Glenville facility in need of tenant after BOCES leaves because of funding cuts
Capital Region Maritime Center is hoping to attract a new tenant to fill its vacant facility near Glenville along the Mohawk River.
Before Capital Region BOCES left the center when its lease expired at the end of June, Chester Watson, president of the Board of Directors for the Maritime Center, asked the Glenville Town Board for any help it could offer in finding a new tenant. The center is in a unique predicament though because it needs to find an organization teaching low- to moderate-income students. The stipulation is from the terms of a loan the center received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which the center still owes $390,000.
Maritime Center officials would have preferred to find a new tenant before BOCES left, and there aren’t any solid leads currently, said Watson on Tuesday, July 5. The search still continues, with town officials hoping to not have another vacant building.
We just keep cranking along and talking to people, said Watson. `We are in the process of trying to put together a website and putting together more of an action plan, a community outreach action plan.`
Watson said he has remained optimistic the center will be able to find a new tenant even if what is offered is different from BOCES. Because a tenant needs to offer an educational experience, he previously had reached out to local schools and colleges.
There have been discussions with staff from Eximius Education Foundation, which also has looked at the former Draper School in Rotterdam but decided against it. Student enrollment would exceed the current space offered at the facility, which is 10,000 square feet on 901 Maritime Road in Alplaus, if Eximius decided to move in. Architects and grant writers have visited the facility of behalf of the group.
Watson said the maritime-themed programming could be interpreted broadly too.
One concept he has is for students from local schools to visit the center and get a hands-on approach to the more biological aspects of the center. He said the students could do river biology, wetland analysis, collect samples and learn about the watershed.
Possibly attracting a variety of tenants holding smaller programs at different times could also be a solution, he said. Watson said the center could do `a detailed survey of some sort to see what kind of educational activities there are out there that might be a good fit for the facility.`
To help get the word out on a bigger scale, Watson said the center is looking at creating a website to showcase the facility and attract tenants.
`We are putting together a website that will hopefully be attractive and maybe will draw some interest.`
The Town of Glenville does facilitate the loan payment for the center, but Supervisor Christopher Koetzle said the town is not liable to pay it off for the center.
`We are not at all on hook for that mortgage. We are just a pass through,` said Koetzle. `I think it was set up that way just because the municipality probably had to be involved.`
Even though the town isn’t on the hook for the bill, he said the town hopes to utilize the facility and find a new tenant.
`It is a great building, and it is a great connection to our waterways here in Glenville, so we believe there is a number of uses that would be appropriate for it,` said Koetzle. `It is fairly new, and I think it could really be a great home for someone that wants to help carrying the mission of education.`
Although the boating industry might have taken a hit during the tough economy, said Watson, he thinks it is making a rebound.
`With the economy as it is, pleasure boating for the past several years has been difficult, although I think it is picking up to some degree.“
