EDMESTON - Pathfinder Village announces construction is underway on The Farmstead Market and Community Center, a $5.5 million project that will increase healthy food access for families in the Northern Unadilla River Valley, create job training opportunities for adults with intellectual disabilities, and serve as a lively new venue for community events and outdoor recreation.

The project is expected to be completed in fall 2026.

The project repurposes a historic farmstead at the Village and will serve as the new home of Pathfinder’s Adult Day Services pre-vocational programs and the Pathfinder Produce microbusiness, which has offered sales of fresh produce to area customers since 2013. The Farmstead Market and Community Center will allow the expansion of store hours from two- to five days each week and will add to the varieties of produce and grocery staples for sale. The store will feature locally sourced foods, items from local artisans, and merchandise from entrepreneurs with disabilities.

The Market will include a culinary arts training kitchen that will serve grab-and-go items, such as sandwiches, soups and salads. A culinary arts and food service curriculum is offered through the Village’s Career-Specific Vocational Training program, which features 12-weeks of focused instruction, hands-on training, and employment supports as part of an ongoing partnership with the state’s Office for People with Developmental Disabilities.

“The Farmstead Market and Community Center will help define Pathfinder’s future role as it expands training and work opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, supports the local community through essential services and expanded food access, and plays a larger role in the area economy,” said Village President and Chief Executive Officer Karen Knavel. “The Farmstead has been in the planning for over three years, and we are grateful to our many partners who have supported this new development. We’re excited to watch with our individuals, families, neighbors, project team, and stakeholders as construction proceeds this summer.”

The project received a $1.8 million construction grant from the Empire State Development Corporation in support of the state’s employment, economic development, and carbon reduction goals. The 5,700 sq. ft. facility will incorporate energy savings and healthy air quality strategies to meet  Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design  (LEED) standards, a global rating system that provides a framework for design, construction, operations, and maintenance of high-performance green buildings.

A glass curtain wall in The Farmstead’s large gathering space will maximize solar gain and will be dedicated in memory of New York State Senator James L. Seward, Milford, who served on the Village’s Board of Directors from 1978 until his death in 2024. The new facility will also include flexible training and event spaces for workshops, classes, and gatherings; a community outdoor games space; a pickleball court, and a meadow with walking paths, sculptures and native plantings to help sequester carbon.

The design and construction project team for The Farmstead Market and Community Center include Teresa Drerup and Virgina Ofer of Altonview Architects, Cooperstown; Anthony Obernesser, Rob Munson, Tim Huff, and Kathleen Rooney of Pike Construction, Utica and Rochester; William Towne and Jeffrey Semple of Towne Engineering, Utica; Joe Messier, Scott Kelly, and Grace Friedhoff of Re:Vision, Philadelphia; Dan Quiri of Quiri Engineering, Fort Hunter; Christopher Longo of Empire Engineering, Duanesburg; Robert Cosselman of John P. Stopen Engineering, Syracuse.

The Farmstead project continues a series of infrastructure improvements at the Village since 2021 to visually and physically integrate Pathfinder’s Main Village and West Village, provide safe walking paths for Village residents and service recipients in support of fitness and independence, and to maximize the Village’s assets in creating opportunities for community inclusion and engagement.

Pathfinder Village is an internationally respected livable community and services provider in upstate New York. The Village was founded in 1980 to provide people with Down syndrome and other disabilities an independent and fulfilling lifestyle. As it works to provide quality supports for individuals with intellectual disabilities, the Village also offers highly successful educational, day services, vocational/pre-vocational, and outreach programs. To learn more, visit  https://pathfindervillage.org, or visit our social media on Facebook and Instagram.

- Information from Pathfinder Village