Sports arena developer gives town ultimatum

Barese has grown increasingly frustrated with the town since January, when Myers took over. He said communication was much better with Greg Helsmoortel, the previous supervisor, and he thinks the project would be on the fast track if Helsmoortel were still in office.

Many residents support the project, especially those affiliated with sports programs and business owners who believe it will be a draw for people outside the area. Others aren’t exactly against it, but they do question why it needs to be on town land, and why Barese has not been more forthcoming about who’s providing the money for the $15 million project. Town Board members have generally been of this opinion.

Barese says he could (and would) build the project on private land, but then the school would lose out because it wouldn’t be across the street.

There are a number of issues on the table now. Barese and the town are supposed to have a memorandum of agreement that spells out who will do what as the project moves forward, including who pays for a feasibility study on the project, and who pays the attorney to draw up paperwork for the land swap, which needs to be approved by the state. Barese rejected the town’s first memo, saying that it asked him to agree to pay any costs relating to the process without giving amounts, which he felt was tantamount to handing the town a blank check.

Reading from a letter, Barese’s attorney, Robert Cook of Kingston, said the feasibility study should be performed after approval from the state for Barese’s use of town land is obtained, because if the state does not approve the project it cannot go forward and any money spent would be wasted. The attorney also requests that since Barese will be paying the cost of the process, the town should provide an estimate of what those costs might amount to. Myers said she has not received that letter, which Barese said was sent June 5.

Observing Barese and his supporters at the Town Board meetings, and when speaking with him, it’s clear that he is upset about what he sees as a lack of communication between his “team” and the town.

Supporter Nick Badalato, a coach in the Kingston City School District, read the correspondence that flowed between former supervisor Greg Helsmoortel, board members and town officials over two years. The reading of the senders, recipients and a brief summary of the contents of each took about 10 minutes.

During Helsmoortel’s term, Barese said, he complied with every request the town gave him. However, since Myers took office, “I have not received a phone call, a letter, or even an email.”

“It’s very frustrating,” he said. “I’m trying to do something good, not just for me but for me and for my team members. It’s for everybody – the town of Saugerties, New York State, residents, young, old, everybody.”

Barese presented petitions with the names of 53 businesses and 344 individuals. With the petitions he submitted previously, the total comes to 861 names, which he said were collected in just six weeks without his having to solicit them.

Following the meeting, Barese said that if the town says “no,” he will proceed with Plan B, but he declined to specify what that plan consists of.

Barese’s plan calls for an indoor sports arena that would contain a pool, basketball courts, a track and space that could be adapted to a variety of sports. The space could also be used for shows, concerts and similar events, he told the board in a presentation in June of 2011.