New digs for Bethel board

Vacant school repurposed

By FRITZ MAYER

WHITE LAKE, NY — Bethel residents and officials fought hard through the winter and spring of 2010 to keep the Dr. Duggan Elementary School, which sits at the heart of the community, open and serving students. But in the end, the global economic downturn and the accompanying loss of revenue were too powerful to overcome. There will be no classes in the school this year.

But in an effort to maintain the building as a vital part of the community, supervisor Dan Sturm came up with a plan whereby a portion of the school will be used for town businesses and remain open.

The plan came to fulfillment on August 25, when the board met for the first time at the spacious new meeting room in the building, and the reaction from all members of the board was positive.

Lawmaker Richard Crumley was effusive in his praise for Sturm’s effort. Crumley said, “He made a good thing out of a very tragic thing for the town.”

Also new in the school is the Bethel Youth Center, and the Past Perfect Bookstore/Sullivan County Literacy Center. The Bethel Justice Court is also moving to the building.

Town clerk Rita Sheehan noted that all of the rooms will have high speed Internet.

Sturm said that by leasing space at the school for various uses rather than building a new modular building, which has been in the planning stages for the past two years, the town will realize a savings of $350,000 for the cost of the new building and will also save the cost of bonding the proposed new building.

The town is leasing the space for $15,000 per year from the Monticello Central School District.