Editorial: Don’t Get Schooled Again

Late last month the group that bought and now manages the former Beacon High School—The Beacon Cultural Foundation—announced that they were filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. While rising utilities costs were cited as one reason for the BCF’s financial woes, in an article in the Poughkeepsie Journal the cultural foundation’s Sam Yanes revealed what is likely to be the BCF’s strategy in future negotiations with the Beacon City School District. “We paid too much for this place,” Yanes was quoted as saying with regard to the $4.25 million that was paid for the building back in 2003. It’s expected that the BCF will attempt to set the “real” value of the building to somewhere between $1.2 and $2 million dollars and then try to renegotiate the original purchase price of the former high school with the district, which is currently holding the mortgage. This would make the former high school the only property in Beacon that has lost more than half its value over the last three years.

What the actual value of the building is and whether the school district should renegotiate or foreclose on the BCF remains to be seen, but one fact remains certain: There is significant value inside the building itself. The old high school is home to a vibrant community of 65 artists, a new Montessori school, and was, before the school budget was voted down this spring, home to Beacon’s alternative high school. Program’s such as those provided by Jennifer Sipple and Stacy Kelly at The Art Room give local children access to excellent artistic opportunities. It is also the temporary home to Rick Price’s library mural, as well as the workplace for numerous artists and graphic artists who live, work, and do business within the City of Beacon. And there is room for more. The building could be used as theater rehearsal or performance space, practice rooms for musicians, small offices, or a variety of other uses. It’s simply a matter of finding people with enough vision to bring these opportunities to life. And those people may already be working within the building’s walls

If the Beacon Cultural Foundation is unable to meet their contractual financial obligations it may be time to tell them goodbye. Renegotiating the price of a building that was sold three years ago is a mistake. The BCF wouldn’t be taking money from the school district, they’d be picking money out of the pockets of the taxpayers. The school district would be better off taking the building back, continuing to rent or lease space to the artists who already work there, keeping the doors open to those who want to rent new spaces. Then either give the artists the opportunity to create a co-op or wait until an alternative buyer with a broader artistic vision can be found.

Comments

[B. Eakins]

Amen. The sale of the old high school was undertaken in good faith by both parties and with due diligence exercised by all. If there was an offer from a third party to buy the property for twice what was paid would the BCF be intent on sharing the profit with the school board? No, I don't think so either. There is no reason the BCF should be treated any differently than any other entity which stops paying its bills. Pay up or be put out.

[tax payer]

Yes! We never voted on having the school support artists. Take the building back and let the town use it, the school use it, or sell it to someone who will pay taxes. Enough of this.

[Roger Monk]

I also agree with the Dispatch Editorial. Artists have brought nothing to this town except expensive coffee shops and stupid restaurants. They don't work, they don't eat meat and they don't pay taxes. They just hang around stoned messing up the windows on Main Street. Look what they did at the Library. Like the Dispatch, I want the School District to take back our building. I like that they can send their troublemaking students over to the old school, keeping the new building clean. And I like their original plan to put all the social service agencies in town into one building – mental health, methadone clinics, all those kinds of things.

[Physcal Responsibility]

Finally the Dispatch has the guts to say what everyone around here has known for awhile, but doesn't like to talk about – that supporting artists is a losing proposition for Beacon, at least economically. My neighbor's kid took art classes with Jen Sipple at Bulldog Studios. The foundation that owns the building let Jen and her partner use their space for free until they could attract enough children to pay the rent on the space. It was clearly the kind of philanthropy that this foundation is paying the price for now. If experienced professionals from Sara Pasti on down couldn't find a way to subsidize the artists and arts in Beacon, what makes people think the School District can do so? The sad truth, I'm afraid, is that this city, from the government to the local press, just doesn't have the appetite to support our artists or the arts in general. It may be time, as the Dispatch suggests, for our leading supporters of the arts to take their support to places more appreciative of these kinds of community efforts.

[Jeff Battersby]

Physcal and Roger,

Did you actually read the editorial or did you just read your own opinions into it?

