ORANGE COUNTY, N.Y.—The Orange County Legislature voted in favor of purchasing the Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center from the town of Chester for a little more than $1.34 million on July 1.
The county sees the theater as a good opportunity for investing in the community. A variety of events and renovations are being considered for the venue.
Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus told the Ways and Means Committee on June 24 what hopes he has for the theater. He wants to do a weekly or monthly free movie night for seniors, showing classic movies that wouldn’t steal competition from local cinemas, which show newly released movies.
Many people who work on Broadway live in the Warwick and Tuxedo area. Neuhaus wants to invite actors to conduct acting classes at the theater, and the education capabilities of the theater could be expanded. The idea of expanding the kitchen to do cooking classes and other education programs was also floated.
One of Neuhaus’s biggest goals for the theater is to have it host an Orange County film festival.
“There’s no Orange County Film Festival being planned, even though the film industry is hot. That’s why we want to do this,” Neuhaus said in reference to purchasing the performing arts center.
Other uses floated for the theater include firefighter, police, and EMT graduations, which are currently held at public schools around Orange County. The building could also serve as an emergency gathering point and receiving center during a mass casualty incident or disaster.
Besides an expansion to the kitchen and paving the parking lot, no other renovation ideas have been introduced, as the building is in good condition.
The 19,896-square-foot theater can seat about 900 people and sits on 8.77 acres of land in the town of Chester. The grounds include a pavilion and a dock on a lake. The building was completed in 1993.
According to information presented to the Ways and Means Committee, the appraised value of the building in 2018 was about $1.2 million. The current price increased because property values increased in the Chester area. To build a similar building, it would cost the County between $9 million and $10 million.
The $1.34 million being used to buy the property is coming out of Orange County’s $200 million surplus, and thus will not affect the operations or funding of any other part of the county.
Part of the agreement in buying the theater is that the county will honor all reservations and bookings that have already been made under the stewardship of the town of Chester.
The purchase of the theater has received support from major organizations in Orange County, including SUNY Orange, the Orange-Ulster BOCES, and the Orange County Chamber of Commerce.
Town of Chester Supervisor Brandon Holdridge said: “I’m happy to see the high interest from the County Executive and overwhelming support from the County Legislator in the purchasing of the Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center. I’m looking forward to their formal proposal and working with them in a productive way moving forward. This could be a great opportunity for Chester residents and Orange County as a whole.”
