Machinations

A couple of weeks back, I noticed a sign reading "Freshman Fine Art Coming Soon" in the window of the long dormant, recently vacant space that was occupied by Minetta Brook for several years. The space is just off Main St on S. Chestnut. I currently don't have any information on what the nature of this space will be.

I caught the broadcast last night of last week's Board of Education meeting when a resolution was passed to transfer control of the old high school building back to the BOE. The proposal will be presented to the bakruptcy court on Nov. 28 for approval. If approval is granted, the school board will begin the process of assessing the physical needs of the building, and the potential future use of the facility. A handful of representative tenants of Bulldog spoke at the meeting expressing the benefit they feel Bulldog Studios provides to the community, and the necessity the workspaces at Bulldog represent for the tenant artist/small businesses. The artists voiced their desire to work together with the community and school board to enhance the educational benefits of continuing the presence of artists' studios in the building. Another concern for the tenants is discovering when heat in the building my be turned on. It was stated that, currently, the Board has no right to enter the building assess the physical systems of the building, and that the responsibiliy of taking care of the outstanding utility bill in the amount of $90,000 is still that of the Beacon Cultural Foundation.

Superintendant of Schools, Jean Parr stated that the Board will be openly seeking input from the community in determining the future use of the building. For those who find interest in such forms of public discourse, the process to determine the fate of the building and Bulldog Studios should prove truly entertaining. Given the various opinions voiced in the comments at the Beacon Dispatch website, and in the Beacon Free Press, there should be a robust exchange on this issue.