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Southern Ulster Times, Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Plans for TOMVAC unveiled
Continued from page 1
bathrooms.
Bell broke out the cost for the project,
highlighting the demolition work, the
remediation and new construction
needed, with the total coming to $642,083
and of that $128,416 is listed as profit/
overhead. Bell’s fee to develop the floor
plan and cost estimate was $4,000.
Last week Corcoran acknowledged
it was the Committee’s last meeting,
“because we said pretty much everything
we’re going to say and how we’re going
to lay this out. Now it comes down to the
hard part, the financial part.”
Corcoran presented a slide show
showing all of the areas in need of
attention. He explained the reasoning for
separating the meeting and recreation
rooms.
“We’re trying to not to share a
recreational space within a community
room space. We don’t want to do that
because we don’t want the breakdown and
the setup, people sweating and smelling
in there and getting that odor out and
then having people come in for a party,
so we’re trying to separate the space,” he
said.
Ralph Walters advocated doing the
entire project at one time.
“If you borrowed $1 million, the debt
service would not be significant over 25
or 30 years and it would hopefully pay for
itself in rental fees. But to do a piece of it
and leave the other piece, it’s never going
to get done,” he predicted.
Corcoran said the Committee agreed.
“That’s what everybody on this
Committee has said and that’s going to be
the recommendation to the [town] board,”
he said. “It’s easier to do it in one shot
and if you have support now to do it, do
it because later down the line somebody
else might say we’re not doing it and its
never going to get done.”
Walters highlighted the process for
bonding the project, pointing out that,
“If you never have to borrow it, you have
the expense of a couple thousand dollars
for the bond attorney, that’s the extent
of it. You can’t wait until you’re half way
through the project and then decide to do
a bond resolution because what happens
if the bond resolution is defeated in a
public vote? So you do the bond resolution
upfront.”
The town has a commitment of
$250,000 for this project that was
obtained as a member item by the late
NYS Assemblyman Frank Skartados.
In addition, Supervisor Al Lanzetta
has reached out to NYS Assemblyman
A Marlborough Town Committee has developed a set of plans to rehabilitate the TOMVAC
building on Route 9W in Marlboro.
Jonathan Jacobson and NYS Sen. James
Skoufis to see if they each can secure
$200,000 for the project.
“Maybe if we’re lucky we’ll get
another $400,000 but we are not going to
know for another month because they
just got their state budget,” Corcoran
said. “We could start some stuff that
doesn’t require demolition, maybe on the
outside like the roof, the soffits, the eaves,
siding and get the front entrance [facing
Rte. 9W] done properly...We have to see
what the $250,000 breaks down to and get
the project started.”
Baker agreed, “but if we don’t get
the $400,000 I say we bond for the whole
thing.” Lanzetta said they can also tap
some of the $250,000 to pay for ‘soft costs,’
such as the engineering fees. It was
acknowledged that it will take at least a
year to receive the $250,000 member item,
which may delay the start of work on the
building until the spring of 2020.
Corcoran said it is possible the project
could end up costing from $780,000 to
$830,000 because of the addition of more
windows and doors, the expansion of
a kitchen, installing a fire suppression
system, replacing the HVAC system in
both main rooms, a new electric system
with 3 sub-panels, a new sidewalk, more
handicap parking with a light post, a
new water treatment unit and outside
landscaping.
In a subsequent interview Corcoran
said he will compile all of the data that
was collected by the Committee and
present it to the Town Board in a short,
easily understood document by late May
or early June.
Corcoran is hoping to receive the
additional $400,000, which could allow
any additional items above the estimate
to be funded through the town budget. He
favors putting a bond in place, allowing
the town to tap it as needed but continue
searching for grant money.
“That’s my personal opinion on the
way to move forward. It gives the people
information and insight on what we’re
doing and it gives them a voice when
you’re talking about big projects,” he said.
“I think the overlying understanding was
that the community wanted this building
back and to be used as public use.”
Initially Corcoran voted to sell the
building because he favored getting a
minimally used structure back on the
tax rolls but adjusted his stance after the
public voted to keep it.
“I heard what the people said and
I respect that 100% and that’s why I
wanted to be chairman of this committee.
I think we did a very good job and I do
feel we can do this project and can make
it something the public can be proud of,”
he said. “We’re trying to make it so it can
economically pay itself back.”
Supervisor Lanzetta praised Corcoran,
Baker and the Committee for their work
on developing the plans for TOMVAC.
“The end result is a good design and
I am very happy,” he said. I am also
glad that the air of hostility, or whatever
you call it, after the December vote
disappeared and we got over that and
worked as a unit. Regardless if you were
for selling it or keeping it, it ended up
that we all came together [and] the plan
shows the residents of the town that we’re
committed to resurrecting this building.”