www.scenichudson.org/land_pres/news/newyorktimes_11-5-0 -
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Published on: 11/5/2005
Last Visited: 3/13/2007
"At first there was a very highly charged atmosphere, a distrust of outsiders coming into town and having an agenda that maybe isn't consistent with the community's," recalled Steve Rosenberg, the executive director of the Scenic Hudson Land Trust.
Town leaders were fearful of removing the property from the tax rolls.The National Park Service, which administers the Roosevelt homes at Springwood and Val-Kill, does not pay taxes on its properties, although the federal government contributes to the school district.After four years of meetings, the group arrived at a general plan intended to stimulate tourism while preserving the estate.
The plan calls for a regional visitors' center on the edge of the newly purchased property.A commercial real estate firm that owned the tract, Poughkeepsie Shopping Center Inc., agreed to sell it for $1.6 million, and the deal was completed yesterday afternoon, Mr. Rosenberg said.