Citizens foundation to honor Ed Devitt

Orange County — The Orange County Citizens Foundation has named Ed Devitt as the 2006 Ruth and James Ottaway Medal recipient. The award is presented on an annual basis to an individual or organization that has contributed significantly to the quality of life in Orange County. The foundation will present the medal to Devitt at their annual dinner, starting at 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 4, at the Inn at Central Valley on Smith Clove Road. Sponsors of the event include Taylor Recycling Facility, Construction Contractors Association of the Hudson Valley, Orange Regional Medical Center, Elant, and the Ottaway family. Devitt, a life-long resident of Montgomery, owns and operates Devitt Management Associates with his son, Marc. For many years, he was a co-owner of the master franchise for Super 8 Motels in New York State. Devitt served as a county legislator for eight years, and has been a leader in the business community since graduating from SUNY Orange in the 1960s. He was the founding charter president of the Town of Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, and has served on the board of directors of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce and the Orange County Water Authority. He is a past president of the Orange County Citizens Foundation and the Walden Rotary. He currently serves on the board of the Community Bank of Orange County. Devitt also develops properties for mixed-use purposes. He is steadfast in his belief that concentrating growth in village centers is the key to good planning. His commercial facilities, with housing above, are found throughout Montgomery, and have contributed significantly to the availability of cost-effective housing. In the 1990s, Devitt and others, who recognized the importance of local firefighters and their spirit as volunteers, organized the Orange County Firefighters Museum. The group purchased the original Village of Montgomery firehouse in 1998, and has been restoring the facility to serve as the museum’s headquarters since that time. At the same time, Devitt built Winding Hills Golf Course in Montgomery, on 60 acres of former farmland that his father had purchased with friends as a family getaway years earlier. The 18-hole executive course was constructed with an eye towards maintaining the natural environment. The Orange County Citizens Foundation oversees cooperation and dialogue between Orange County and Hudson Valley residents, businesses, and government entities to safeguard the county’s historic and cultural heritage, to preserve open space, agriculture, clean air, and a serene environment, and to encourage improvement in jobs, transportation, parks and recreation, and government. Tickets for the annual dinner are $75. For more information, call 469-9459 or visit www.occf-ny.org.