In May of this year, New Paltz Central School District (NPCSD)Superintendent Stephen Gratto said that in order to demolish the former administrative headquarters at the corner of Main Street and South Manheim Boulevard before the start of the 2024-25 school year, the state would have to approve no later than mid-July. That approval came in last week.
During a special school board meeting held on Tuesday, June 16, trustees unanimously approved engaging Connecticut-based Stamford Wrecking Company to demolish the structure at 196 Main Street at a cost of $293,875.
“We’re excited that we finally have approval from the state and we are moving forward, and we anticipate having the building down project completed before school starts,” said Gratto in an interview with Hudson Valley One. “We’re good to go.”
Last year, trustees approved plans to demolish the dilapidated blue house, which the district left around 15 years ago. The NPCSD first rented administrative space for six years on Henry W. DuBois Drive and then in 2016 set up shop at Lenape Elementary School at 1 Eugene L. Brown Drive in space formerly used by Ulster BOCES.
The district tried to sell the former administrative headquarters for years, but ultimately ran into the same issues that led them to leave the property in the first place: It’s riddled with asbestos.
The building, with its familiar message board on the front lawn, was most recently used by a construction manager for the Palombo Group during the district’s comprehensive $52.9 million capital project, approved by voters in 2014. According to district officials, the Palombo Group shored up the interior spaces making the space usable during the renovation project, but that was never viewed as a long-term solution.
In 2023, district officials hired CPL, a national architectural and engineering firm, to make recommendations for what to do with the derelict property. The materials used in the pair of buildings date them to between 70-100 years old, with the age of a connecting corridor unknown.
In their report released last spring, CPL concluded that repairing and renovating the building as-is would cost around $2,472,614, while demolition and either expanding the adjacent New Paltz Middle School parking lot or restoring the area with landscaping would range between $400,000-475,000. They also stressed that doing nothing was not a viable option.
“If the building continues to be left unoccupied and in its current state, the property will suffer further deterioration and may become a neighborhood nuisance,” read the CPL report. “Given there is no immediate use to the district and based on the costs outlined above, we would recommend demolition of the building.”
In May of last year, Village of New Paltz Mayor Tim Rogers suggested that the $2.5 million renovation costs in the CPL study didn’t take into account the possibility of using New York State Education Department (NYSED) building aid, which covers a significant portion of all eligible school district facilities projects.
Rogers also questioned other portions of the CPL estimate, citing similar work done at village hall that cost significantly less.
Thomas Olsen, chair of the Design Review Board and Historic Preservation Commission of the Village of New Paltz, claiming in an April 2023 letter to the NPCSD that while a 2014 study of the property deduced that it didn’t merit the distinction of an historic property, “we did reach a consensus that the building does have a significant place in the new policy’s history and would be, and would be well served by being renovated for modern users.”
District officials and trustees alike last year said they’d been unsuccessful in a decade of attempts to sell the building, and the declining student population meant it was unlikely that they’d have a use for the building or the property in the future.
Instead, they followed CPL’s advice and pledged to demolish the building, the sooner the better. They put in a request for state approval last December. The approval finally came through earlier this month.
When the school board voted 5-1 on May 4, 2023 to approve plans to demolish the building, it was believed it was likely to happen during summer break of this year. According to district officials, that could still happen…maybe.
As for what happens next, the district held a contest last year, open to NPCSD students and members of the community alike, geared toward finding a reuse for the 0.16 acre space on one of the busiest corners in New Paltz. Proposals were required to represent the NPCSD, help beautify the community, be environmentally friendly and highlight and honor the educational history of New Paltz. There was no single winner, and the plans will eventually incorporate many ideas proposed.
“We took facets from several different proposals and we’re going to keep it simple, yet aesthetically appealing,” Gratto said. “We’re going to put in a brick area with benches and a marquee, which will represent our school district. And we’ll have some trees, which are awesome for that area. We’re going to keep it simple and low maintenance, but make a nice place to be. It’ll be a great improvement.”
Gratto added that when the future plans for the property take greater shape, the district may allow people to purchase personalized bricks, with the proceeds going toward maintaining the area.
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