Bathroom, skateboarding are priorities for recreation commission

By Geri Corey
Members of Goshen's town and village boards got together in June to discuss several capital projects recommended by the Joint Recreation Commission.
In a letter submitted by Maria Canterino, the commission chair, the list of immediate goals includes a bathroom at the Erie Street Park, a skateboard park at Bruen Park, and an expansion of the pavilion at Myron Urbanski Memorial Park on Craigville Road. The cost of the three projects will be covered by parkland fees — money collected from developers when they build in the town or village.
Long-term plans include a community center and additional athletic fields.
Bathroom
“The bathroom at Erie Street is the biggest need for the community,” said Melissa Gallo, town liaison to the commission.
The need for bathroom facilities at the field is evident with the large number of youth athletics programs — including soccer, football, lacrosse, basketball, cheerleading and more, along with adult sports and events.
The commission recommends one bathroom that is non-gendered, single-user, compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and with a baby changing center.
Village Mayor Mike Nuzzolese said the village would handle the bathroom project. Much of the work can be done in house, he said. He expects construction to begin in early fall.
Skateboard park
Although Erie Street Park once had a skateboard park, it was removed because it was found to be unsafe.
Canterino said in her letter that the commission recommends Bruen Park because of its proximity to the Heritage Trail, and "the amount of space available at Bruen for further development.”
Gallo said residents have expressed a strong interest in building a skateboarding park. Some have offered to help with fundraising for what would be called the “Goshen Heritage Skate Park.”
Town Supervisor Doug Bloomfield said the town would take responsibility for installing skateboard facilities at Bruen Park and look into the feasibility of a pocket park in Arcadia Hills.
Expanded pavilion
With the commission's summer camp program so popular, the commission recommends expanding the pavilion at Myron Urbanski Memorial Park Craigville Road, where the camp is held. The park lacks indoor facilities, forcing campers to huddle under the existing too-small pavilion during inclement weather.
The boards agreed to gather cost estimates and, depending on the outcome, look into the expansion.
The old Salesian School
The commission would like to include indoor activities on its roster, and suggested the old Salesian School building as a possible community center.
But Supervisor Bloomfield said the building has already been deemed unusable.
“With water damage and the brick walls not bearing any weight, there’s no sense in spending more money on it," he said. "It’ll cost more to use it than to tear it down.”
“It’s a dangerous building,” agreed Mayor Nuzzolese. “We should get rid of that building.”
The consensus was to have the village and town jointly take down the building and then decide what to do. There is a great deal of asbestos in the school building, so tearing it down will be costly.
Both boards agreed, once school is demolished, to look into erecting a new building to house the offices of both the village hall and town hall. They agreed it would be cost-effective to have both governments in the same building. And by selling Maplewood, the village hall located at 276 Main St., and town hall, located at 41 Webster Avenue, Goshen would gain two more taxable properties.