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A state board has just approved a $3 million grant for a women's health center that's nearing completion four years later than expected — at almost triple the predicted cost.

The cost, almost all paid for with state and federal grants, has ballooned to $11.4 million since Kiryas Joel officials outlined plans in 2002 for a 50,000-square-foot center that would offer women a multitude of health-related services, including convalescent care after giving birth.

Back then, officials estimated the work would cost $4 million and be finished in 2004.

Yesterday, Village Administrator Gedalye Szegedin played down the cost escalation, saying the original price tag was a rough calculation the village used before delving into design and engineering details.

And he described the center's expected opening within two months as the achievement of a dream for his community — a feat more noteworthy, he argued, than the cost or duration of the project.

"The village is extremely excited, after so many years of hard work, that there's finally going to be a full women's-services center," he said. "It's a project that's going to help a lot of women in need."

State and federal grants have covered most of the $11.4 million cost.

The latest will come through a state Dormitory Authority program, the recipients of which were selected by the Assembly. The state Public Authorities Control Board — a five-member panel that oversees Dormitory Authority funding — approved the $3 million award last month.

In a place where Hasidic women typically bear lots of children, the center will offer mothers pre- and post-natal care and provide 56 beds where they can rest and recuperate for days after childbirth.

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080515/NEWS/805150343/-1/NEWS