NARROWSBURG, NY — The Weiden family has been a part of the Tusten community since 1904—that’s over 100 years ago. The family farm located five miles outside of town has been passed down through generations, and currently is a second home to married couple Brendan and Kathleen (Kathy) Weiden, who own the Narrowsburg Union.

The Narrowsburg Union is located in the former Narrowsburg School building and is a community space for education and commerce. Brendan and Kathy purchased the building in 2014 and have since been working diligently on plans for the Union. So far, this includes classes from SUNY Sullivan, drama workshops for kids from NACL Theatre and AYSO Soccer.

But let’s go back to the beginning—the very beginning, that is. Brendan’s great-grandparents were German immigrants who owned a furniture upholstery store in New York City. They bought a house and mill in Tusten that made excelsior, a material used in their upholstery.

Although Brendan grew up in Westchester, he came to the family property every weekend and became attached to the serene settings. He said he “was fortunate to have met a girl from the Bronx who loves the mountains,” and brought Kathy here, who fell in love with the area, too. They have been married for 35 years. “We didn’t just come to Narrowsburg; we’ve been here all along,” Brendan said. “That affords us the perspective of being legacy but also being part-timers. I think that’s a unique perspective we have, in that we feel we’re part of both worlds.”

Now they live in Yonkers. Brendan works in engineering and design of buildings, and Kathy works in accounting and real estate. When asked how they heard about the Narrowsburg School being for sale, they said they follow local happenings (for instance, by reading about them in The River Reporter), and it was “always in the periphery.” Then in November 2013, they began to have conversations about potentially purchasing it.

They heard about different groups who wanted a part of the building, but not the whole thing. “The thought occurred to us at one point that we could be the ones to buy the building and stitch together all these different groups who need bits and pieces of it,” Brendan said.

The school shut down in 2005, and, Kathy said, “[We heard about] the social and emotional loss that the town experienced when the school shut, and that key role that the building played for families and for the community, [as] a place where people were constantly coming together in an informal way.” The Weidens want to provide a place where people can come together again.

In addition to the current offerings, there will be more SUNY Sullivan classes starting in March, with an open house on Sunday, March 6 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. “The idea is to help grow their presence here to a full-fledged extension campus. We’re hoping to show SUNY Sullivan that there is sufficient interest and demand for what they have to offer,” Kathy said. The Weidens want the Union to be a place for all types of learning, including technical and vocational. “We hope it becomes this multi-use facility where lots of interesting things are going on, a variety of events and opportunities, and a place that everyone feels there is something there for them,” Kathy said. I asked the question everyone is asking: Will there be an EagleFest? They said they have been talking to the family that used to run it and hope to put the event on once again next year.

The next objective is to bring in an anchor tenant, something in light industry—maybe a food or beverage focus—and to really market and promote the building. They have done the repairing, fixing and cleaning of the building, and said renovations will occur when a tenant has a need. This spring, they will reconstruct the driveways and add parking and electric-car charging stations.

After a struggle to buy the building with a competing bidder who wanted to turn the building into a rehab facility, the Weidens ultimately won. They say that both during that time and today, they have felt supported by the community. “We feel tremendous welcome from the community, the way the entire community supported our efforts to take possession of the building and our plans. It’s very encouraging,” Brendan said. “We know a lot of people are wishing us well and helping us move forward. We think the resurgence of the Delaware Valley is really great.” Kathy added, “We’re contributing to something that’s already started to happen.”

“This building has always been part of the community; the building went to sleep, like Rip van Winkle, and it’s waking up,” Brendan said. “We’re breathing new life into the building, and it’s not going to be the Narrowsburg School anymore. The school is its previous life. The building will, in the future, be an integral part of many people’s lives in a somewhat different, some ways similar, to what it was before.”