Recreation Center Remains Unsold
It is an issue that continues to bug the Village of Pleasantville.
On Great Oak Lane, Library Hall, the village’s former recreation center, remains unsold.
In 2007, Library Hall, which is more than 100 years old, closed after flooding damaged the building. Recreation facilities were moved to village hall, and the building has remained vacant since then.
The village has explored selling the building for years, though all attempts have been unsuccessful. The village’s goal is to have someone buy, save and restore the building rather than tear it down.
“It’s a significant contributor to the Bedford Road corridor,” Mayor Peter Scherer said. “It is significant to the street and village.”
Scherer conceded that the village can’t keep the building forever. By selling the building, the village could return it to the tax rolls and generate property tax revenue.
“I don’t think it’s a lost cause,” Scherer said. “When we felt we were close to a deal, the residential markets started to be in flux and the mortgage markets went into flux. It’s an unusual project.”
The mayor said if a family or developer can come up with a well-executed project, it will be worth the investment.
“It requires someone [who is construction] savvy that is able to figure out a way to get it done,” Scherer said.
Currently the building is zoned for two-family use, while the village would discuss the idea if someone wanted to make small renovations for single-family use. The village did some maintenance to the property a year ago, protecting it from deterioration.
Recent discussions at village board meetings has concerned the lack of a for sale sign in front of the property. While village officials said they would put one up at the July 23 board meeting, the property remains sans sign.
“We’ll get one up,” Scherer said. “We’ve had ongoing discussions with buyers and potential buyers.”
Trustee Mindy Berard said she is unhappy with the village’s failure to market the property, and is frustrated with the lack of progress in selling the property.
“Last we’ve heard there were two interested parties, but there’s been a lot of interested parties along the way,” Berard said. “We get an F for marketing efforts on that building. It’s bad enough where it is now, but for the last five years it’s been mothballed. We’ve done nothing to market it.”
Berard proposed hiring a real estate agent to help market the property.
“Let’s get somebody out there,” Berard said. “Let’s make it happen. It’s very frustrating and it’s frustrating for the taxpayers. We have a responsibility. I don’t know if there is a person to blame, but all I know is I have asked 1,000 times where is the for sale sign.”
Berard criticized the village for not marketing the property or marketing the property, and noted that the village needs to take care of its properties.
“We need to have a maintenance schedule on our properties and make sure they don’t fall into disrepair,” Berard said. “We have to make sure the taxpayers know that this is the responsibility of the government and their tax dollars go toward maintenance. If we fail at that, we end up getting what we get at the rec center. That’s not a good thing.”
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.