The editorial clearly stated that we should find some way to keep the artists in Bulldog, even if the BCF is unable to meet their contractual obligations. But, the BCF, stating that they, "...paid too much for the building," does not make it a fact. The BCF may have paid too much for the building, but that does not mean that the building wasn't worth the $4.25M that they paid for it. It was just more than the BCF could actually afford. That's unfortunate, but it's not the fault of the BCSD or the taxpayers.

Contrary to your opinions above, the people of Beacon have been supporting the artists of Bulldog Studios via the BCSD; paying utility bills and accepting limited payments from the owners of the building. If the BCF can't meet their financial obligations, the BCSD should continue to do this, renting the space directly to the artists without the added overhead of the BCF.

[Joe Reporter]

Time to forclose and put the building badk on the market. The district promised the taxpayers an outright sale, not a charity even for artist groups who don't pay their bills!

[Physcal Responsibility]

Jeff,

Yes, I read your editorial. What an insulting thing to say. I always get suspicious when the media starts insulting its readers or viewers. There is something very Bill O'Reilly-like about it. I wasn't going to give this issue another minute of my day, but after your response I began to wonder why your reporting was so different than what was written in the Poughkeepsie Journal. I decided to find out and now ask you a variation of the same question you threw my way, "Didn't you bother to find out what this story was about or check your facts?" I did and it took me all of ½ hour.

First, I called a lawyer, and here is what I learned. The valuation hearing that the Foundation is requesting has nothing to do with what the organization can or can not afford as you suggest. Rather it is for a court to consider independent appraisals, and if those appraisals turn out to be less than an existing mortgage the difference between the two just become "unsecured" and open to negotiation.

Secondly, I called the Beacon Cultural Foundation and asked them what they have paid the School District over the past 2 ½ years. They told me that they have paid a total of $799,000 of which $690,000 was for scheduled mortgage payments, and they are not behind in their mortgage payments. $800,000 doesn't seem like "limited payments" to me.

And finally, I called a member of the School Board. He told me that he couldn't speak for the entire board, but his sense was that the District had no interest in being a landlord to artists in the building.

Shame on you for your lazy reporting and for misleading your readers!

[B. Eakins]

While the Beacon Cultural Foundation may present itself as a benign entity whose only goal is to bring "art" to the people it was as a business oriented corporation that it bought the building. That they have kept up with the mortgage, more or less, is hardly cause for boasting as we all must do that or be evicted. If there are other payments and expenses for which they are in arrears that is a reasonable concern for the school board and the taxpayers who are saddled with additional cost. If you wish to resurrect the Works Progress Administration to support "artists" with taxpayer funding just go ahead and say so. I doubt that you will find many who will be willing to add to their tax burdens so that others may follow their own muses. No matter how it is parsed and explained the BCF is trying to avoid its contractual responsibilities and pass the costs along to someone else. Buyer remorse is hardly a new phenomenon but there is no reason why "caveat emptor" should be replaced by "caveat venditor" with the public purse paying for private purposes.

[Jeffery Battersby]

Physcal,

1. This was an editorial, NOT reporting. By definition an editorial is opinion.

2. I was not calling you out, only making sure that you knew that my posting was directed as a response to yours. Clearly it worked.

3. That you consider my posting a personal affront is amusing as you posted anonymously. I did not call you names, nor did I impune your motives. I only suggested that you did not read/understand what I was stating.

4. My opinion, as stated in the editorial, was derived from on the record conversations with the former superintendent of schools, the current superintendent of schools, and the former president of the school board. I attempted to speak with the BCF but they refused to comment.

5. I understand what a valuation hearing is and I also understand that the BCSD has no obligation so honor that valuation. My opinion, as stated in the editorial, is that the BCSD should not honor a valuation that is less than half the value of the appraisal done at or about the time of purchase.

6. Both the current superintedennt and the former board president have confirmed that there is an on the record appraisal that was used prior to the BCF's purchase.

7. The BCSD paid the utility bills for the BCF the first year that they were in the building. Subtract this from the BCF's on time mortgage payments and what you have is limited mortgage payments. If you know of a mortgage company that pays your utility bills for you , please give me their number. I'd love to refinance with them.

