What to do with old Salesian school?

Goshen asks for help in naming the park, By Edie Johnson Goshen — The former Salesian School site, a property of great historic value and potential for a community park, continues to challenge local officials as they struggle to map out its future. A joint meeting of Goshen’s town and village boards tackled the massive old school building, which many people in the community had wanted to transform into a library or community center. But restoring the building will cost $8 million, according to a recent estimate. Mindful of expenses, Doug Bloomfield, the town supervisor, asked town board members to engage in what he called “possibility thinking,” which he said big corporations do all the time when faced with this kind of problem. “Just write down every possibility you can think of,” he said. “We owe it your best shot.” The ideas that came in included tearing the building down and putting up a new one, selling a piece of the property by Coleman Road to raise money, applying for a transfer of development rights to get money to buy down the debt, selling the building to a developer, and turning it over to the parks and recreation department. While some members of the public expressed horror at these ideas, officials kept giving reassurances they were merely brainstorming. But the time is fast approaching when they’ll have to make some decisions. Each solution has its own problems. Board members think it will cost $2 to $3 million just to tear down the building. And the thought of selling any portion of land bought for public recreation could prove to be wildly unpopular. Officials decided to get an estimate from the firm that had demolished the Orange County Jail. The school building is considered unsafe at the present. Village Mayor Scott Wohl agreed the building should go. “The concept of retrofitting the building is not reasonable,” he said. “We should take the footprint and build something on it, maybe an auditorium and gymnasium, or whatever.” But he said selling the building to a developer was not a good idea. While the town struggles to determine just what its constituents want to do, and how to do it most economically, other practical problems, like maintenance, remain. Bloomfield suggested turning over maintenance of the property to the parks and recreation department to help determine what it will take, in terms of manpower and equipment, to mow and clean it up. As the Fourth of July approaches, he said, he was reminded that the town was expected to organize a grand opening of the park in September. Meanwhile, the park does not yet have a name. Goshen will follow a suggestion to hold a naming contest like the one that came up with “Land o’ Goshen” for Craigville Park. “Salesian” is a proprietary name that belongs to a Roman Catholic brotherhood, which also has a division at Don Bosco School in Rockland County. To avoide legal problems, the town lawyer said officials should probably stop referring to the park by the Salesian name. The hamlet development proposed for the adjacent site, in the Town of Goshen, was being called “Salesian Village” but is now called “Maplewood.” The Salesian sign, itself a piece of Goshen history, is missing several letters. Officials discussed whether to use the existing letters or have some new ones made once a new name is found. The site is so rich in history, Bloomfield said, the name should in some way refer to its past. It was formerly the Haight Family Estate, built in 1874. Over the years the estate included numerous bridle paths, summer houses, gazebos, and trees. The original deed was dated 1791, when it was owned by the Carpenter family. The estate was expanded to 450 acres and given the name Napknoll. A pond was added for public use. The property was later known as Brownleigh Park. Greenhouses, a water tower, a horse track, carriage sheds, and stables were later added to the property. By 1922, it was in the hands of Albert Decker, who developed it as a rehabilitation center for soldiers. Then, in 1925, the Salesian Fathers bought the estate, which became a Catholic school for boys. This history is described in detail on the Goshen Library Web site (www.goshenpubliclibrary.org). Anyone with suggestions about what should be done with the property should send a letter to 41 Webster St., Goshen, N.Y., or e-mail the town clerk at VEisma@townofgoshen.org, Attention: Town Board.