St. Paul's Update
Based on the results of the December 2nd Public Opinion Poll, the Village Board is moving forward with the required steps that must be taken in order to authorize the preparation of a bond resolution to pay demolition costs to be presented to the residents for referendum.
A bond referendum would simply authorize the Board to issue the bonds that would raise the estimated $6 million needed to demolish the main building and Ellis Hall.. The Board would still have to vote to do so. A number of the current Board of Trustees firmly believe, that given the strong feelings of many residents concerning the final disposition of the St. Paul's building, it is only fair to allow the residents the opportunity to formally and finally to express their opinion on the direction the Board should take.
Nonetheless, as the process moves forward, Trustee John Watras, and a group of residents, including David Sutton and leaders of the Committee to Save St. Paul's, toured the building. Last week, the Village was contacted by executives from Meritas Corp, an international corporation which owns and operates a number of private boarding schools in the United States and abroad. They requested a tour of St. Paul's. According to one executive, they had been solicited by leaders of the group of residents who had toured the building two weeks earlier. On January 22, Mayor Bee, along with Trustees Episcopia and Rothschild, who were available at the time, as well as Village Administrator Robert Schoelle, met with a company official. The executive was most enthusiastic about the possibility of acquiring or leasing St. Paul's and restoring the building as a private boarding school. He liked the fact that the building's present configuration already contains a kitchen and dining hall, as well as the original swimming pool. During the meeting, he was advised that their use of Village facilities, and the playing fields would be restricted, in order to allow Garden City residents priority use of these facilities.
Following the meeting at Village Hall, and the arrival of the President of Meritas, the executives went to St. Paul's for their tour. After inspecting only part of the first floor, they declined to tour the rest of the building, deciding that this is not a project they wish to undertake.
Please note Trustee Donald Brudie a member of the Public Information Committee, is against demolition of the St Paul's main building.