8. I was not stating that the BCSD wanted to become landlord to 65 artists. I was suggesting that, in my opinion, in the event that the BCF was unable to meet their obligations, it would be better for the BCSD to temporarily act as landlord to those 65 artists than it would be to forclose on the building and tell the artists goodbye. The artists are the real asset in the building and to lose them would be a travesty.

I'm sorry you didn't get that from your initial reading of the editorial, but it's all there in black and white, which is why I stated that you hadn't read/understood what I had written. You assume that the paper has a bias against artists, which is patently incorrect. The bottom line opinion of the editorial is that we need to keep the artists, but that we don't need to keep the owners of the building if they can't meet their financial obligations.

Finally, I'm sorry you weren't suspicious of the media before this. That's your job well before you think you're being personally called out on a blog.

[timecode]

Wow! Roger and Physical, you two ought to get to gether and come up with a plan for Beacon to exist without artists, expensive coffee shops and stupid restauraunts. No one in Beacon is subsidizing any of the artists living in and around Beacon. BCF is a business that is trying to stay afloat by charging artists rent on their studio spaces. It is possible that you are supporting BCF because of their bad business decisions and it sounds like BCF is looking for a handout. However, last I checked, none of the artists I know is looking for a handout. Art is like any other trade, if you aren't any good, you'd better try something else.

Lastly, lets go back fifteen years ago to a Main Street of a Beacon. Really hopping, eh? Ten years ago? Oh boy, a couple of buildings have been restored. Seven years ago and the announcement of DIA and BOOM, art (and a twety to thrity million dollar museum renovation) revitalizes the town. And then check out your visions, close up all of the art galleries, close DIA, close the stupid restaurants and coffeeshops, gut all of the buildings on Main Street that the economy of art helped renovate and ...

So much for appreciation.

[Nell Timmer]

It is amazing that the people (tax payer, Roger Monk, and Physcal) posting to this blog assume that the Dispatch is anti-artists when if fact the editorial stated, "There is significant value INSIDE the building itself. The old high school is home to a vibrant community of 65 artists, a new Montessori school, and was, before the school budget was voted down this spring, home to Beacon’s alternative high school." And the following article in the paper highlighted the contirbutions of muralist Rick Price who is working at Bulldog.

It has been my experience in Beacon that artists have consistently worked to improve the town whether through purchasing and renovating homes (and, by the way, paying taxes. and, by the way, increasing the tax rolls because when they sell their house it will be worth a whole lot more that what is was worth in the crappy condition in which they bought it), hiring local contractors to work on said homes, particpating in local events such as Spirit of Beacon Day and the Hat Parade, bringing some beauty to Main Street by way of decorating windows (for FREE I might add!!).

Artists are just as hardworking and diligent as the next guy. They just happen to use their own brains, hands and creativity to get it done. If you are bitter and angry because you work for someone else or don't have any beauty in your life, well do something about it.

We are all working hard to improve life in Beacon for all citizens. What have you done lately?

[Gary Wood]

I have lived in this city my whole life as well as 3 or 4 previous generations and have had enough of recent inhabitants taking credit for saving us from ourselves. I went to the old Beacon High School and somehow managed to go on and receive an Ivy League education ,while many classmates went on to be much more successful than I. I am not for or against "artists". I think to lump individuals into a category with a specific name is absurd.I am against subsidising anyone who is capable of working and chooses to ride the system.Some are as "hard working as the next guy and some aren't." Beacon went through tough times in the 60's and 70's as most small cities when the "malls" took away local businesses. I think 9/11 and peoples fear of living in and around NYC had as much to do,if not more' with increases in real property values as the influx of artists who followed Dia.
My property value has increased greatly ,yes, but so have my taxes and I know getting through town is much more difficult with the out of town drivers.Finally the BCS Board has no right being a landlord to whomever takes over the building. Sell it outright .

