NARROWSBURG, NY — The Wayne Bank property at 93 Main Street in Narrowsburg, long coveted for its large parking lot, will be purchased by the Town of Tusten. The decision to buy the property was voted into action at the January 12 meeting of the Tusten Town Board.

The sale has been in the works for some time; it is probably no coincidence that January 12 was the scheduled closing date of Wayne Bank’s Narrowsburg branch. In fact, the sales contract had been drafted and was subject to final review by newly appointed town attorney Kenneth Klein. The results of that review were considered by the board during the first of two adjournments into executive session. The town’s purchase will include the bank building, a town landmark since its construction in the mid-twentieth century, as well as the adjacent parking lot and access road.

The parking lot was almost certainly the property’s major selling point. With ready access to both Main Street and Bridge Street (via footpath), the lot is a logistic godsend. However, the sturdy one-story red brick building with a drive-up teller’s window and impregnable vault can also be put to good use by the town, which has been seeking additional space to house a multi-purpose community center.

That community center could serve a variety of organizations currently housed in other buildings, among them the Tusten Historical Society, the Tusten Youth Commission, the Western Sullivan Public Library archives, and possibly even a yet-to-be-conceived museum of local history and artifacts. Considering that the building is already Americans with Disabilities Act compliant and has drive-up access and fully encased teller windows, it could also double as a town hall extension, providing an ideal venue for in-person tax collection and permit dispensing.

Emerging from a second executive session, the board announced the appointment of Jocelyn Strumpfler as assistant clerk to the water and sewer department, at a salary of $19 per hour. Earlier in the meeting, the board reappointed Craig Burkle to the Fire Advisory Board for 2021.

During a public comment segment, resident Bob Olman thanked the town for its response to his plea for the repair of Evergreen Lane. He complimented the highway department on the job it had done repairing the road washed out by last year’s flooding. “Unfortunately,” said Olman, “It failed. The road has washed out again. Will the town please address this latest incident? Thank you.”