New retreat to make sustainable impact

CHAMPLAIN | On Aug. 11 a groundbreaking ceremony was held to celebrate the start of construction on the Hughes House Retreat. Located at 109 Southwick Rd., the Hughes House Retreat is a developmental project by Hughes Property Development. The project will feature 7 ponds to provide habitat for waterfowl, be a feeding haven for deer and other wildlife, and the Hughes House will be made sustainably. Jason Borrie, a town council member for the Town of Champlain, gave a few opening remarks for the ceremony. "The Town of Champlain is very happy to have you develop this piece of land an especially in the way that you are doing it. Thinking about the environment, thinking about conservation and preservation, it's an amazing thing so we appreciate that. So welcome to the community," Borrie said. The Huges House Retreat will sit on 385 acres of land, that was previously abandoned agricultural land, and is meant to be a relaxing retreat for all to enjoy. "Anybody that wants to get off the grid…," Robert "Bobby" Hughes III said on who the retreat is meant for. Bobby bought the land last year when it landed on his radar. When he first got the land, he didn't know what to do with it but eventually decided to try to develop it. After talking to the United States Department of Agriculture Bobby got the idea for the retreat. Bobby didn't do this alone though, his son Corey Hughes is also involved with the project. Corey, with his wife Myra Delgado, run a nonprofit called Pass It Foward- California, more commonly known as pifCalifornia. PifCalifornia is a Los Angles-based organization that operates the only workforce development training in California that uses Industrial Hemp as training material. Hempcrete, which is a type of industrial hemp, is a sustainable and affordable building material that can be used for installation, humidity regulation, acoustic installation, and fire resistance. Hempcrete can also remove carbon from the air and is resistant to mold. "I'm just excited I had the opportunity to come out here and show hempcrete to Upstate New York and show you guys what it is and how it could take over," Corey said. Area One Clinton County Legislature Calvin Castine and Champlain Town Supervisor Larry Barcomb also attended the groundbreaking ceremony and gave welcomed the Hughes family and project to town. "Once we get it built…," Bobby said on the potential of the property. The plan right now is to get it built, and they're going to explore their options from there. Corey also mentioned that the Hughes House will be the first of many like it, as he hopes to bring hempcrete to the North Country and show the potential of this sustainable product to area residents. Local businesses such as Mark II Construction, Parker Family Maple Farm, Ace Electric, Deso Concrete, Adirondack Affordable Plumbing, AES Northeast, and Sample Lumber have all teamed up to help Bobby achieve his vision.

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New retreat to make sustainable impact

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