District Seeking Buyers for Former Parker School

Looking to put the property back on the tax rolls, the district has decided to seek buyers for the former Parker School in Pittstown.

The building served as an elementary school from 1958 to 1994. It was then briefly used for a district special education program. Most recently, the building was leased to Questar III for a program that is now discontinued. The building has been vacant since 2008.

“It’s a nice building but with our enrollment slowly declining, we simply don’t have the use for it,” explained Superintendent Lou McIntosh. “We haven’t had students there in about 15 years. We feel we need to sell it and hopefully get the property back on the tax rolls.”

This past fall, school officials asked a commercial realty firm to evaluate the property. In its report to the district, the firm NAI Platform of Albany noted the 11,844 square foot building is in good condition and the 15.27 acres are well kept.

Comparing Parker School to similar properties in the region, the firm anticipates it will take 12 to 18 months to market the property. The Board of Education agreed at its December 14 meeting to authorize the firm to market the property.

If Parker School was sold and put back on the tax rolls, it would increase the town’s total assessment and therefore minimize the impact of taxes on all district homeowners, noted Director of Business Operations Gail Lathrop.

“We also pay about $30,000 a year in upkeep on the building,” Ms. Lathrop said. “If enrollment does start increasing, we can still accommodate at least a few hundred more students in our schools.”