By Shantal Parris Riley

Poughkeepsie Journal

Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, kind and obedient. These are some of the traits that form the backbone of Scout Law, penned more than 100 years ago.

They were among many qualities attributed to winners of the Distinguished Citizen Award – Page Park Associates and Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus – at a ceremony Tuesday.

"I'm very honored," said Jason Page, managing partner of Page Park Associates, the real estate development company that owns the Poughkeepsie Journal building. "The Boy Scouts are dear to our hearts."

The Boy Scouts of America Hudson Valley Council recognizes individuals exemplifying ideals found in the Boy Scout Oath and Law, said Jason Dugan, senior development director of the council.

"They are the third generation in a family that has been devoted to the success of this county for almost 90 years," said county Comptroller Jim Coughlan, who presented the award to Page and his partners.

Dutchess Community College Board of Trustees Chairman Thomas LeGrand presented the award to Steinhaus.

"He's been an exemplary county executive who took over when IBM pulled 10,000 jobs out of the Hudson Valley," LeGrand said. "He created a public-private partnership to rebuild the economy of the county and the region, retained jobs and diversified the economy.

"This is a special honor for me," said Steinhaus, who had been vice president of the Dutchess County council.

Eight-year-old Cub Scout Ian Cho of Rhinecliff gave his take on being a Scout.

"Scouting has taught me to be a good citizen," he said, adding his troop collected for a local food bank. "It's good to know that even a kid can help out in the community."

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Among the most aggressive and creative participants in the local commercial real estate market are the Page brothers. Their sensitive retrofit of the Poughkeepsie Journal building maintains the historic and aesthetic character of the building while developing a preferred business location in the City of Poughkeepsie. This state-of-the-art facility will attract the elite of the Hudson Valley.

The Poughkeepsie Journal's Craig Wolf wrote that "Where angels fear to tread,these guys rush in, but the record says they're no fools. Page Park Associates now owns and manages more than 500,000 square feet of commercial, office, and industrial space spread around properties in Dutchess County and into Ulster County."

As Managing Partner Darin Page put it, "You had to offer ... anything and everything." It is successfully playing out at the Poughkeepsie Journal Building where their conscientious design has resulted in success -- "We've never seen faster success in lease-up; It's 25,000 square feet of Class A office space in a down year in the City of Poughkeepsie", Jason Page said.

With the trend towards adaptive reuse of existing structures, the Page brothers are leading the revitalization of Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County. Find a better way, whatever it takes – innovation in real estate.

When commercial buildings start to get emptier, it's usually a troubling sign in the real estate business. But it's not troubling at all to Jason and Darin Page.

They say those can be the times when buying is good, when value can be added and when profits can be made.

Where angels fear to tread, these guys rush in, but the record says they're no fools. Page Park Associates now owns and manages more than 500,000 square feet of commercial, office and industrial space spread around properties in Dutchess County and into Ulster County.

Jason Page and Darin Page, brothers, are managing partners of the firm, which also includes two other brothers, Brian Page and Steven Page, as partners.

Their gumption, business sense and creativity have earned them this year's Business Excellence Award for entrepreneurs given by the Dutchess County Economic Development Corp.

That agency's president, John MacEnroe, said, "They're very aggressive about finding ways to make whatever properties they own very appealing to tenants. They're very successful in attracting business and, certainly, flagship companies."

From an economic development point of view, which favors job creation and investment in a local economy, it's a plus to have local commercial developers who can tackle vacant or underused space and give them new life.

Jason Page and Darin Page learned that well when they were in their early days with the Page family businesses, which included lumberyards and then building and leasing space.

Page Park Associates has its roots in H.G. Page&Sons, a home improvement center owned and run by the Page family since 1924. In 1979, the realty business began. It grew mainly by providing space for IBMCorp. in its growth days. When the 1990s came, that wind reversed and space emptied out.

"We were tasked with figuring out how to rent the space," Jason Page said. "After IBM, it was all about diversification. You can't get all your eggs in one basket."

It was a new market, Darin Page said. "You had to offer … anything and everything."

That space eventually filled with a wide variety of offices, industries, service businesses and nonprofits.

Kelly Libolt, who works for the firm, pointed out that the Page brothers were only in their 20s when they took on the task.

"What made them different was that they thought outside of the box," she said.

