Pleasantville Renews Efforts to Sell Old Rec Center
Pleasantville has finally placed a For Sale sign in front of the village’s old recreation center on Great Oak Lane.
Mayor Peter Scherer said the village has received several phone calls from interested parties over the past few weeks since the sign went up outside the building. There have been people who have toured the structure, although no offer has been made.
“It requires a little research for somebody to determine whether they want to buy the property,” Scherer said.
The building, known as Library Hall, is more than 100 years old. It was closed in 2007 after it was badly damaged by leaks and flooding. Recreation programs that operated there were relocated and the building has remained vacant since then. Some maintenance was performed last year in an attempt to protect it from further deterioration.
Officials have explored selling the building since its closure. The village’s goal has been to find a buyer to save and restore it rather than tear it down. Selling the property would also return it to the tax rolls.
Currently, Library Hall is zoned for two-family residential use. The village would also consider selling to a buyer who wanted to convert it into a single-family residence.
Trustee Mindy Berard, who has been highly critical of the failed attempts to unload the property, said the sign represents progress. Over the summer she said the village deserved a failing grade for its marketing efforts.
Berard said the village needs to do more to generate interest in the property.
“It’s one step,” Berard said. “We need to talk it up. I would not be opposed to hiring a real estate agent.”
Officials should also meet with neighbors to learn what they would like to see happen to the building.
“We need to think a little outside of the box and really make some tough decisions,” Berard said. “I am very much in favor of keeping that building. It has a lot of charm. It could be a beautiful spot on Bedford Road. We need to start moving this.”
Continuing to hold onto a vacant, rundown building that generates no revenue is unacceptable, she said.
Scherer acknowledged it was too soon to say whether the village’s latest attempt will prove to be fruitful.
“The more people are looking at it, the better off we are,” he said.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
