Huntington Supervisor Frank P. Petrone participated October 23 in the official opening of Developmental Disabilities Institute’s new Huntington residential facility, which contains living quarters for 24 students, as well as classrooms and administrative facilities to serve the needs of children with Autism and other developmental disabilities.
The new residences will allow some Long Island children who have been placed in facilities out of state to return home and others at risk of an out-of-state placement due to their educational needs to be served locally – a point Supervisor Petrone highlighted in his remarks during a brief program before the ribbon-cutting.
DDI executive director John Lessard thanked Supervisor Petrone and the Town for working with DDI to address community issues, to deal with the required approvals and permits and to help with the unique way the project was financed.
As Supervisor Petrone noted in his remarks, the financing came through the Town’s Local Development Corp., which the Town Board formed to help deserving not-for-profit organizations with their financial needs while providing a stimulus for the local economy by supporting projects that create jobs.
In August 2012, the LDC issued $20 million in bonds, allowing DDI to build the facility, renovate and equip its Huntington and Smithtown sites and refinance debt. DDI is responsible for the repayment. There is no cost to taxpayers. The advantage is that of the $20 million in bonds issued, $19.6 million are tax-exempt, so they carry a lower interest rate. This was the LDC’s first bond issue. DDI subsequently reported that 75 new jobs in various programs within the organization were created as a result of that bond issue.
DDI was founded in 1961 to address the special needs of children with Autism and other developmental disabilities and to provide therapeutic intervention. DDI today is a multi-site agency serving over 1,500 children and adults with Autism and related disorders. DDI provides educational, residential, day habilitation and vocational services, as well as medical and dental services to over 5,000 patients across Long Island through its Opti-Healthcare Division. It is the largest provider of services and programs for children and adults with Autism on Long Island.