Donation of park land heads back to council

City lawmakers again have moved to the full Common Council a resolution to accept a donation of the lands at South Clinton and Greenkill avenues that make up Barmann Park.

The donation from the Kingston-based nonprofit housing agency RUPCO was discussed during a meeting of the council’s Finance and Audit Committee on Wednesday. Ultimately, the committee endorsed the resolution to accept the donation, moving it to the council again for consideration.

The council on May 1 referred the donation

back to committee, with many members citing a need for additional information.

During the committee’s discussion Wednesday, council Majority Leader Reynolds Scott-Childress, D-Ward 3, said the park is one of the few places in Midtown where there is open space. He said protecting the property and making it available for people to use, including members of the Metropolitan Knot Hole League, is “absolutely essential, and we’d be crazy not to accept this.”

RUPCO acquired the property as part of its purchase of the nearby former Metropolitan Life Hall of Records building. As part of the donation, the city is to replace and maintain the fence that divides the park from RUPCO’s neighboring property.

Kingston Mayor Steve Noble said the city has received one quote from a local business for replacement of the fence and has asked for two more. He said it would cost about $28,000 to replace the fence. Noble said the city would not be able to use its own staff to do the work because the fence is tall and trees are growing up and through the structure.

“It’s a pretty serious project,” Noble said.

The mayor said the fence, which has not been maintained for a long time, stands high to catch baseballs from the Little League field. Since 1979, the city has leased the park land for $1 a year from Met Life, paying the property taxes, maintaining the athletic fields and holding the insurance liability. The Little League maintains the baseball field and a concession stand there.

Kingston Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Gilfeather said the city has “always” mowed the grass around the ball field and handled trash on the property. He said the city also pays the electric bill for the property, though Noble said that cost is “minimal.”

City Comptroller John Tuey has said the last general tax bill written off for the property, in 2017, was for $4,178.08. The last school tax bill paid by the city, for 2016-17, was for $4,001.11, he said. Tuey said if the city takes the donation, the land will become tax-exempt.

Noble said the council should undertake a wider discussion about the use of city property. He noted the city does not have leases with any of the Little Leagues that use its parks, while Kingston Point BMX has a lease with the city to use property at Kingston Point.

The Barmann Park property was purchased by RUPCO as part of its $2 million acquisition of the Metropolitan Life building in July 2017. RUPCO plans to turn the building into a multiuse commercial facility called The Metro, which would include, among other entities, a TV and film production center called Stockade Works.