Page Park Associates has done several other projects more recently, including expanding the Taconic Crossing project in LaGrange.

The company made its first entry into the City of Poughkeepsie a year ago by buying the Poughkeepsie Journal Building for $3.3 million from the Gannett Co., which was moving production work elsewhere and no longer needed as much space. The newspaper stayed as the anchor tenant.

The Page strategy was to invest in a redesign of the interior layout around a new central corridor, repair and dress up the exterior, reduce energy usage with new windows and fit up interior office suites as new tenants came aboard.

"We made the decision in five minutes to buy the place," Jason Page said. "It was gut and vision."

How has it played out?

"We've never seen faster success in lease-up," Jason Page said. "It's 25,000 square feet of Class A office space in a down year in the City of Poughkeepsie."

More space remains for "phase two," which will include creating offices in what was once a four-story pressroom. Plans to attract a restaurant are in the works.

In its description of reasons for picking Page for the prize, the sponsors said, "Their historically sensitive retrofit of the Poughkeepsie Journal building maintains the historic and aesthetic character of the building while developing the preferred business location in the City of Poughkeepsie. This state-of-the-art facility will attract the elite of the Hudson Valley."

MacEnroe said, "Jason and Darin find value where other people don't and have been really pretty bright about exploiting that value for themselves and their tenants. … They're going to get where they want to."

Proclaiming the City of Poughkeepsie is "in the midst of a renaissance ," Mayor John Tkazyik announced a major financial firm will move into the Poughkeepsie Journal building in December.

Officials said about 30 employees from AXA Advisors will occupy second-floor space at the Journal, the City of Poughkeepsie landmark owned by Page Park Associates.

At a Friday press conference outside the Journal building, Tkazyik said AXA's move from the neighboring Town of Poughkeepsie shows "jobs are moving back" to the city.

"This is another great example that Poughkeepsie is on the move," Tkazyik said.

City leaders have been working to bring businesses back to the downtown area after many left following the opening of the Poughkeepsie Galleria mall off Route 9 more than 20 years ago.

While redevelopment of the city's Hudson River waterfront is moving forward, revitalization of the Main Street corridor is a work in progress with vacant storefronts and crime a concern.

Tkazyik and others hope the Journal building, on Civic Center Plaza across from City Hall, can help lead downtown revitalization.

"We're very excited about the tenants we've recently signed," said Jason Page, managing partner for Page Park.

Along with AXA and the Journal, Page Park officials said the building's tenants will include Ellis Insurance, the law firm of Van DeWater & Van DeWater, Radiology Associates of Poughkeepsie and Ashworth Creative.

Officials said AXA agreed to a 10-year lease.

Page Park purchased the building last year from Gannett Co., the Journal's parent company. Since then, Page Park has made numerous improvements to the site, with more upgrades planned. The newspaper leases space in the building, which is home to the Journal's Information Center and other departments.

Jason Page said AXA's arrival finalizes the first phase of the building's renovation into office space. He said nearly 25,000 square feet has been leased since the company purchased the building.

A second phase, which Page said should begin within a year, would add three stories of office space in the area where the Journal's presses were located. Plans also call for a parking deck and lower level restaurant with outdoor dining.

August 11^th 2010 -- Today, the Journal is 225 years old.
Click on the link below to read the poughkeepsie journal's coverage.
225 years special coverage

FREEDOM PLAINS -- In a move to expand its services in a location more convenient for its patients, DRA Imaging, a radiology practice with locations in Poughkeepsie and Fishkill, celebrated its new LaGrange location with a well-attended ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.

Dr. Victor Gaines, president of the practice, said he was pleased to lead a resurgence in LaGrange, given the state of the economy.

The new office, which opened in March, offers digital mammography and X-ray, as well as bone densitometry and ultrasound, among other things.

"Instead of bringing the patients in to us (in Poughkeepsie or Fishkill), we go out where the patients are," Gaines said, referring to the new location in the Taconic Crossing building on Route 55.

Also newly operating alongside DRA Imaging is New Image, a medical spa run by radiologists and staffed by physicians and nurses at all times.

Dr. Phillip Amatulle, who runs the spa, said the office offers traditional spa treatments, such as massage, but brings the added bonus of minimally invasive medical procedures such as Smartlipo, a form of laser-assisted liposuction, as well as laser treatments for unsightly vein removal and Botox and dermal filler injections.

