Newburgh opens Activity Center as cooling center amid heat wave

On July 10, the City of Newburgh designated the Activity Center at 401 Washington Street, Newburgh, NY 12550, as a cooling center.

Older adults, young children, people with medical conditions, and families living in apartments or houses that become unsafe when the temperature rises are among the groups the cooling center serves. Older adults are among those at highest risk for heat-related illness, and state prevention materials put the rise in average temperatures in New York at almost 2.6 degrees from 1901 to 2022.

For people who cannot rely on air conditioning at home, the Activity Center provides a place to cool off, rest, and lower the risk of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Its Washington Street location also makes it easier for city residents who may not have transportation to leave Newburgh for relief. The Recreation Department office at the site can be reached at 845-565-3230.

The city has used the same location repeatedly during heat emergencies. The Activity Center opened from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in one cooling-center activation and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in another. A July 14-15 city alert also listed the Activity Center at 401 Washington Street as open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Newburgh has also used other cooling locations in past responses, including Xavier Lunan Park at 66 Courtney Avenue and Tyrone H. Crabb Memorial Park. Orange County maintains a public cooling-centers page, and County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus has announced countywide cooling-center availability during earlier heat events.