Town to consider sale of Sugar Loaf PAC

The town of Chester is investigating selling the Sugar Loaf PAC to Orange County. The inquiry is still in its early stages and Supervisor Brandon Holdridge said “all options are on the table” regarding the future of the PAC. The town board authorized the supervisor to get an official appraisal of the PAC’s value at the October 23 town board meeting.

It was revealed at a recent meeting that the PAC has been hemorrhaging money, according to an analysis by town comptroller Neil Meyer. According to Meyer the PAC lost over $316,000 in 2022, close to $167,000 in 2023, and is projected to lose $181,000 in 2024. The town is paying off close to $1 million in debt over the next nine years on the PAC, in addition to the expenses to run the facility.

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus announced his interest in purchasing the PAC at a recent senior citizen meeting. Holdridge said he would like to find out if the county executive intends to continue running the PAC as a performing arts center. There is also the matter of whether the town can sell the PAC without a town referendum, as it was purchased via referendum.

Several town residents spoke regarding the PAC. Sandy Paine said she believed the PAC has a positive impact on the local economy and was concerned whether a religious institution that does not pay taxes would ultimately be the buyer of the PAC.

Another resident criticized the town board for running the PAC like a charity rather than a business. The town often allows use of the PAC for free and did not charge for parking at the PAC at the recent Sugar Loaf festival.

Other business

In other news from the October 23 meeting, the town announced a $400,000 grant from the office of Senator James Skoufis to help pay for 1,853 feet of sidewalk in Sugar Loaf.

Supervisor Brandon Holdridge also announced that an anonymous resident from Chester has donated $7,500 to pay for a budget item for Jewish Family Services to provide help to seniors.

The town board voted to release all 2025 tentative budget data to the public and also set a preliminary budget hearing for November 7 at 6:45 p.m. and a budget workshop special meeting for October 30 at 6 p.m.

The town board voted to remove speed bumps from the senior center on Laroe Rd. and approved a request from Orange County to be the lead agency for the Schunnemunk Rail Trail.

The board also voted to accept a bid from Rotolo’s Services for alarm phone lines at $2,277.50 for the police department plus $11 per month in maintenance, and $2,910 for Town Hall plus $11 a month maintenance. This replaces the monthly agreement with Voicecom, which the board determined cost more over time.

During public comment, Cindy Smith questioned budget items raising the comptroller’s salary by $20,000 and his assistant by $7,000. Holdridge told Smith to revisit her complaints during the budget hearing.