I think one of the leads on the project owns quite a bit of real property in Beacon that is a detritus while his taxes are lower than most everyone elses.
He has plenty of money to purchase but doesn't touch any of them watching his property values increase .

[Nell Timmer]

Hi Gary,

Thank you for your post and for pointing out some of the more complex reasons for the changes in Beacon. I agree with you completely. Please note that we are not trying to take sole credit for the changes to Beacon, rather pointing out that instead of being threatened by the new-comers and cheering their failure, older Beaconites might do well to notice the positive changes as well.

Please keep your eye out in the next issue of the Dispatch for an article addressing the concerns that you mention at the end of your post.

[Physcal Responsibility]

Dear Nell Timmer,

You said, "We are all working hard to improve life in Beacon for all citizens." I'm not sure who the "we" is you are talking about, but you did ask "What have you done lately?" So I'll answer you:

I buy art from regional artists, do you?
I live in Beacon, do you?
I regularly volunteer my time to community-based organizations, do you?
I support organizations that provide services and financial assistance to artists, do you?

Now please answer those questions.

And, to say that you are a supporter of arts and artists by pointing out that artists fix up houses (no one else here does that I gather) and use local contractors (no one else here does that I also gather) is like saying George Bush is a friend of the environment because he says so. As far as I can tell there is only one organization in Beacon that tries to help provide services truly needed by artists – affordable work spaces, special exhibitions and performances, art and education programs, and artist residencies – at levels of support never seen here before. Yet you don't support that organization. Do you think long-term Beaconites are stupid? Stop patronizing us. We liked artists coming to town, and were excited about what was happening here until you came to town to tell us how bad it was. I hope the City is geared up to attract interesting people and projects to our community in spite of your "help"

[ihearthingsdaily]

i am new to this post and don't regularly post to anything on the web since it seems like like such a waste of time but seeing as i know most of the people posting here i thought i too would chime in with what i have been feeling.

first off, don't you all get a little tired of arguing about old timers versus new timers? seems like a ridiculous concept to me--you versus me, us versus them, etc. people don't consciously move to a new place with the desire to move out those who live there. they don't show up thinking how much they hate that place and how it needs to change. some may buy into a boom town with a gold rush mentality in hopes of striking it rich (which certainly seems to be the case with you mr. erlich, sorry for naming you name). and there are those who buy in thinking that the town might need something it doesn't have (stupd restaurants and expsensive coffeeshops, bookstores, toystores, clothing shops). i know many who came to beacon because of DIA. some came for cheaper housing, some came for jobs, some came for love, some came for school. you guys are all good folk. and most of you support beacon with you positive outlook on life.

now, without regard for the restraint which i think most of you need to use when posting, let me point a few fingers since i know most of you.

gary: nice post, you hit the nail on the head often here, beacon was moving forward without the newbies, but you must admit that DIA and those who follow DIA accelerated the forward motion a bit. look to towns nearby whose main streets are still languishing even though housing prices are way lower there. i think you are also right to point out mr erlich. he has yet to do anything with his buildings except for the high school which he now wants for half price. perhaps the city would do well to look into emminent domain proceedings and find a developer to take over the projects.

timecode: you are also partially right but don't suppose that beacon would have come back to life without art and artists. as gary said, nobody saved beacon, it's been a group effort.

roger: quit trying to get folks upset. i talked to you on the street last week and you said it was all bullshit so why say it in the first place. i know you got a thing against the dispatch perhaps you should just write a letter to the editor.

physcal: you too have a thing against the dispatch and perhaps even Nell Timmer but you too seem rather like the gossip route and the anonymous route rather than ever having a face to face debate. you've been holding this grudge since the article on bulldog studios which you took to be a "you versus me" kind of thing and have been blinded ever since. "to think that she came to town to tell us how bad it was" is ludicrous don't you think? someone with a business on the edge of profitablility telling people how bad beacon is? who is patronizing who? you use that term a lot, even in conversation and it sounds more and more like a crutch for you so as not to have real dialogue. do you think that the dispatch should just fold? a volunteer paper started by five folks with an idea to provide a service and here you are pointing fingers about sloppy reporting and misleading the readers. they would probably take one of your well reported articles (without the gossip) but you would have to sign you name to it. lastly, when are you going to get over that article about bulldog? [COMMENT EDITED]

Nell: you've done your part for beacon and should be happy with the results, but please remember to stray from the "us versus them" theme or the what have you done lately thing. don't engage in finger pointing and look to gary wood for his direction to the high road.

