Poughkeepsie schools drop plans to buy Changepoint Church

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Changepoint Church. 2020 Mid-Hudson News file photo.

POUGHKEEPSIE – The Poughkeepsie City School District is withdrawing its plan to purchase Changepoint Church for $1.8 million intended to be used for office space and student activities.  The original plan, as reported by Mid-Hudson News in June was met with opposition by the community.

The decision, according to the district, has been made due to the financial commitment that the district would be obligated to in order to meet the State Department of Education requirements and the conversions necessary to transform the space into suitable district offices.

In June school district spokesperson Irwin Goldberg said plans for the purchase began in the “Spring of 2022.”  Located at 260 Mill Street, the church has a fully-functional theater/meeting space with modern audio/visual capabilities. He added that ”The Poughkeepsie City School District has multiple plans for the space.”

The funding to purchase the building, according to the school district, was to come from a capital reserve fund that was developed with an insurance payout for the 11 College Avenue property that was destroyed. There was not going to be a tax impact on the community for the purchase of the property, according to Goldberg.

The district has been searching for suitable space in the city to purchase for housing the administrative offices.  The search was prompted by the destruction of the Bolin Building, which housed the administrative offices, due to storm damage.

The central administrative staff have been housed at the Columbus Elementary School building and various other schools.

Goldberg said, “As part of the district’s commitment to fiscal prudence, an extensive evaluation was conducted, which included a building conditions report, land survey, environmental study, fire inspection, and property appraisal. Considerations not to purchase the property were driven by the district’s responsibility to the City of Poughkeepsie taxpayers and adhering to the building usage requirements of the New York State Department of Education.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Eric Rosser said, “Given the additional requirements and standards imposed by the New York State Education Department specific to public school districts, as well as the costs to customize the space specifically for District use; it has been determined that the financial investment required would be too exorbitant for this particular property. Our goal is to identify a property that meets the district’s needs while being responsible with the financial resources available to us.”




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