It is now widely known that we were outbid in the competition for the Narrowsburg School Building. Our bid was $742,000 vs our competitors’ bid of $751,000; a difference of a mere 1.2%. Although the Sullivan West School District Administration and board consistently referred, throughout the bidding process, to their “fiduciary duty” as appointed and elected decision makers, it saddens us to learn that they apparently believe such a duty allows them to be deaf to the interests of the residents of Narrowsburg, and the Town of Tusten, for the price of $9,000.

If ever there were two polar opposite views of the future of an important building, this is such a case. As the largest building in the center of a small hamlet, the future of the Narrowsburg school building will drive the future of the hamlet of Narrowsburg and the Town of Tusten. In a broader way, the school board’s decision will affect all of the river communities on both sides of the Delaware.

We hope that all parties will come to the realization that there is an appropriate place within a town for different building functions. We hope that if the Butos are intent on bringing a drug and alcohol treatment facility to the Delaware Valley, that they operate it as the high-end residential-only facility they initially described in the media, and that they find a location where their business can flourish for their personal benefit, and yet be a positive economic force for the benefit of their neighbors in Tusten and Narrowsburg.

We continue to look forward to the day when the hamlet of Narrowsburg can take pride in the use of an important building that both respects the building’s past, and provides opportunities for full-time and part-time residents to come together in pursuit of education, recreation and business, and for community gatherings.