Jeff: when are you going to run for mayor and will you still edit the dispatch after you win?

fed up with...: i know so many friend who have had their windows broken and it pains me too when I hear about landlords who don't cover glass breakage in their leases so the little businesses pay for the glass at many hundreds of dollars. i think with a little work on your language you should call city hall and demand that we get police walking or riding a beat in town every day and form neighborhood watches in which you take walks with your neighbors and get to know those dealing drugs in broad daylight and tell them you are watching. i have seen some art that is more of an affront to the eye and the spirit than most that you see on the streets in beacon. get a camera and make some art of what you see...

finally, i must post anonymously so that i might have some friends left after this...

[Gary Wood]

I hear things
I definitely feel Dia and many of those who followed for different reasons have helped Beacon.I just feel the circumstances of 9/11 serendipitously accompanied DIA and heightened its effect. I'm not of the us vs. them party.If you have something poisitive great ,if you are negative and point fingers and are looking to cash in on other peoples sweat the internet gives you a forum that you can post anonomously.Everyone has an opinion and a right to voice it but if you feel strong enough to post it you should sign it. I disagree with the Dispatch on matters but they started something that was needed and they sign their name and by doing so open themselves to anonymous comments.I'm done!

[Michael Daecher]

Editor's Note: Certain comments in this thread have been edited to adhere to Beacon Dispatch policies on hate speech and libel. If you're curious, you can see where we stand on these issues here:

http://beacon.blogs.com/beacon_dispatch/2004/12/
a_brief_note_on.html

[Nell Timmer]

i hear things,

perhaps you are right, I let my emotions get the better of me. thanks for the reality check.

nell

[TM Conroy]

I posted the previous message about "lowlifes" and it was deleted. I want to apologize for the tone of that post, as I am generally not a negative and judgemental person. I was simply upset about litter, vandalism and other things that detract from an otherwise amazing place. I really do love Beacon, even though I've only lived here for the past six months, and want to see it do very well.

I also want to say that I agree with Gary, I Hear, and others who see beyond the whole "us vs. them," or "oldtimer vs. newcomer" dichotomy. My wife and I moved up from outside NYC, so we are definitely newcomers. But we respect and get along quite well with those of our neighbors who've been here for much longer. Part of what drew us to Beacon was its affordability and its relative proximity to NYC, where we work. Part of what drew us was the great natural beauty; each morning I look out the window and see the sunrise sbove Mt. Beacon and it is a magnificent, even spiritual, experience. And also, part of what drew us here was the art scene. I'm really proud to live in a town that supports the arts. Even though we are not artists, the local art scene and also restaurants seem to be a big part of the city's renaissance. I am excited about the new businesses popping up along Main Street and will support them as much as is possible, even if I can't necessarily afford to buy original works of art, at least not yet. I do hope, though, that Main Street can be cleaned up a bit more; there is still too much litter on the street, and also a bit too much drug dealing, especially later at night.

At the end of the day, I feel that we are all basically in this together, and that most people here want Beacon to thrive.

[Jill]

