Town weighs options for saving Museum Village

The town of Monroe is looking for ways to best help Museum Village stay open, considering the long-time educational center’s ongoing financial struggles. During the September 3 Monroe Town Board meeting, the councilmembers heard from Museum Village Trustee Bill Lemanski, who highlighted the museum’s monetary challenges, which include paying staff, building upkeep, and other operating needs.

Monroe Town Supervisor Tony Cardone proposed the idea of the county taking over the property, claiming this was something he had discussed a day prior to the meeting with Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus. Lemanski said while he liked the idea, his discussions with Neuhaus led him to believe that, because the county already owns multiple historical structures, they don’t have the money to upkeep those and additional properties. Councilwoman Maureen Richardson affirmed this statement, saying that she also spoke with Neuhaus and learned that the county historian is struggling with making revenue.

Former Monroe Town Councilman Rick Colon, who also addressed the board on behalf of the museum, said that he has put Museum Village Director Jamie Robinson in touch with Millennium Strategies about obtaining grants.

During the meeting, the board also discussed the possibility of using additional American Rescue Plan Act funds for Museum Village preservation. Cardone explained that the town cannot use ARPA funds for this purpose; however, the museum was free to apply for it themselves. The board did agree, however, that Maureen Richardson should serve as a liaison to Museum Village and investigate ways the town could assist the museum in their time of need.

While the board is investigating longer-term solutions, at the meeting Supervisor Cardone agreed to Lemanski’s request for a letter in support of the museum, which will be provided to Albany officials along with other local letters of support.

Road work

During the meeting, Monroe Highway Superintendent James “Pat” Patterson, provided an update on the ongoing and upcoming work being done on area roads and urged residents to be patient as his department makes these improvements. Among them will be the on and off closing of O&R Road, which recently collapsed, and micropaving multiple roads to address safety issues caused by oil bleeding through.

Patterson also said that the town is installing new cellular read water meters that will enable homeowners to access their own water meters and monitor their usage.

Water systems

In other water-related news, the board discussed the challenges facing Water District One. Cardone explained that the cost of adding a filtration system would substantially increase the overall cost of district improvements, and require the town to send a new notice to the district. According to Cardone, the estimated cost would be between $1.4 and $1.5 million. He added that the filtration system would eliminate a lot of labor and maintenance costs moving forward. Patterson further explained that in addition to the new filtration system, improvements would ensure water services still run even in the event of a power outage. He also addressed the challenge of continuing to wait for grant funding while costs for improvements continue to rise. Cardone said he has reached out to Millennium Strategies to discuss funding possibilities.

Short-term rentals

The board entertained the idea of implementing a short-term rental tax to help offset the cost of managing such properties, fund land preservation, and other needs of the town. Richardson shared that she has been in touch with State Senator James Skoufis about the matter and pointed to legislation passed in such other towns as Chester, which passed a 5% tax on hotels and motels, including short-term rentals. She further claimed that this revenue could be included as part of the general fund, at which point the board could decide on how to best use it. She noted that the revenue could not be used to pay a specific salary. Cardone shared that he was not in favor of taxing short-term rentals, but agreed with the idea of a tax on hotels and motels.