Yes, there’s a public need for the Town of Schoharie to take over water, sewer, and roads at the Business Park.
That was the decision following a public hearing on the Schoharie Business Park last Wednesday.
Now, Supervisor Alan Tavenner and councilmen will ask the courts to rule on whether taking taking the essentially-abandoned 22.73 acres that include the water and treatment plants and infrastructure, along with Park Place and Holiday Way through eminent domain is “appropriate.”
If the judge rules in the town’s favor, the next step will be to negotiate a price with 7 Summit owner Michael Shaughnessy.
Overwhelmed by the needs of the Business Park almost since he acquired it in July 2017, Mr. Tavenner said Mr. Shaughnessy had previously offered to give it to the town—free--but now that the nearby Highbridge project has been approved, he’s asking $750,000 for it.
Or had been.
Mr. Tavenner said Mr. Shaughnessy’s no longer returning either his phone calls or emails.
“We’ve tried to work it out voluntarily, but there’s no other reasonable option,” Young/Sommer attorney Joe Castiglione said at the public hearing.
In April 2020, the town formed water and sewer districts at the Route 30 Business Park so it could maintain them; in December 2021 the town also took over the roads after someone died at the Quality Inn & Suites because an ambulance couldn’t get through unplowed roads.
In order to legally keep maintaining all of the services, Mr. Castiglione said, the town needs ownership.
Additionally, Mr. Tavenner said, in the case of the sewer system, “if the owner walks away, the town is on the hook.”
Though that’s not the case with the water system, Mr. Tavenner said the town had to step in when Mr. Shaughnessy refused to fix a bad water leak.
All told, he estimated the town has spent more than $100,000 at the Business Park in maintenance and repairs.
“We’re picking up the pieces the best we can,” said Dave Brennan, the town’s attorney.
“If we ignore this, we’re going to get sued by someone.”
In a separate but related issue, the Town Board also approved an increase in water fees for those receiving service in the Business Park.
Those costs have gone up more than expected since the water district was formed in 2020, Mr. Brennan said.
The increase will require approval from the Comptroller’s Office, but is set to increase from $1,543.02 to $1,8321.91 annually for the typical property owner.