One of Marbletown’s recent town board meetings ended with residents chanting en masse: “When? When? When?” after the supervisor and board members failed, once more, to provide a date when repairs would be made to the Marbletown Community Center, which has been closed to the community since Christmas of last year.

The most recent meeting, on May 6, was quieter, but no closer to resolution between town officials and a number of seniors who feel the process has been unnecessarily strung out. The town’s engineer, Scott Davis, told the crowd he’s still working on his report about the building, which has been in process for two years now. This document follows a 2019 report that listed many repairs needed that were not addressed.

Town Supervisor Rich Parete explained that the town was, frankly, “unsure” about what to do, and “changed their mind” on whether they wanted to tackle all the repairs at once or in a piecemeal fashion. For example, he says the town had considered taking down the walls to put in insulation, and only after a wall came down did they realize that electrical work would also be needed.

This uncertainty has created a division in the community, with some, including a number of senior citizens, feeling it reflects a lack of interest in the community center. For them, the community center, which was once the historic St. Peter’s Church, is the heart and soul of Marbletown, a place for birthdays, weddings, memorials, and seminars. They describe a sense of heartbreak and exile.

Marbletown Senior Citizens, a nonprofit group that meets twice a month, used to have all their events at the center, but now meet in a smaller room at Christ the King Episcopal Church on Route 213. Some elders in the group feel the loss could be literally life-and-death, as it is well-documented that socializing is a major factor helping seniors live healthier lives.

The community center, with a capacity of 150, is the only available place that can accommodate over 100 people. “We feel squeezed in,” in the new location, group member Katherine Truitt says.

There’s another concern with the new meeting place, group president Donna Lamerson explained. “As grateful as we all are to meet in the church, it’s not been customary to meet in [an active] religious institution.” This is because the members are of a range of faiths.

Lamerson says she inquired about using the fire department and was refused. “The only offer came from the gun club way up in the Vly.” That would be Marbletown Sportsmen's Club, which was not a central enough location for the group.

In response to these concerns, Parete says that he believes a small portion of the group is “politicizing” Marbletown Senior Citizens.

Over a year ago, in March 2024, Wendy Saul, a private citizen, secured a $78,250 grant for repairs to the heating system, and an additional $15,000 was drummed up from donations. But the supervisor and board were slow to use the money. In January, the board announced their intention to return the grant without using the funds, saying it wasn’t enough to make much of a dent in the necessary work. Public outcry caused a reversal, and the board instead sought – and were granted – an extension.

The board now says they will use those grant funds for insulation work, which they say will be done on time to meet the extension granted. Left unaddressed is the additional $15,000 donated by residents. That money, most of which was collected from donations of $20 to $50s, is still unused.

Vivi Hlavsa, 92, made the single biggest donation, and is concerned about the lack of progress. “I donated $1,000. But what will happen to it?”

The $15,000, Parete says, hasn’t been dedicated yet, but it will probably go to whatever costs remain from the grant-funded heating repairs.

“I donated $200,” he says. That said, Parete has floated the idea of selling the building a number of times.

The seniors find themselves frustrated the number of expenditures the board has announced since the grant was acquired. The town spent $300,000 a new truck, and matched funds of $50,000 to $80,000 for bathrooms at the new Marbletown Meadows park. They also bought a snow plow.

For Parete, those costs are part of the point. He says about $750,000 is available for building repairs in the town, and the town hall is in need of electrical and roofing work. “Our electrical panel,” he explains, “is from the ‘60s or ‘70s.”

Sooner or later, Parete believes, Marbletown will need to pay about $300,000 to upgrade the electrical system, plus much more for the roof.

All the while, the estimated cost for community center repairs has skyrocketed, as the board announces a number of new problems with the structure. Estimates have risen from between $60 and $100,000 to $500,000 and even $700,000.

“The town board,” he says, “wants to get this fixed – but there’s not an unlimited amount of money.”

Residents have asked for the safety repairs to be done, so they can use their center again, but have been told that they are still assessing repair needs as more changes have occurred. Those arguing for repairs say that’s why the money on hand should have been spent to fix what could be fixed – any structure neglected, particularly through the winter, will deteriorate.

Many residents fear that, at the end of this protracted process, it will be declared “too expensive” to repair. At a Marbletown Democratic Committee, Parete says “selling the center is a no-brainer.” Town board member Daisy Foote has called the center “a black hole.”

The town has gone through this before with a one-room schoolhouse on North Marbletown Road, which the town sold for $330,000 last year despite protestations about its historic character. There is a belief that it was the first desegregated school in the state, and a number of people (including this reporter) worried that archaeological remains might be lost in a private sale.

“I don’t think the buyer will demolish it,” Parete said of those concerns.

That contract was signed over protest at a special meeting held on a Monday morning, which rankled opponents who felt it was an inconvenient time. Nevertheless, a number of residents attended, uniformly opposed to the sale.

The last few weeks brought more unwelcome developments. The town-managed Facebook page Town of Marbletown & Community dropped its live feed of board meetings, as well as its archive of prior meetings. Those unable to attend the meetings used these recordings, and have consulted them later to confirm accuracy of what was said and done.

The problem originated with Meta, who own Facebook. In February, Facebook announced a new policy of deleting all live videos after 90 days. The town has since switched to YouTube for these meetings, but some seniors are struggling to work a new platform, especially because the landing page for YouTube videos on the town website was inaccessible because of a problem with the URL.

Facebook, they say, is where all of the town business has been conducted for years, and the presence of an archive is crucial to hold people to their word.

Facebook offers users the option of extending by six months the deletion deadline for old videos, and of downloading older videos for archiving. Neither of these alternatives seem to have been utilized by the town. Parete says he has “no idea” of any such options for Facebook, but, regardless, maintains that the town is “in compliance” by having meeting minutes available.

“The town,” Parete stated at the last board meeting, “is under no obligation” to provide such a record.

Meanwhile, the seniors press for a timeline.

“Some people think every dollar needs to go to the community,” Parete says. “We’ve got so much going on right now.”

In the meantime, if you need access to prior meetings, as Parete says, “you can read the minutes.” Of course, that won't capture the angry sizzle in the room.