Richard Moody is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the much anticipated Galvan Motel project in Greenport has been delayed until December, Hudson 1st Ward Supervisor Sarah Sterling said during a public meeting of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors Health and Human Services Committee, October 19. The 25-room motel was expected to reopen in June; however, the facility remains under construction. “Everybody is ready and waiting for the motel to be completed,” Sterling said. “They said it has seen complications with the septic.” In addition, county Department of Social Services Commissioner Robert Gibson has requested a change to the agreement between the county and the Mental Health Association of Columbia and Greene Counties. Under that agreement, MHA would provide a case manager at the facility to help those temporarily in residence there. The case manager will help people find jobs, permanent housing and will follow up on any referrals to other services, such as social services or medical appointments, according to Gibson. Under the plan, those who require temporary emergency housing will receive priority at the motel. During the motel's first year of operation, the county will pay the facility's developer, the Galvan Foundation, $85 per room. “A lot of these motels [the county uses to house the homeless] are awful. The Galvan Motel will be the only one that provides on-site services. The sooner we can get it open, the better,” Sterling said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.