The East Hampton Town Board voted last Thursday to authorize a bond resolution for repair and other improvements to a building off Stephen Hand’s Path in East Hampton that housed the former Child Development Center of the Hamptons.
The board voted to earmark $90,000, on top of a previous $220,000 appropriation approved in May. A report prepared last year by Drew Bennett, a consulting engineer, had identified more than $400,000 in potential future repairs.
The bond authorization followed the board’s Aug. 13 meeting, at which Severo Kristofich of the town’s Building and Grounds Department spoke of much-needed mold remediation, in addition to “a full cleaning, top to bottom, of the building.” Silver Wolf Environmental Inc. of Shoreham was engaged to provide a mold remediation analysis, he said. A contractor has done extensive repair of the building’s roof, while town employees completed other repairs.
Also at the Aug. 13 meeting, Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez went through a checklist of actions undertaken at the building, including a fire extinguisher evaluation, inventory of furniture, records for disposal, checking of telephone lines, inspection of leaks and drainage, and cleaning of gutters.
The school closed in 2016. Last year, the town, which already owned the underlying land, purchased the 22,000-square-foot building for $800,000, less than a third of a $2.6 million appraisal. The building, the board announced last year, is to be used as a community center, with one or more nonprofit-organization tenants responsible for its management. Such a move would align with the town’s policy to secure public-private partnerships with not-for-profit groups for unused buildings, in part to defray management and maintenance costs.
Possible uses include a day care center and space for education, lectures, performances, and senior citizens services. A number of community groups and organizations might ultimately use the space as well.