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Town officials urge Saugerties school board to explore Mount Marion School reuse for affordable housing
Summary
Town council member Stephanie Gasler and Shandaken deputy supervisor Robert Drake told the Saugerties Central School District board they support studying adaptive reuse of the Mount Marion School for affordable housing and noted county and nonprofit resources that could assist the district.
Stephanie Gasler, a member of the Saugerties town council, urged the Saugerties Central School District board to pursue a directed conversation about reusing the Mount Marion School as housing, saying local government and county planning staff have offered support. "I'm here ... to offer support of your considerations around the sale of the Mount Marion School," Gasler told the board during public recognition.
Gasler said she speaks as a liaison to the town's housing advisory committee and that committee members asked her to encourage the district to consider adaptive reuse as an option to address a local housing shortage. She named county planning staff and the deputy county executive as having expressed willingness to provide information and technical assistance to the district.
Robert Drake, deputy supervisor for the town of Shandaken, described his town's experience with school-to-housing conversions and cited a statutory framework for transfers. "I believe this is all been within public meetings that the conveyance of a school to a township is permissible for a public use under Education Law 405," Drake said, describing steps his town took and advising the board on process considerations.
Drake told the board that RUPCO (a regional housing and community development organization) is under contract to develop a plan for adaptive reuse in his area and that, if a plan meets town and school district goals, a public referendum could be scheduled (he said such a referendum could take place next May). He offered himself and county staff as resources to the Saugerties board as it evaluates options.
The speakers framed their remarks as an invitation to explore possibilities rather than a request for immediate action; they encouraged a structured, stakeholder-involved next step. The board did not make a decision during public recognition; members acknowledged the comments and moved on in the agenda. The board may address next steps in a future meeting or in committee work.
