Demolition brings Pine Plains closer to vision of its future

Demolition brings Pine Plains closer to vision of its future
This aging property at 12 North Main St. was one of two properties marked for demolition late last month as part of the town’s plans to revitalize the main hamlet and eventually built a new Town Hall in the main business district.
Photo by Darrah Cloud

PINE PLAINS — After months spent waiting for the roofs to come tumbling down, the town of Pine Plains’ patience was at long last rewarded as the demolition of properties at 8 and 12 North Main St. finally began last week.

The demolition ties into the town’s vision for enhancing its downtown hamlet, a long-standing goal that’s been featured in both the original 2004 Comprehensive Plan and the plan’s 2019 update.

Along with improving public infrastructure in Pine Plains, the goal is to move the Town Hall from its present location on the outskirts of town on Route 199 into the center of the business district. Moving the location of Town Hall (among other benefits) will make it more accessible to residents and contribute to the community’s vibrancy, many believe.

Pine Plains purchased the parcel at 8 North Main St. for $134,000 in the summer of 2019; 12 North Main St. became available for purchase later that fall.

Town Supervisor Darrah Cloud explained last summer that because both properties are located next to a municipal parking lot, they are especially desirable. Owning the two properties is key to revitalization efforts and could be used to accommodate the plans to build a new Town Hall in the center of town, she said.

The parcel at 12 North Main St. was owned by Attorney to the Town Warren Replansky’s wife, Andrea, who sold it to the town for about half of its appraised value at $100,009.

But the journey to buying 12 North Main St. was paved with some problems, when the Town Board received an email in April 2020 claiming to be a “petition,” calling for a referendum on the purchase.

When taken to the Supreme Court of the State of New York County of Dutchess, the online document was ruled as invalid on various counts — including its lack of actual signatures and failure to articulate the petition’s purchase — and the town closed on 12 North Main St. in late July 2020.

Next, the town had to wait for the actual demolition work to take place. Cloud attributed the long wait to the construction company — Gentile Construction from Yonkers — having “a terrible time with getting the equipment and finding a dump to take the asbestos.”

By mid-November, Gentile Construction had the needed equipment on site with plans to start demolition on Thursday, Nov. 11. The actual demolition and asbestos abatement took place on Tuesday, Nov. 23, and Wednesday, Nov. 24, bringing Pine Plains another step closer to its plans to revitalize its main hamlet with a satisfying crack of the wrecking ball.

When she closes her eyes and envisions what the completed project will look like once the space formerly occupied by the two North Main Street residences are finally built out, Cloud said, “The Town Board is dreaming of a new Town Hall in that lot, a place where the offices would be accessible to everyone.”

That would be especially helpful to those without cars, Cloud said, adding that her vision for the space includes having the Pine Plains Police Department nearby; it’s currently housed in a trailer at the existing Town Hall on Route 199.

Cloud added that “democracy [will be] available by dropping in [to Town Hall] while shopping and going to other places in Pine Plains.”

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