Progress in Abele Park

For what feels like an eternity, residents of the Abele Park district of Lake Oscawana have been watching two buildings essentially fall into the lake right next to their children's beach. They are more than just an eyesore. Residents worry that there could be asbestos, lead, black mold, and fuel from a nearby oil tank seeping into the sand and water and that the next violent storm could trigger their complete collapse. The buildings were once a favorite spot for gassing up motor boats while children went inside to buy Tootsie rolls and bubble gum. Since then, they've become a blight no one has been eager to take responsibility for.

In February 2025 Putnam Valley's Building Department seemed to agree, citing the buildings as unsafe and unfit for human occupancy. The violations stated that the buildings either needed to be demolished or an engineer needed to develop plans for their restoration. The conclusion: "This Department has classified these violations as hazardous and therefore your immediate attention is required. If you do not comply with the requested action by 03/06/2025, the Town of Putnam Valley will begin formal enforcement action against you."

Unfortunately, it's taken more than a year and a half for that formal enforcement action to arrive. The initial focus is on 76 Cayuga Road. "The town is moving forward with plans to demolish it," said Town Supervisor Alison Jolicoeur in a recent interview. Code Enforcement Officer Richard Quaglietta says the tear-down will need to be done by hand to reduce the risk of contaminating the lake, which feeds into the City of Peekskill's drinking water supply.

Why did it take so long for enforcement action to happen? Part of the problem was lack of clarity about who was responsible. The owner of the properties, Herbert Edelman, died in 2023. Before he passed away, he tried to give the properties to the town. However, in part because he owed substantial back taxes on them, the town declined his offer. In his will, Edelman bequeathed the two properties to the county, which also refused to accept them. Ownership of the properties remains with the Edelman estate, which has been bogged down in Westchester's Probate Court since his death.

Hence the finger pointing. Town officials thought that because the buildings created an environmental hazard, the county's Health Department should take the lead. The county Health Department says they are only responsible for overseeing the water quality by the public beach and they have not found hazardous results. The Health Department also tried to engage the state's Department of Environmental Conservation, but they determined that unless they are notified about debris floating in the lake outside of the swimming area, it's not their problem either.

So, we're back to Putnam Valley's Building Department taking responsibility for the demolition. Quaglietta says there will first need to be a public hearing and a vote by the Town Board to proceed. As for who will pay for it, the town will absorb the upfront costs and then turn to the estate for reimbursement. In mid-August, Putnam County's Department of Finance confirmed that the estate had amassed more than $600,000 in back taxes. Since that inquiry those payments were unexpectedly made and there are no longer liens on the properties.

The latest wrinkle in this lengthy saga is that there used to be a gasoline pump in front of the buildings connected to an oil tank buried underground. This year someone illegally removed the pump and left it lying in the grass beside the buildings. Quaglietta says that further complicates the demolition process since the exact location of the tank and pipes underground is now less clear and the removal may have caused soil to be contaminated.

Assuming the town eventually navigates these new issues and succeeds in demolishing one or both of these properties, it will be viewed as a major victory by residents who have grown so frustrated that they have begun circulating a petition seeking answers and action. Quaglietta is also eager to cross this project off his to-do list. When pressed why the town was so slow to enforce the violations, especially given that they were considered hazardous, Quaglietta and Jolicoeur attributed the delay to the former town attorney, Sarah Ryan, who they said did not make it a priority. Ryan did not respond to a request for comment.

After demolition, the next question is, what happens to those properties? The fact that the estate has just paid such a large sum in delinquent taxes suggests it will seek a sale to recoup its costs. Not surprisingly, residents were hoping the land would be donated to the district. That would enable them to expand their park, which is adjacent to the two buildings, and connect the children's beach with the nearby adult swimming area. An attorney representing Edelman's two children, who inherited his estate, did not respond to requests for comment.

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