By Mary Jane Pitt
The only public comment at last week’s Town Board meeting was from Barbara Gosda, who wondered what the board is thinking about doing to what she calls one of Cornwall’s “most historic treasures”.
The agenda item she was talking about was a resolution allowing for engineering work to be done at the ‘icehouse’ a three-sided structure at Rings Pond in the middle of town.
“The icehouse is the most iconic vision in our community,” she said. “It’s been painted, photographed, and now I am reading that there is engineering going on and it will be a party venue. I guess my question is why … and is everyone on the board supporting this?”
Wojehowski addressed her comments once he got to that part of the meeting agenda.
“This is part of the New York Forward Riverlight Park plan to upgrade, restore, improve the ice house, because it is old and we all know the condition,” he said, explaining that the overall Riverlight Park project received $800,000 from NY Forward as well as a $250,000 legislative grant to use for work in that area.
The supervisor went on to say that the roof of the icehouse structure needs to be repaired, a concrete floor needs to be put in “so more people can use it”.
“It’s appropriate to make the repairs,” he added, “because we should n’t have things that aren’t used. He went on to say that the windows in the building are broken and currently boarded up and it needs electrical upgrades and lighting. “We basically need to stabilize the structure so we can get more use out of it by the public.”
The early estimates for work to the building are about $200,000, he said, but an engineer’s work is needed to finalize exactly what needs to be done and what it will cost.
“We’re not looking to change the structure of the building, but it’s looked dilapidated for years,” he said. “We want to restore it, so it looks nice.”
Council member Tim McCarty added that there is a crack in one of the walls that needs repaired too. “It will look exactly the same, but it will be up to code.”
About using it for parties, the supervisor said that while they are not envisioning renting it out for weddings, etc. like at Donahue Park, “maybe birthday parties” or small gatherings along that line could be held there. He said he thinks picnic tables would be good in the structure and even addressed a comment he’s made earlier about possibly putting sliding barn doors on the building.
“We can’t fully enclose it because then we’d need to do HVAC work,” he said.
Wojehowski said that once the engineers do their work – the contract with MHE was approved at the meeting -- he will ask for an artist’s rendering to show to the public so they can weigh in.
“If it looks way out of line, please let us know,” he said, adding that Gosda’s comments at the meeting were the only ones he’d heard about the project since he started talking about it.