I was raised in a mill town in MA that suffered throughout the 60's through 80's. It reminds me a lot of Beacon. It has now been given a major push (in a transition already in progress) by a new museum and numerous artists renting studios and moving to town. Also many people left boston after 9/11 to. Artists are for the most part just middle class people who usually work several jobs and have an amazing ability to adapt and survive. I am one of those people. I work two jobs and have probably done every job in the book just to support my passion in life and contribute positively to society. My husband does the same. Strange to think that could be so terrible. I've probably emptied your trash or washed your dishes or babysat your kids at one point. We probably pull in less a year than a majority of Beacon residents but still pay the same taxes. Each tax paying American pays approx 65 cents a year to the Arts. Pretty steep, eh? So sad. After all, isn't that what we look to to explain a society. Whoever wrote the just plain, sill remark about artists "getting stoned and sitting around all day", well, come on. You're just being ridiculous and I am shocked that such ignorance truly still exists no matter how deranged or underexposed to anything different you may be. It's a bit embarrassing. I have only lived here a few years but see so much positive change, from everyone, but the finger pointers and people who TRULY SIT AROUND and COMPLAIN are the ones keeping Beacon back. So many long time residents and new residents want to help protect the town and all it's beauty. Drug dealers and people who aren't content unless they are doing something negative still exist in my home town but I am proud to say that EVERYONE has banned together to let these cowards know that those of us who bust our butts and fight for all we have aren't willing to be held hostage by them anymore. Artists and local residents have banned together and started after school programs and created more foot traffic by backing local businesses. People doing illegal things don't like people around. This also worked in the area of Flatbush, Brooklyn that I lived in for years and we had ten times as many drug dealers. Police foot traffic helped tremendously. I would think it would be easier up here with less space to cover and less red tape. Beacon is a town that has become home to me and I feel like a piece of my old home town is here b/c of it's similar history. Of course, taxes are waaayyyy lower in NY!!!! I think we should applaud anyone who risks and help each other along for the benefit of our entire community no matter what you do for a living. Maybe we should get rid of those apparently harmful coffee shops first? My goodness, I never knew a coffee shop could be so threatening. Unless you are someone who is threatened by anything different or new.

[randall]

Remember the Design Museum? Fortunately or unfortunately, most of Bill Ehrlich’s plans have not worked out thus far. Such plans may push out the people who’s families have lived here for generations AND the newbie yuppies and artists and replace them by millionaires from SoHo or TriBeCa in Manhattan. Everyone above may find themselves on the same side.

Art in America,  June, 2003  by Suzaan Boettger

The Beacon Cultural Foundation was incorporated in November 2002 with seed money from Ehrlich and his Beacon Terminal Associates. ...One of its aims is to turn the former Beacon High School building into a Decorative Arts and Design Institute...Until funds can be raised for a substantial architectural redesign, the high school building may be used for a Creative Community Center that will provide affordable workspace for visual and literary artists...

Mr. Ehrlich's company, Beacon Terminal Associates, has already bought more than 20 properties across the city's nearly five square miles...

New York Times May 16, 2003 By LISA W. FODERARO

Mr. Ehrlich believes Beacon could prove irresistible to a certain type of New Yorker.
''Clearly, somebody who lives on Fifth Avenue is not going to want a second home in Beacon,'' he said. ''But somebody who lives in SoHo or TriBeCa might want a second home here because the energy level and creative base will be there.''

Art in America,  June, 2002  by Stephanie Cash

In April, real-estate developer and art patron William S. Ehrlich announced phase one of the Beacon Cultural Project (BCP). The massive, multimillion-dollar undertaking is somewhat reminiscent of MASSMoCA in North Adams, Mass., though on a much larger scale...

The BCP will consist of the Beacon Art Society (BAS), Beacon Performing Arts and the Project Space. The BAS will be housed in a 150,000-square-foot complex of six buildings--from an 1814 waterwheel-powered mill to modern International Style structures--being renovated by Gluckman Mayner Architects. The BAS will be dedicated to the care and management of private collections,

Located in a storefront on Main Street, the Project Space, a gallery for contemporary art projects, is set to open this July...

Check out Harbors at Haverstraw, by another developer who supports the arts. Twonhouses start at $750,000.
http://www.gdc-homes.com/community_overview_5.htm

[13x19 poster frame]

I've just been letting everything pass me by , but so it goes. I just don't have much to say these days. Pfft. I can't be bothered with anything. More or less nothing seems worth doing. I haven't gotten much done recently, but oh well.

[Lee]

I've just been letting everything wash over me recently. So it goes. What can I say?

[ann]

Al consumo critico antiracket lÒOscar della partecipazione civica

[fitness]

Sexism is, is not a problem in society