Assisted living center project gets state-funded boost

The former America's Best Value Inn on Market Street in Amsterdam.

AMSTERDAM — A $750,000 grant from the state will provide a boost for a planned assisted living facility in Amsterdam, with officials targeting a late-spring completion date.

The governor’s office announced the funding Monday. It will facilitate the rebirth of a vacant hotel as an assisted living facility.

The money comes from the New York State Homes and Community Renewal Community Development Block Grant and will cover almost half of the $2.1 million cost of purchasing furniture, fixtures, equipment and machinery for the facility.

Located at 10 Market St., the building operated as a hotel for four decades. It then sat vacant for a few years, before it was purchased in October 2015 by 10 Market Street LLC, a subsidiary of The Eliot Group, for $1 million. The developer announced plans in early 2016 to convert the property into a 150-bed assisted living facility called The Sentinel.

Construction started in the spring of 2016 and is expected to be finished later this spring.

“Our revitalization efforts in Amsterdam get a strong vote of confidence through this grant,” Mayor Michael Villa said in a prepared statement. “The Sentinel is a project that will enhance the quality of life for its new residents while strengthening the community.”

The Eliot Management Group will operate The Sentinel, which will provide day-to-day assistance, personal care and housekeeping services.

The facility is expected to create more than 70 full-time jobs once it opens, according to a news release.