Calm at Villa Roma awaits insurance company

Assistance to 300 laid-off workers is available

By TOM KANE

THE BEECHWOODS NY — “Nothing’s going to happen here until we hear from the insurance company,” said Marty Passante, owner of the Villa Roma Hotel and Resort.

Among the debris at the resort’s main building, three workers were taking down the large Villa Roma sign that dominates the front of the building. The rest of the charred ruins were silent.

Passante said he had to lay off 300 workers. “I hated to do it, but what can I do when nothing is coming in?” he said. “Fifty workers are still working on various jobs.”

This time of year, the labor force is 350, but goes to over 450 in the summer months, he said.

“We’re going to do everything to open as soon as possible,” he said. “We only lost about eight guest rooms,” Passante said. “We have over 200 that were not seriously affected, except for smoke damage, which we can correct.”

The time-share buildings were not affected and will be ready for occupation and open again on April 29. Other buildings were also unscathed.

Tom Kirtland, pastor of the North Lake Assembly of God Church, who has a condo on the grounds, said all 14 condos, which are privately owned, were also not affected.

The eight or nine duplexes across the road, which are also privately owned, were also unaffected.

“We receive maintenance from the hotel, like grounds keeping and other services, and are a separate organization which contracts with the hotel,” Kirtland said.

Assistance to laid-off workers

“We’re doing all we can for the laid-off workers,” said Laura Quigley, director of the Sullivan County Center for Workforce Development. Workforce development is joined in the effort by the NYS Department of Labor. “We work together as a team,” she said.

The goal is to keep impacted residents working in the county by providing them the opportunity to look for work in a centralized location. “Businesses with current job openings who are interested in participating in the job fair and/or would like to assist in this effort should call me at 845/791-8500, ext. 206,” Quigley said.

The two agencies are planning a special job fair on May 4 at the Lodge at Rock Hill to target existing job openings within the county, she said.

“As a prelude to the job fair on May 4, we will be hosting a ‘Jump Start Your Job Search’ day at the North Street center,” she said. “If you are one of the many affected workers, reserve April 25 to get organized, learn what job search tools will help you land your next job and begin to develop strategies so you can get a jump-start on your job search.”

The Center for Workforce Development, which houses the NYS Department of Labor, is located at 50 North Street in Monticello.