|
After Wait, Residents Hope For Dover Rebound
06.06.1999
by Rob Seetoo
Poughkeepsie Journal
Wingdale - Five years was a long time to wait.
But frustration turned to elation Tuesday for Dover residents and local officials as Gov. George Pataki's office announced the sale of the former Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center to private developers.
Many people in Dover, including John Hughes, the owner Harlem Valley Beverage Center, just a stone's throw up Route 22 from the center, wondered if the sale, touted by so many as a beacon of economic revitalization of the region, would ever take place.
"We're elated and we're anxious to hear the whole story," said Hughes, who has been planning to sell his business and move out of the area.
The closing of the psychiatric center in 1994 and other economic troubles in the early 1990's left many local businesses struggling. Dover and the Harlem Valley lost, over a decade's time, well over a thousand jobs.
And with the jobs went the people who had called the valley home. Dover, for example, saw its population drop from nearly 7,800 in 1990 to 7,260 in 1996, according to U.S. Census estimates.
Town Councilman Richard Hawthorne said many residents had approached officials asking for news on the sale of the property. They have grown so frustrated that they didn't believe it when they were told there was an impending deal.
"It was like a little carrot strung out in front of us and we finally caught it," said Hawthorne.
Dutchess County Legislator Brad Kendall, R,C-Dover, said he never doubted the deal would come through. And he thanked Pataki and Kathleen Schibanoff, executive director of the Harlem Valley Partnership, for their efforts.
"She's done a terrific job on behalf of the community, keeping the pressure on," said Kendall of Schibanoff. "It's been a long frustrating wait, but thanks to the perseverance of the governor and local officials, it will (be) a plus for our economy."
Dover resident Terry Kelly said it would be an advantage to the town to rehabilitate a site that doesn't look appealing.
"That's terrific. This will turn around what has become an eye-sore," said Kelly.
Longtime Dover resident Joseph Parker said he was hoping to see benefits to the community once the site is rebuilt.
"I look forward to the use of the property by real people with real needs," said Parker.
» Back to Top | Back to List
|
