Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By simmons on May 30, 2017

Chris McKenna Times Herald-Record @ChrisMcKenna845

MONROE The Monroe Town Board may decide next month whether to buy the synagogue that has housed municipal offices for the last 18 months or else continue using leasing space at Congregation Eitz Chaim.

The lease-purchase agreement negotiated in 2015 indicates the 20,000-square-foot building would cost $2.8 million minus the $108,000 annual rent the town has paid, or about $2.6 million by the time the two-year lease expires on Nov. 30.

Town Councilman Tony Cardone said Tuesday that he expects the board to vote on a purchase or lease extension either on June 5 or June 19, once it has gotten a report from an engineer who'sinspecting the property for any outstanding issues. The congregation, which continues to use the sanctuary and rest of the upper floor for services and Hebrew school classes, had asked the board to decide by this Thursday so it can make the necessary arrangements with its lenders.

The town had moved employees into 10,200 square feet on the bottom floor of Eitz Chaim in 2015, after housing them for a year on the lower level of the town Senior Center. Those departments previously were located in Town Hall, a 2,100-square-foot building on Stage Road that the town closed in 2014 because of mold.

Town Supervisor Harley Doles argued Tuesday that the board must factor in the potential loss of Kiryas Joel's tax revenue before deciding if the town can afford to buy Eitz Chaim while also paying off the bonds for a $4 million Harriman fire station. Doles said Monroe could lose as much as 35 percent of its annual tax revenue if Kiryas Joel splits off to form its own town - a proposal that is now pending before the Orange County Legislature.

Cardone said in response that the decision over municipal space is separate from the proposed town division, even though both issues will affect town taxes. "We need a home," he said. "Right now, we're spending $100,000 to rent something."

The board ultimately must make decisions about Eitz Chaim and the fate of three town-owned buildings. The town's court is still housed in the DeAngelis building on Lake Street, and it could remain there or else be moved to Eitz Chaim or a cleaned-up Town Hall. The board is also exploring whether to sell or lease the multiplex on Millpond Parkway that the town bought in 2012 and began operating again as a movie theater - at a loss - in 2015.

cmckenna@th-record.com

Originally posted here:

Monroe Town Board's options: Buy or lease synagogue - Times Herald-Record

Category: Synagogue
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