our community while continuing to use the building in the spirit of its intended purpose."

"Many people also don't realize the extent of Springbrook's regional presence. The central location off I-88 in addition to the exceptional condition of the facility, make the St. Mary's property well positioned to meet our expanding needs as an agency," said Kennedy.

Springbrook currently provides at-home care, residential and educational services, day services, and clinical, therapeutic, and behavioral supports to people with developmental disabilities from across New York State, including Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Tioga, and Tompkins counties. The breadth and reach of the agency's services brought about the need for a more centralized location and resource for Springbrook's nearly 1,000 employees.

"We are more than happy to see that St. Mary's School will continue to be used for educational purposes, and quite pleased to know that Springbrook's plans for the building will also provide an important and much-needed economic boost to the community," said Ken Goldfarb, director of communications for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.

Springbrook's board of directors and St. Mary's Parish approved the planned purchase of the St. Mary's School property in late December. Plans for the building will be carried out in the first half of 2012.  An announcement regarding a new name for the property will be made in coming months.

SOURCE Springbrook