The Newburgh Heights Association is closely following the developments of the Liberty Street School and the controversy that surrounds it. I know a lot of you are interested in the progress. They have asked some key questions for which they have been able to receive answers. These are some of the questions:
Q: Has Bluestone Developers, Inc. (Bluestone) met the requirements in section 7 of the LPA and established that it has secured 70% of the total estimated costs of the rehabilitation of the Premises and construction of the project? If so, what is this amount and what is the source of Bluestone’s funding? If not, is the City waiving this requirement for Closing and is this waiver in writing?
Q: What is the impact of the release of asbestos at the school on: (i) the timeline for completion of the project; (ii) the cost of the project; and (iii) Bluestone’s ability to successfully and adequately abate the asbestos?
If you want the rest of the scoop with the full questions and answers they received, click on their website link. Good job guys.
There have been many rumors regarding the proposed purpose of the restoration of the Liberty Street School. This Saturday you will have a chance to hear for yourselves what the real deal is by attending a discussion held at 55 Liberty Street from 12:30-1:30pm. According to the flyer there will be 26 residential units, and 2 commercial spaces. To RSVP, contact info@thegreenseptember.com.
It’s been a while since we have updated you on the Liberty School project. Mr. Jerome Blue was kind enough to send me a rendering of the inside of the building that I thought would be nice to share. He had this to say about the rendering, “The interior rendering captures the entry hallway on the first floor and how we want to show the history of the school by restoring existing walls and floors and refinishing old blackboards in memory of its days as a school.” I can’t wait to see what it will look like when it’s all put together.
There was a concerned person who had invested in Washington Heights property near the school, and was worried about the lack of work being done. Well, I hope this person has been able to see the new construction work that is being done at the site. This photograph taken last week show that the bricks on the exterior are totally different from what they looked like a few years ago. The dumpster is out and work is being done. Where does one even begin on a project of this level!?
No word as to when they plan on being done with the project. But, Mr. Blue has been so kind as to share his work with me. So when we hear anything new, we’ll be sure to pass it on to you.
For those of you who have been following closely on the update of the Liberty School, here is some hopeful news for you…
Work will be moving forward, and the developer is currently soliciting bids from subcontractors. So you see? Things are moving? You just can’t always see it. Hopefully everything will fall in to place. 2010 is looking pretty good already! We will continue to follow this closely.
Many of you have been curious about the update of the project going on at the Liberty School. Bluestone Developers is trying to convert the dilapidated school house into living space of 25 apartment units. Recently I blogged about the façade being fixed with the replacement of the brick exterior. But many would like to know what is going on NOW.
I was able to speak to the president of Bluestone Developers, Jerome Blue, about the update on the school. And, he also graciously provided me with the renderings and other images you see here. So what is going on???
Date Unknown, note the trolley in the left corner
First of all, I made it very clear to Mr. Blue that I was not interested in negativity or carrying out a debate with him. He opened up and was very friendly and helpful in providing me information. It was very apparent in my mini interview that this is a very difficult project. Each step involves manysub-steps, and a hiccup in any one of the sub-steps can set the entire project back for months. So has been the case with the development of the school. As of now, all the approvals have been made, such as the zoning boards, the architectural commission etc. However, these approvals do not happen over night and take time. One thing that has set back this project substantially is the parking lot. They had to go through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation since there used to be a dry cleaners on the site. Tests needs to be run to make sure the site is clean. Approvals have to be made, and consultants are needed for these approvals which equals more money needed to complete this project. Along the way the developers must meet city, state, and federal guidelines. Mr. Blue wouldn’t go into more detail, but overall this is a huge undertaking.
Considering all the levels of government the approvals must go through, the money needed, the fine tuning, and hiccups that can happen along the way-this project is going to take some time. Mr. Blue is extremely interested in the history of the structure and the history of Newburgh. He has even looked up articles on the school’s closing in 1980. There had been talks of closing the school 6 years prior to it’s closing. 550 parents protested against the closing of the school and signed a petition. At the time the school closed it had approximately 360 students in grades k-4. Mr. Blue definitely wants to see the project through. That is why even though there is much left to be done in paper work and approvals, he has secured the structure of the building by replacing the bricks. Last time I checked the fence was fixed as well. He mentioned that there is really no point to put up scaffolding if no work can actually be done until months later. It really accomplishes nothing. But rest assured, he is continuing with the project. And, when we last spoke had recently been to meetings regarding the project.
So what should you digest out of all of this? It’s going to take time. Whether or not the school will really be developed and inhabited can only be determined with time. But what Mr. Blue would like for people to know is that even though you don’t see anything happening on the exterior, he has not dropped this project. There are still many things going on behind the scenes. Hopefully he will give me updates as things progress.
Click below to enlarge the three news articles from The Evening News dated 1980.
A while ago I blogged about what was happening with the Liberty Street School. Well, since then some bricks have been going up . The above image might not look like much of an improvement, but look below and you’ll see that it’s a huge step forward. Switch your eye between the two pictures and you’ll see not only has the brickwork been restored, but also the huge slabs of stone that run above and below the windows (even though some is still missing). Hopefully the developers can speedy it up with the rest of the work. Nearby store owner, Nancy, said that within a few days they were able to fix the bricks very quickly and professionally. We can only imagine the improvement if they continue their work. There’s a little hope left that something good will come out of this building yet-regardless of it’s intended purpose. There is also work being done on the train station as well…..blog entry to follow. For more positive Newburgh news check out this link.
