Pearl River Schools Moving Forward with AIM Property Subdivision

Attorney Donald Brenner presented his recommendations regarding the subdivision of the Africa Inland Mission property to the Pearl River Board of Education Tuesday.

He said that there is already an application to the Orangetown planning board regarding the property, but two issues should be addressed before trying to sell the apartment building that is part of the property that the district purchased in December of 2010.

Brenner explained that the mission agreed to certain stipulations when it presented its case to the Orangetown Zoning Board for building the apartment complex Feb. 21, 1979.

"The first one is that the proposed dwelling would be used exclusively for staff and personnel and their immediate family and will not be occupied by any other persons," Brenner said. "The third item, which is of interest, is that in the event that any unit within the premises is occupied by a child who would attend a public school within the district, the African agreed to contribute to the school district for any child in attendance, the net cost to the school district of educating such child."

The plan all along for the district was to sell the apartment complex. Brenner recommended going to the zoning board to amend those two items.

"By amending the items, if the zoning board sees it our way, they would remove the restriction on who can live there and the restriction in terms of payments to the schools," Brenner said.

Pearl River closed on the 4.6-acre property on West Crooked Hill Road Dec. 22, 2010. The only part of the property the district planned to retain was the office building.

The Pearl River administration, which is currently split between the high school and the Nauraushaun building, will be moved into that office building, creating more space for classrooms in the high school. Initial projections have the move scheduled for completion by the end of 2011.

The Nauraushawn building is also currently home to A Starting Place, a special-needs preschool, which will rent the entire building from the district once the administration moves to the new offices.

Though Pearl River only wanted the office building, the Africa Inland Mission would only sell the property in its entirety, leaving the district to split it up.

The Africa Inland Mission is still renting the property back from the Pearl River School District, but is expected to leave in August.