LaGrange Supervisor Jon Wagner said the practice comes to LaGrange during increased activity, referring to the planned development of the town center.

Charles North, president and CEO of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, said it is especially nice to have DRA and the spa come to town despite the economy, "to not only come to LaGrange, but open up a new facility," he said, "to provide and create jobs."

Poughkeepsie, N.Y. -- A mid-Hudson Valley health- care company is consolidating its administrative offices to LaGrange.

Health Quest recently signed a deal to lease about 35,000 square feet of office space in the Taconic Crossing medical and office building on Route 55 owned by Page Park Associates, a real estate development company.

Starting in February, Health Quest's business office, finance, legal services, compliance and other management functions will move to Taconic Crossing from locations throughout Dutchess County. About 300 Health Quest positions are associated with this move, Page Park Associates said.

In a press release, LaGrange Supervisor Jon Wagner said that the job relocation would mean "increased revenue for local restaurants, shops and services, further supporting our Think Local First — Shop LaGrange efforts."

David Ping, Health Quest vice president of business development, said the consolidation is in anticipation of the proposed ambulatory surgery center and medical offices at Vassar Brothers Medical Center.

The move will "relieve traffic congestion and enhance patient access" at the City of Poughkeepsie campus and create new doctors' offices at the Westage Medical Mall in Fishkill, he said.

Health Quest will join DRA Imaging and Paragon Aquatic as a tenant at Taconic Crossing.

The Dutchess County Department of Public Works offices in Taconic Crossing are moving into the county's highway and engineering facility, which is under construction in the Town of Poughkeepsie, said Jason Page, a Page Park Associates partner.

Health Quest will lease more space as it becomes available, Page said.

"We'll be adding a 6,000-square-foot addition to (Taconic Crossing), and DRA (Imaging) will also be taking more space," he said.

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- The Poughkeepsie Journal and its owner, Gannett Co., Inc., have agreed to sell and lease back a major portion of the landmark Journal building in downtown Poughkeepsie. The new owner will be Page Park Associates, a local real-estate development firm with Jason and Darin Page as managing partners.

Steve Salomone, director of the Prudential Serls Prime Properties Commercial Group, represented the Poughkeepsie Journal and Gannett in the transaction.

Terms were not disclosed, and a late August closing is planned.

The Journal will occupy more than half of the second floor and the entire third floor of the office section of the building, at 85 Civic Center Plaza. In addition, the Journal will maintain a presence off the lobby for walk-in customers. The production facility will be converted to other uses. The Journal’s printing will continue to be handled off-site.

The Journal’s lease is for five years, with two five-year renewal options as part of the deal.

"For the Journal, our employees, the Pages and the city," said President and Publisher Barry Rothfeld, "this maintains the Journal's presence in its long-time home and the Pages’ investment plans should add new tenants and vibrancy to downtown. This means the building will become an even more valuable component of the City of Poughkeepsie's future."

“As the Journal moves forward, this allows us to concentrate on our core mission as the community’s premier news and advertising information provider -- whether in print or online,” Rothfeld said.

The Pages are excited about developing the property into a desirable office address while retaining its historic character.

“With the improvements planned,” Jason Page said, “we are confident the building will generate a significant amount of interest from prospective tenants.” The structure will continue to be known as the Poughkeepsie Journal building.

“The City of Poughkeepsie is excited about the new direction for the beautiful, historic Poughkeepsie Journal building,” said Mayor John C. Tkazyik. “Jason and Darin Page have brought incredible success to other parts of Dutchess County and we are delighted that they are bringing their talents to further showcase in the City of Poughkeepsie. And, we are all pleased that the Journal will continue not only as a neighbor but for the service it provides to our residents.”

With its recognizable fieldstone exterior and Dutch colonial influences, the building reflects the vision that President Franklin D. Roosevelt of Hyde Park had for downtown Poughkeepsie – a vision that started in the 1930s with the construction of the Poughkeepsie Post Office across the street from where the Journal would open in 1943. The Journal moved into the 85 Civic Center Plaza location after the newspaper and its predecessors had offices in several City of Poughkeepsie locations.

