Venue to host fundraiser

TROY, N.Y. » With the Italian Community Center building on 5th Avenue still waiting to possibly be sold, officials from the Italian Community Center Charitable Foundation are hosting a fundraiser concert this weekend.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, The Greg Baker Band will perform during a fundraiser concert to help benefit the club and its soup kitchen, which they host every Thursday. The fundraising concert will be held at the ICC at 1450 5th Ave, with doors opening for the event at 6 p.m. Tickets to the event will cost $10.

Not only will guests be able to help a good cause and enjoy live music entertainment, they will also be able to enjoy a cash bar along with pub food.

“People got wind that we were selling [the building] to the county and that went down the hill, but we are making some strides in the right direction for the community and we want to let people know that we are still here,” said Andy Miele, the President of the club.

The Rensselaer County Legislature tabled a vote at the end of 2017 that would have allowed the sale of the Troy Area Senior Services Center’s current home at 19 3rd St., making way for the county to move the center into the Italian Community Center building at 1450 5th Ave.

Under the original agreement, the county would pay $685,000 for the ICC building and sell the 3rd Street building for $575,000 to developer David Bryce.

A previous sale agreement had been reached by the county and a purchaser, but county officials said this week they were concerned that a request for proposals that could have netted a higher price The previous ad-

ministration, under former County Executive Kathleen Jimino, believed that moving the center will help seniors, who found parking to be a significant problem in seeking services at the 3rd Street facility, limiting attendance at activities and events that include health and wellness programs, as well as congregate and home-delivered meal services. Jimino’s administration believed that moving to the ICC addresses this, as its parking lot allows for 108 vehicles.

Rich Crist, the new county Director of Operations under County Executive Steve McLaughlin’s administration, recently said county officials are also reviewing possible secondary costs if the county moves to the ICC, including costs for renovating or altering the ICC for senior use. Crist then estimated that those costs could exceed $200,000 over the coming years if the county purchases the ICC. County officials also noted a $100,000 increase in the purchase price at the ICC once negotiations with the county progressed for the county was not made.

“On Saturday, we will have a great band for people to listen to music and then you can buy finger foods or you can buy a drink and hopefully [the night] will be very successful to help us stay where we are,” said Miele, who said that they are hoping to raise roughly $4,000.

“We want to get the word out that we still have to do our charitable work while this club remains open and the fundraiser was set up to let people know that we are still here and that we still have to raise funds to keep it going and to keep our soup kitchen going,” added Cindy Wilson, who organized the fundraiser event Saturday as she also noted how the club hosts Bingo every week as well as other programming. “We also help the kids at school time and provide scholarships to Troy High School students.”

Miele said the club has always relied on hosting fundraisers as a way to keep programs going at the club and they want people to know that they still need help supporting these programs this year too.

“With us being the not-for-profit foundation that we are, we have to rely on fundraisers and donations because there is really no other way,” explained Miele.

For tickets in advance, call (518) 266-1113. Organizers also noted that tickets will be available the night of the event at the door.