Sale Of The Former Grafton Elementary School Takes Another Step Forward
By Doug La Rocque
Represented by local surveyor Fred Haley, the Berlin Central School District brought a revised sub division proposal before the Grafton Town Planning Board Monday night. The changes encompassed the guidelines set down by the Planning Board at its December meeting, that all the open land on the property be conveyed to the proposed buyer, not just the parking lot and a buffer around the building. [private]
Photo by Doug La Rocque
The Board and the Rensselaer County Health Department had told the school they would not approve the original proposal because the septic system for the building would be on land still owned by the school. The new application draws the boundary from east to west along the tree line behind the school building. The Planning Board accepted the new application by a 4-0 vote, with Board member Art Surprise not in attendance. The Board also accepted the Environmental Asssessment Form for consideration, and set Monday, February 22 at 6:50 pm as the time for a public hearing on the proposal.
The School District is in negotiations with the Serpentine Valley Ventures group for the sale of the building at the corner of NYS Route 2 and Babcock Lake Road in Grafton. It is believed the group would like to convert the structure into apartments, primarily for seniors or assisted living units. They recently purchased the former Sand Lake School and converted the building into an apartment complex. The group is also in discussion with the School Board about the former Stephentown Elementary School.
Planning Board Chairman Tom Withcuskey says approval of the sub division would only be the first step. Serpentine Valley would then have to come before the Board with a change of use proposal that would detail the physical changes they plan to make, upgrades to existing utilities and roadways and address any other concerns the board may have.
Serpentine Valley Ventures is a New York City based LLC.[/private]