The Journal’s lobby features a distinctive two-story mural depicting mid-Hudson Valley landmarks and the history of printing. It is believed to be one of only a handful of murals in newspaper buildings in the nation. The mural was created as a Works Progress Administration project under Roosevelt’s leadership.

“This transaction represents significant value to all parties and to the City of Poughkeepsie,” said Salomone, of Prudential Serls. “The Journal can now be operationally stronger. The Pages are acquiring a very valuable asset that will provide great returns to them as they reposition this landmark property into a Class A multi-tenanted building.”

Salomone notes that the City of Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County maintain jobs and a valuable employer, and will benefit from the capital investments made into the building. “This is solid evidence that even in a depressed real estate market, there is value to be derived for those willing to rethink the market and look for unique opportunities,” Salomone said.

The Poughkeepsie Journal is the oldest newspaper in New York state and is the second-oldest in the nation, behind the Hartford Courant, which started in 1764. The Journal began as a weekly publication on Aug. 11, 1785 and started publishing daily in 1860, inspired by demand for news about the Civil War.

Gannett Co., Inc. is an international news and information company operating on multiple platforms including the Internet, mobile, newspapers, magazines and TV stations. Gannett is an Internet leader with hundreds of newspaper and TV Web sites; CareerBuilder.com, the nation’s top employment site; USATODAY.com; and more than 80 local MomsLikeMe.com sites. Gannett publishes 84 daily U.S. newspapers, includinng USA TODAY, the nation’s largest-selling daily newspaper, and more than 700 magazines and other non-dailies including USA WEEKEND. Gannett also operates 23 television stations in 19 U.S. markets. Gannett subsidiary Newsquest is the United Kingdom’s second-largest regional newspaper company with 17 daily paid-for titles, more than 200 weekly newspapers, magazines and trade publications, and a network of Web sites.

Page Park Associates is a highly regarded and experienced property development company specializing in commercial leasing, with many properties in Dutchess County. Page recently completed Taconic Crossings, the future home of DRA Imaging’s Women’s Health Center, and the historic restoration of a 1790s farmhouse designed exclusively for a regional office of the real estate firm Houlihan Lawrence. For more information on Page Park Associates, visit them online at www.pageparkassociates.com

Prudential Serls Prime Properties Commercial Group is a division of Prudential Serls Prime Properties, Dutchess County's leading real estate company for 17 consecutive years, operating six offices in Brewster, East Fishkill, Fishkill, LaGrange, Pawling and Rhinebeck, as well as a new homes and land division. The full-service commercial group is one of the top real estate firms in the region, 222 having earned national recognition with the 2008 Power Broker Award for overall sales transaction volume as reported by CoStar, the leading national provider of commercial information and marketing services. For more information on Prudential Serls Prime Properties Commercial Group, visit www.pruserlscommercial.com.

Poughkeepsie, NY-September 21, 2008 — Page Park Associates, a Hudson Valley Real Estate Developer, has purchased the town of Poughkeepsie building that formerly housed Schott Lithotec, a now defunct local manufacturer of photomask plates. The plant shut down in April 2007, leaving over seventy people jobless.

The Town of Poughkeepsie Planning Board has approved Page Park’s proposal to convert the 36-thousand square foot building across from Casperkill Country Club into high-end office space.

“This is good news for the Town of Poughkeepsie,” says Town of Poughkeepsie Councilman Stephan Krakower. “The project will attract high-paying, life-long jobs, will expand the tax base and should have little or no impact on traffic in that area of Route 9.” The new building will be marketed for either a single user or as a multi-tenanted medical or office building.

Page Park’s plan for the building will include an expansion of the facility's parking lot as well as streetscape improvements, that will include a new facade, plantings, sidewalks, pedestrian crosswalks and updated lighting.

“We are thrilled that Page Park Associates is looking to reposition the building for office use, which supports the Town's planning goals,” says Anne Conroy, President and CEO of the Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation. “We're hopeful that the development of this site will provide a strong boost to the economy. The renovation of the building itself will help support the construction industry and, once offices move in, it could create as many as 80 jobs.”

Jason and Darin Page of Page Park Associates say renovations will begin in early December and are expected to be completed by April of 2009.

Page Park is also in the process of developing Taconic Crossings, a medical/office building on Route 55 in Lagrange where DRA Imaging will have an additional location.