Delaware buys town hall

Compliance with federal law is motive

By TOM KANE

HORTONVILLE, NY - The Town of Delaware will own the current building that houses its town hall and town offices by the time you are reading this article.

“I’m delivering the check this morning,” said town supervisor Jim Scheutzow on Thursday, June 21. Everything has been duly signed, he said.

Up to now, the building, which will cost $105,000, has been owned by the Hortonville Fire Department Fire Commissioners. The money for the purchase will come from the town’s general fund.

“We are anxious to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with which we are presently out of compliance,” Scheutzow said. So far, no disabled person has challenged the town on inaccessibility, but that could change anytime. The federal law is enforced only when a disabled person makes an official complaint.

The town meetings had been held each month on the second floor, which is inaccessible to people with ambulatory problems. For about a year, the meetings were shifted to a room at the rear of the firehouse.

“There’s a bar in that room, which doesn’t make it an ideal place for a public meeting,” said board member Kevin Connors. Also, town officials were not comfortable holding an essential town function in a building they did not own, and for which they had to pay rent.

“We haven’t had one person complain about the sale,” Scheutzow said. “Everyone knows that we need to solve this problem.”

Town officials explored several possibilities for a new building over the last few years.

In August 2004, when officials considered building on the town-owned park in Callicoon, there was a swell of complaints. The board quickly gave up the idea.

Another suggested site was the old railroad station in Callicoon. Nothing came of that either, as the Norfolk and Western Railway sold the building to the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway, which did not want to sell.

“We are now moving to put an addition on the rear of the building so we can be in compliance with ADA,” Scheutzow said. “It’s not a comfortable feeling when you are not in compliance with a federal law.”