Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup the Cairo Town Board will conduct a public hearing July 20, on a proposal to apply for a Community Development Block Grant to fund the conversion of the former American Dojo Martial Arts and Fitness Center on State Route 32 into a senior and community center. Town officials purchased the 8,000-square-foot structure along with two acres of land in late 2021 for $399,000. The plan is to use the space as a senior and community hub and replace the current Acra Senior Center. There would also be space in the rear of the building for town ambulances. “It is so we can get rid of the mess that is over in Acra,” said Town Supervisor Jason Watts. The new senior center, Watts said, would offer a meeting place for seniors as well as a new kitchen for Greene County’s senior meal program. The Acra Senior Center and property would then be sold in approximately two years. The Community Development Block Grant is offered through the New York State Office of Community Renewal. Grant applications for the senior center project are being prepared by Barton and Loguidice, an Albany-based engineering firm. The public hearing will be held at town hall and is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Read more at porcupinesoup [dot] com.