the Presbyterian Church on Liberty St.

I went to the Presbyterian Church on Wednesday morning to have a look at what they have to offer. As you can see their spaces are very raw. They had some issues with water coming in and they recently removed some mold. BUT there are 5 big rooms about 15x20, each with doors and windows, and a common area which could possibly be divided. The place needs a LOT of work. The church has formed a committee to decide what to do with the space. The pastor is leaning towards artist studios because it follows his mission of community outreach and because they would like to have some income. But it will be a while before anything happens with this place.

Jan 24 meeting

About 20 people attended a meeting at the Coffee Shoppe last night to share information about the status of our studios. Most everyone is planning on leaving the building, we just need to determine the best method for biding our time until we all have a place to go.

Rumor has it:
-there will be leases offered to us.
-we will be asked for first, last, and deposit upon signing a new lease.
-locks will be replaced with digital keypads

Unknown:
-when we will be offered these new leases
-if you choose not to sign a lease, how much time do you have to get out? 30 days? 90 days?

Facts:
-211 Fishkill Development Corp. has hired a real estate lawyer for the purpose of preparing eviction notices.
-if you have anything in a common area that does not have your name on it, it will be considered property of the new owner and will be removed.
-Monday Jan 24 the door to suite 205 was found locked (by a key) denying all 3 tenants (who have never had a key to that door) access to their studios.
-Dominico Petrillo (3rd floor) recently came in to to work in his studio and found the door to his studio wide open.

Potential new spaces:
-Beahive 261 Main St.
-the former Beacon Community Center on W. Center Street
-The Beacon Building on Main St. near Fishkill Ave.
-123 Rombout Ave
-the Presbyterian Church basement on Liberty St.
-Many an empty storefront on Main St.

Community Center

I got a quick look into the property that was once the Beacon Community Center on W. Center St. Here are some photos I took...all furnishings belong to the Community Center and will either be removed before a new tenant moves in (or can be bargained with new tenant)the main office has one window and a door w lock

the gym is 1200 sq ft and has a flimsy divider. this is the south view, below is the north view

this is the computer room- a "ready to go" room about 10x12

the big room is 800 sq ft which could be divided into several studio and has 2 full bathrooms

an attic room with no windows is less than 100 sq feet.

there are 2 adjoining offices (below) both very small. you have to go through one to get to the other.

meeting Jan 24th

I have been informed that there will be a meeting for Beacon Studios tenants to discuss the issues at hand. The meeting will take place next Monday January 24th at 7pm at the Coffee Shoppe.

Anyone with news from the January 17th meeting please comment here. Thanks!

a note from Bo Gehring

Every letter I've ever received from the school board including the latest certified one announcing the sale and proration of rent refers to my lease. It would be hard for the school board to now claim there was no lease. I don't have Grey's experience but have never heard of a new owner being able to drop leases without notice in a commercial building purchase. It also seems very unlikely that the school board would have signed any contract selling the building free and clear without first reaching agreement about the disposition of each of our leases. Unless the school board has agreed otherwise in the sale contract, I believe the new owner is required to honor each lease including quiet enjoyment and termination according to New York law.

At the first meeting I asked the new owners to put in writing what they proposed so I could respond but haven't heard from them yet. If they want something other than the lease, I'll be happy to work with them but not at my expense and inconvenience.

I suggest we add the Mayor, City Council, BCSD counsel, and new owners to this email list. It is to our advantage to have these communications in the open, keeping in mind that this is about legal resolution rather than emotions or personal issues with the situation. If we agree then perhaps someone could provide those email addresses?

Bo

article in Jan 15 PoJo

Check out this article in the PoJo

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20110115/NEWS01/101150328/1006/RSS01

211 Fishkill-the end of an era

Its a difficult truth to face but we must be realistic- the anarchic place we have all loved to work in for the past however many years is no longer. We are now in a state of transition and the best asset we have in making this transition go smoothly is to stick together, not be intimidated by hearsay and rumor, understand the facts and know our rights. Whether you decide to work with the new owner or to strike out and find a new studio, let it be on your own terms. Remember a few important facts:
-nothing is true until you have it in writing.
-90 days is the standard notice given to vacate a property

Word to the wise: if you have anything in a common area i.e. something outside of your locked studio area, put your name in it clearly or better yet, remove it altogether.

Comments welcome!
~theresa