Neuhaus pitches county bid for Sugar Loaf PAC at board meeting

County Executive Steve Neuhaus was on hand at the Aug. 13 meeting of the Chester Town Board to tout the county’s bid to purchase the Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center (PAC).

The board has yet to act on the matter, but Supervisor Brandon Holdridge said he expects a contract to be approved at the Aug. 27 meeting of the town board.

The Orange County Legislature voted 21-0 earlier this summer to allot over $1.3 million for the purchase.

If the board approves the sale, the matter still would be subject to a permissive referendum - meaning that if a town resident gathered enough signatures objecting to the sale, approval would be slated for a general election vote.

Neuhaus said a sale to the county was in the taxpayers’ best interest and would allow the county to take care of needed improvements to the building, which has a seating capacity of about 900.

“The county has the wherewithal to take [the PAC] to the next level. It’s too much for the town to do,” Neuhaus said.

The county executive said he would keep in place the current schedule for the first six months of county ownership as the county analyzed how best to use the facility. He envisions a busier schedule and free events for seniors under county leadership. The contract would also provide “forever protection” for the PAC facility and property, ensuring it would be used only for municipal purposes.

Neuhaus, a former supervisor of Chester, noted the county has been involved in numerous town initiatives, including the preservation of Sugar Loaf Mountain and the renovation and reopening of the Maple Avenue school building.

“The county executive is going to make it the crown jewel of Sugar Loaf,” Councilmember Larry Dysinger said.

The town and county both are hoping to have a sale complete in time for budget season, although the permissive referendum has the potential to drag things out.

Also during the meeting, Holdridge said the contractor for the Sugar Loaf sidewalk and curb project hopes to begin work on Aug. 24 and will take two weeks for each side of the road. The project was originally planned for June and July, but the contractor was sidelined with another project all summer. If the contractor does not complete the work by a certain date, the town, as per their contract, will fine them.

The Knapp’s View parking lot, which had become a minefield due to water run off, was also discussed. The county recently fixed the entrance to the parking lot, which is in their right of way and the town board approved $3,500 in funding to re-gravel the parking lot. As of press time, a large pile of gravel sits in the Knapp’s View parking lot waiting to be spread out.

The town board also approved new stop signs at Vivian Lane and Bridle Lane in Surrey Meadows. Due to community feedback, two stop signs on the main road of Surrey Meadows that were originally to removed were kept. Three residents spoke against keeping the stop signs, saying they were a nuisance and unnecessary.

Also discussed were:

* The appointment of Anthony Riale and Steve Smith to the Parks Advisory Board, giving the board a quorum of five members.

* An accepted a bid of $7,193 for the Rainer Pumps control panel automatic switch, which was needed by the Water Department.

* The hiring of a former part-time employee to as a full-time park attendant at a rate of $20 per hour.

* The appointment of Gabby Guastamacchia to a 90-day term as a temporary typist and the hiring of two new camp counselors for the town’s film camp.

* The acceptance of the low bid of $11,860 for security fencing around the Sugar Loaf water well.

Councilmembers Tom Becker and Robert Courtenay were absent from the meeting.