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Residents hear from MHA on St. Patrick's plans
Katie Kocijanski is reporting in The Daily Mail about the informational session held last week by the Catskill Village Board on the pending sale of St. Patrick's Central Catholic High School. A representative of the buyer, Mental Health Association of Greene and Columbia Counties Executive Director Jeff Rovitz, spoke about the organization's plans for the parcel. As previously reported, the association will consolidate six or seven Greene County locations and relocate approximately 40 professional staff to the former school. A majority of the campus would be used as office space and house one program. Business hours would be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rovitz said the association is looking for community input on how best to use the gymnasium, the Hudson River overlook portion of the property and the athletic fields behind the buildings. The meeting was attended by more than a few "perturbed" Woodland Avenue residents, according to Kocijanski. Property owners in the residential neighborhood were unhappy about what they called a "lack of transparency" so far. Neighbors were not pleased that they were kept in the dark on the identity of the proposed buyer and its plans for the building. It was alleged that by not being as forthcoming as possible, the project has raised concerns with village residents over potential zoning issues and the buyer’s tax exempt status. Village President Heather Bagshaw said the meeting went well despite what others might think, and that the session was an important step in the right direction. The association must still submit its letter of intent to the village board. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.