An overgrown former neighborhood school in the Town of Glenville is set to be torn down. The town hopes to see homes built on the property.
Glenhaven was built by the Burnt Hills - Ballston Lake Central School District to serve as an elementary school in 1958.
It educated students for more than two decades until declining enrollment closed the building 1981. For years after, the building hosted the Burnt Hills district office and afterschool childcare.
A water main break in 2007 caused extensive damage.
Ballston Town Historian Rick Reynolds, who taught in the district from 1981 to 2010, remembers the break.
“It must have happened when there was no one in the building because when people arrived there was water six inches, eight inches in the building which destroyed all the plaster board and the wall board and everything,” Reynolds said.
The district offices moved into the Burnt Hills Senior High School a few miles away. Eventually, the district sold Glenhaven to Mekeel Christian Academy in 2016. Mekeel planned to use the building to expand but never did.
Mekeel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Now, a $1 million New York state grant to Schenectady County may breathe new life into the property.
Acting Glenville Town Supervisor Robert Kirkham Jr. says the school and its 40 acres could become the location of a housing development after the building is demolished.
“Our hope is that a developer will certainly come in there and will hopefully go before all of the process through the planning board and provide us with a TBD for single family housing,” he said.
As it stands, the building and accompanying grounds look like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie. Cracks in the former parking lot are filled with weeds. Tall grass surrounds the entire building and a locked gate at the entrance prevents cars from entering the old circle driveway.
But according to neighborhood resident John Oliksowycz, that gate isn’t stopping people from entering the property.
Oliksowycz, who lives in a house on Cypress Drive directly next to the property, says kids congregate on the grounds frequently.
“No one sees it more than me,” Oliksowycz said.
He says it is difficult to tell the difference between kids who want to play or QUOTE “light the building on fire.”
“I’ve caught people in the backyard just staring at the backyard, what are you looking at my backyard for, ‘Oh, I’m just standing here,’ no you’re not, you’re casing the back of the house, you want to steal my canoe,” Oliksowycz said.
Ray Gillen, who chairs the Schenectady County Metroplex Authority, says a team of developers has the opportunity to purchase the site from Mekeel.
“We have a developer that is involved that has an option on the property and a contract on the property to purchase the site,” Gillen said.
In addition to demolishing the school, Gillen says the money will go towards abating asbestos in the building and running water and utilites. As many as 27 single family homes could be built on the property.
But some neighbors have concerns.
Terry Hudson, who lives a few houses down from Oliksowycz on Cypress Drive, is worried about potential traffic.
“These are all very old house dating from the 50s and we have come to love our quiet experience on this street.,” Hudson said.
Hudson and her husband, Dennis Stebbins, have lived here for more than 20 years. Stebbins says he would like to see new houses or a new park in the area.
"My concern would be how they are going to get the waste out of there as far as septic, sewers, and stuff like that,” he said.
Neighorhood children frequently used the playground and rode bicycles on the property. Hudson wants a park.
“I hope no one moves up there and they make it a green space and make it a park, and if we hit the lottery, we’re going to make it an animal sanctuary right,” Hudson said.
