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August 27, 2010
by Christine Yeres
During the first meeting of the newly constituted board of education on July 7, 2010, members discussed whether to sell 20 wooded acres the school district purchased in 1973, the Zauderer property, located in the area of Route 133, Button Hook Road and Garey Drive [not Gedney Way, as previously reported]. Board members took up the subject again in their August 10 meeting.
Ten years ago, when the community was deciding whether and where to build a new middle school, the Zauderer property, which had been purchased in 1973, was considered and rejected as too small a site for a middle school.
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Zauderer is one of seven properties* owned by the Chappaqua Central School District:
Horace Greeley High School 58.62 acres
Robert E. Bell School 11.5 acres
Roaring Brook School 27 acres
Grafflin School 12.34
Westorchard School 53.33
Seven Bridges 43.11 acres
Zauderer Property 20.36 acres
Total Acreage: 226.26
Figures provided by Assistant Superintendent for Business John Chow
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In its meeting last week, the board of education’s Facilities Committee—board members Jeffrey Mester and Randy Katchis—reported back to the entire board that, if the school district seems to have no need for the property, they would recommend that the board engage an engineer to assess the property for possible sale.
“We need to understand what we have,” explained Katchis, “and if we’re going to monetize the asset for the district, what’s the best way to sell it?” Although this may not be the best time to sell land, Katchis admitted, to learn whether it can be subdivided, or would need variances, and to understand issues of septic, water and roads, would take at least a year, he emphasized. In the town’s current assessment records, the 20.36-acre property’s full market value is listed as $703,844.
Mester advised board members to proceed on a step-by-step basis, beginning with an engineer. No request for professional services, or RFP, is necessary for services costing $40,000 or less. He noted that since the property is being discussed publicly, the board should inform neighbors that the board is thinking of selling Zauderer. Board of education president Janet Benton agreed, saying “We do want to notify the neighbors that we’re looking at the property. They deserve to know.”
Assistant Superintendent for Business John Chow laid out the next few steps: After choosing an engineering firm, the board must approve the hire, “then we’ll talk about how we’ll inform the bordering neighbors.”
Board member Alyson Kiesel asked, “What if a neighboring property wants to buy the property before we go through the engineering process? Whom should they call?” Chow and Mester both answered, “They should contact the board.” The board’s email is .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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