Vote at a Glance
What are voters deciding? – Whether or not to transfer the parcel of land on the corner of Erie Street and Webster Avenue owned by the district to the Village of Goshen.
Who is voting? – Residents within the Goshen Central School District.
Where is the vote? – The Board of Education Room at the Main Street Administration Building, 227 Main Street, Goshen, NY 10924. Voting will be open from 6 am to 9 pm on January 14. This will be the only place available for voting.
History of the Erie Street Property
The Goshen School District first acquired the land in 1916. A. S. Murray and Dr. James Coleman donated the tract of land that was referred to as “The Goshen Athletic Field.” The district used and maintained the entire Erie Street Park property until the mid 1990s, when a section of the land was transferred to the Village of Goshen and turned into what know today as Erie Street Park.
After the new Goshen High School was built and the grammar school on Erie Street was demolished, use of the fields gradually decreased. Today, the district does not use the property for any purpose but shares maintenance of it with the Goshen Joint Recreation Commission.
Why not sell the property?
If the district were to sell the property to the highest bidder, there would be no way to control what happens to the property. Because the Village of Goshen has shared plans to make an improved park, the district would like to transfer the land to them, following approval from the community in a vote.
A lack of parkland funds in the Village of Goshen prevents the Village from buying the property. Parkland funds are collected by municipalities when there is housing development and used for recreational amenities.