Friday Night Music Coming To Fleischmanns - Who Owns The Bridge Village Officials Argue Not Them

FLEISCHMANNS - The Organizers of Music on the Belle, a free concert series at Belleayre Mountain, proposed moving the events to Fleischmanns Park this year. The Fleischmanns village board was presented with the idea on May 12 at a regular meeting.

The series would feature a new band every Friday night from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Organizers, Loranda and Joe DeVitto, owners of the Print House, say the first year at Belleayre brought in roughly 300 people and was up to 1,500 in its final year. After taking on the Mountain Jam Festival scheduled for June 20 to 22, Belleayre does not wish to continue the free concerts. Instead of canceling such a popular event, Loranda said, it would be best to relocate it. "We want to try to get as many local businesses involved as possible," she added, noting that Union Grove distillery has been very successful at past events.

Organizers assured the village board that bands are calm, family-friendly music.

Mayor Samuel Gil noted that the event would be for people who want to walk in the park, have food, and listen to music. It's more social than a concert, he added.

The organizers will not use sports fields for band or food truck set up.

The Bridge

The culvert or bridge across from Goatie Whites' restaurant on the other side of Route 28 needs repair. The structure is on Delaware & Ulster Railroad (DURR) property. However, the village has a right-of-way over the bridge, allowing traffic flow onto Fleischmanns Heights Road.

The village, with a limited budget, sought assistance from Middletown, DURR, and Delaware County. The county suggested the village take the lead on the project. They further offered Soil and Water to help apply for a grant that would pay for up to 75% of the project. The remaining 25% could be paid for through in-kind services by the county and Middletown. Any remaining funds would be the village's responsibility. The project is estimated to cost between $300,000 and $400,000.

Village board members and Clerk Diane Rossman are hesitant to sign any agreement. They believe legally, the culvert is owned by DURR and thus their responsibility.

DURR representatives have informed the village that they will not be repairing the bridge as they have limited funding.

Rossman said the situation is unjust. "It is not our responsibility as far as I am concerned," she said, later noting, "We have the smallest number of people. Once we sign something, there are a lot of people who can't afford that."

The village will continue to seek legal guidance and plan to have an answer by the next regular meeting on June 9. The grant application is due at the end of June.

In other business

The Memorial Day Street Fair is scheduled for Sunday, May 25. Gil asked the organizers if the village could be compensated for the event in a small way in the future.

John Blish volunteered to replace the posts stopping vehicles from crossing the pedestrian bridge on Bridge Street with removable ones. The removable ones will permit access for small emergency vehicles when necessary.

Gil announced that the Wall of Peace, a community art piece, is almost completed. The wall is on display along Bridge Street.

The village is moving forward with selling the Maxbilt Theater, which was built in 1929 and is located at 1421 Bridge Street. The abandoned structure seats 600 and is a designated New York historic property.

Trustees hope to sell the property for the right price, but will consider lower bids if plans for the structure benefit the village, which could include knocking the building down.

Trustee Miguel Martinez-Riddle noted that many people in the village have expressed a desire to have the theater operating again. However, he said this could take a group of people to work together to accomplish. "It's a little pie in the sky," he said.