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Buyers pick up items purchased online at iffy county auction
Feb 17, 2020 1:00 pm
Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media roughly seven months after Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden finally admitted to approving the sale of various architectural details from the building that formerly housed the county sheriff's office, the winning bidders have finally taken possession of their items. Trafton spotted, and photographed a rental trailer at the entrance to the old jail building, at 80 Bridge Street in Catskill, on February 14. An unidentified man and woman were in the process of loading the vehicle with wooden doors., but they declined to be interviewed. An advertisement for “Vintage Windows, Doors, Radiators, Floors, Molding & More” appeared on the Auction International website in late March 2019. The winning bidder, with the user name ronrully57, won the historic architectural details for $260. Groden initially pleaded ignorance when rumors of the sale arose during a public meeting in early July. He insisted that he did not know who was selling the items, saying the auction was unauthorized. By mid-July, however, Groden fessed up, confirming that he green-lighted the sale. “I actually authorized it in an email I must have read at 80 miles an hour,” Groden said. The jail, which opened in 1905, is a historical asset to the community, local historic preservationist Meg Nowack said at the time. “To ignore that legacy is irresponsible, in a sense, and it’s really sad,” she said. Both the jail and the sheriff's office are listed on the state and national historic registries. Legislature Chairman Patrick Linger, a Republican representing New Baltimore, said bid packages for the demolition of the building are slated to go out in March. The county is expected to pay up to $1.9 million to turn the lot into a couple dozen parking spaces. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.