There’s a new Tudor-style bus shelter going up in Tuxedo, complete with shiny copper trim and spacious windows. Eventually, the bus stop will feature a $10,000 town clock.
Times Herald-Record reporter John Sullivan recently wrote that “the chateau,” as one Tuxedo resident called the shelter, will cost the town $63,000. According to Sullivan, Tuxedo Supervisor Peter Dolan, a member of the Tuxedo Local Development Corp. that spearheaded the project, said that the shelter is part of an effort to promote a municipal identity and replaces the worn-out open roadside shelter that was located directly across from the Tuxedo train station.
Tuxedo has always been a popular stop for weekend hikers traveling to Harriman State Park as well as those exploring the Appalachian Trail, and a new town bus shelter could help encourage tourism.
The new shelter conforms with the Tudor-style shopping mall behind it, and will include a slate roof and handcrafted windows costing $2,500 each. When finished, the shelter will provide a polish to central downtown Tuxedo.
According to Sullivan, $53,000 of the money to cover the cost of the 100-square-foot shelter will come from $1.1 million of Tuxedo Reserve funds being paid to Tuxedo for municipal improvements. Tuxedo Reserve is the on-again, off-again proposed development that would settle some 1,000 single family homes in Orange County between Tuxedo and Sloatsburg and abut Tuxedo Park. When – and if – completed, the development would house approximately 3,000 people.
Sloatsburg cut its own million dollar deal with Tuxedo Reserve in 2005 that pays the village approximately $600,000 over 10 years, to be used at the discretion of the village, with the rest of the funds scheduled to be paid out in a lump sum within a year after final approval of the development is given by the Town of Tuxedo. Final approval of the development is still pending. The PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) agreement specifies funds for an additional municipal parking lot that would be located on vacant village land across from the Sloatsburg Train Station. The agreement also calls for the Sloatsburg Public Library to receive $75,000 for improvements, including a new roof.
Since 2006, Sloatsburg has been receiving approximately $60,000 per budget year from Tuxedo Reserve. It’s unclear whether these Tuxedo Reserve funds have been set aside by the village in a special municipal improvement fund, or if they’ve been specifically earmarked for improvement projects. Cited as a budgetary miscellaneous item under Other & Unclassified Revenues in the village budget, Sloatsburg may be using the Tuxedo Reserve municipal improvement funds as general operating funds.
As it’s housed in a municipal building, the Sloatsburg Public Library could use village investment now. At a recent library board meeting there was discussion related to shelving and shelf space, as well as on-going negotiation about the cost of painting the outside of the building. The library is considering using operational funds for exterior building improvements that might be better utilized for programming and interior building upgrades.
One thing Sloatsburg has not used the funds for to date is an interesting and bold municipal improvement such as the one Tuxedo is making. So where’s Sloatsburg’s little chateau that signifies an interest in community investment and municipal identity?
Note: This article has been updated to more accurately reflect Sloatsburg Public Library Board board meeting minutes and a topic of discussion related to utilizing available library space.
