Goshen vets to leave historic building

Goshen — Goshen’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1708 has decided to pack up and move out of the historic building that has been its meeting place since the late 1970s. Built in the mid-1800s, the VFW’s quaint brick building was once the caretaker’s cottage on the Haight family farm and estate. Years ago, the Haight family owned a large tract of land, which included the former Salesian school property. Jim Bruno, the financial officer for the VFW and the American Legion, said the family’s circumstances changed and the cemetery, mausoleum, and caretaker’s cottage were parceled off into a 4.5-acre tract. The Haight family maintains ownership through the tax-exempt Haight Family Cemetery Association. In 1975, the veterans started Post 1708 and entered into a caretaker’s lease with the cemetery association, requiring the veterans to maintain the building and grounds and pay for the insurance and utilities. For $50 per month, the VFW leases one of its two tiny meeting rooms to the members of American Legion Post No. 377, and a Goshen Boy Scout troop uses the space, too. When the veterans started the post 30 years ago, the building and grounds were dilapidated. Back then, they made just enough improvements to get a certificate of occupancy. Over the years, conditions have worsened because the veterans don’t have the funds to make the necessary repairs. The roof needs to be replaced, the basement is wet, bricks are falling off the building, the heating system needs work, the bathroom and kitchen need renovations, and the list goes on. Bruno said the veterans are ineligible for grants because they don’t own the building. The VFW and the American Legion haven’t decided on a new meeting location, but they know they can’t stay in the building as it is. At a joint meeting, the two organizations agreed to start sorting through the contents of the building and stowing what they need in a storage facility until they settled on a new destination. Currently, they are considering using a room at either a firehouse or the Valley View Center for Nursing Care and Rehabilitation, or they may opt to accept an offer to stay from the members of the Free and Accepted Masons in Goshen Lodge No. 365. The Masons find themselves in a similar position. They too are unable to support their historic building. The Masons are in negotiations to sell their building to an engineering firm and plan to close the deal on June 1, said their secretary, Charlie Nagle. As a fraternity, the Masons are subject to property taxes, and their current tax bill exceeds $20,000 per year, said the group’s treasurer, Doug Kent. In addition, it costs $25,000 per year for utilities, maintenance, and insurance. The Masons receive $42,000 in rental income from the county, which leases the first-floor office space, plus fundraising proceeds and modest donations from groups who use their meeting room. But it’s not enough to pay the bills. Several Masons also belong to the VFW and the American Legion, and so knew the tax-exempt status of the VFW building. If the sale of the Masonic Lodge goes through, the Masons will have a sizeable sum of money in their account — enough to refurbish the VFW building. The Masons are negotiating with Barbara Lawlor, a member of the Haight family, to have three Masons join the Haight Family Cemetery Association. In exchange, the Masons will refurbish the building and maintain the grounds, cemetery, and mausoleum, and pay the expenses of running the building. The Masons expect to spend about $200,000 on renovations. By joining the cemetery association, the Masons will have some control over their investment and gain access to a tax-exempt building. If the Haight family agrees to the arrangement, the Masons said the VFW and the American Legion would be welcome to stay and share the building by signing a lease with the cemetery association. The Masons said that the cemetery association will charge a yearly rental fee of $1,500 to each group to cover the expenses of running the building. The Masons will also pay rent, and their share will cover the amount that exceeds $3,000. The Masons said that they envision a renovated building with air conditioning that will reflect the Haight name, and that may someday include an L-shaped addition with a commercial kitchen, meeting room, and meditation garden. Many veterans agreed the situation could be “the best of both worlds.” Local builder Ray Quattrini, a member of the VFW and the Legion and an expert in historic restoration, agreed to oversee the renovations at no cost. The Masons expect negotiations with Lawlor to be finalized by April. Until then the VFW and American Legion will weigh their options, and prepare to move.