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SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. The Tappan Hill Elementary School in Sleepy Hollow could have a new tenant by Sept. 1 if everything goes according to plan.
The Tarrytown YMCA has been working with the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns on a lease agreement for the shuttered school. The YMCA believes the building would be a great site to expand its child care program and consolidate its after-school programs, CEO Gerry Riera told school board members Thursday night.
Moving the child care program out of the YMCA's building on Main Street would allow the program to increase by 60 percent with the additional classrooms, Riera said.
"It also gives us the opportunity to expand programs at the YMCA [building]," he said.
The Public Schools of the Tarrytowns closed the school in 2010 because of budget restraints. The Green Meadow Waldorf School has been leasing two classrooms but decided not to renew its lease. The school district decided to look at leasing out the entire building because the rental fees help cover the building's operational needs.
The district has projected that it will not need to reopen the building in the next five years, Superintendent Howard Smith said. The district's buildings currently in use will be able to handle projected enrollment increases, Smith said.
Tappan Hill's layout is ideally suited to drop-offs and pickups, although the location is not as convenient for residents, Riera said.
The YMCA, which hosts after-school programs at various schools, would look to consolidate the programs at Tappan Hill to save money, Riera said.
Evening programs, such as a youth theater program and safety training classes, could be held in the school, he said. Classes would not go late and would be aimed at kids and teens, Riera said.
Riera said he hoped the lease could be worked out in time for the YMCA to begin operations there Sept. 1. A day care license application is pending with the state and lease approval is needed from the Board of Education, he said.
Smith said he would work on the lease agreement with the YMCA and present it to the board for review during its July 10 meeting.
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