No adult recreation for now, children’s sports continue

The Recreation Department’s plans to offer free adult recreation in the former Heart of Pine Plains (HoPP) community center space on the second floor of the Pine Plains Free Library have hit a road block. The glitch? That the library will be moving out of its new building in February and into its former abode just up the street, transitioning from a space that boasted 3,200 square feet on the first floor alone to one that offers 900 square feet in totality.The decision to make the move was made by the library’s board of trustees, as the town is negotiating to purchase the circa 2009 building from The Bank of Millbrook, which bought the structure in a foreclosure sale in early 2013. The library board president, Jim Mara, said it made the decision because it wanted to keep good relations with the bank. It also believed that once gone, the bank will be left to deal with the Odd Fellows and only the Odd Fellows, the fraternal organization that donated the land the building was developed on in exchange for 1,000 square feet of space in that building in perpetuity. The HoPP, which used the second floor rent free for its programs, disbanded months ago, and with it went the issue of ridding the building of an extra tenant.Odd Fellow Ed Casazza confirmed last week that the organization has no plans to vacate the new library building, and will likely be served an eviction notice once the library moves out. The Odd Fellows have engaged the services of an attorney to help them retain rights to the building. Casazza said the group is in the building’s deed, and suspects it has some ground to stand on for remaining where it is.But with the library relocating, and the Odd Fellows possibly evicted, Recreation Director Catherine Prentice said there’s just too much instability to make plans that include using the building. For now, that is.“It’s just temporary, until they get the whole building situation done with,” she said, adding that she, like others, expect the town will ultimately purchase the building. “I’m waiting to hear from the town and the bank. I don’t really know how long [that will take].”Although the adult recreation program never fully got off the ground, there was a family exercise class during the week that had regular participants. It was canceled at the end of January because of the current situation. Prentice said though disappointed, she wasn’t surprised.“I just knew it was coming,” she said, “one way or another. But I think it’s all going to work out in the end. And if the library moves back in, the program will start up again, and hopefully there will be other programs to add to it.”Children’s recreation Though adult recreation may be on hold for the time being, there is another program in full swing in Pine Plains. The Pee Wee Basketball Program is in the middle of its season. The program is for girls and boys from kindergarten through sixth grade.The town is also preparing for baseball and softball sign ups, on Saturdays, Feb. 15 and 22, at Stissing Mountain High School. The program is open to girls and boys in kindergarten up to the age of 12, though efforts are being made to extend the girls’ program up to age 14. The baseball and softball season runs from March to June or July.Prentice said the community really supports the Recreation Department and that the baseball and softball program tends to have at least 100 children participate.“We have a lot of children that play sports, year round, and we usually have a good turnout whatever we offer,” she said. For more information about any of the Recreation Department’s programs, call Prentice at 518-567-7207 or email cprentice94@yahoo.com.