By Dan Hust
NARROWSBURG — Sullivan West’s two closed campuses are likely headed back to bid, as developer Ilwon Kang has abandoned his plan to purchase the Narrowsburg and Delaware Valley schools.
According to SW Supt. Ken Hilton, Kang’s attorney faxed the district’s attorney a “discontinuance” notice, severing his agreement with the district and requesting his down payment of $150,000 be refunded.
Kang’s fax on Friday came on the heels of the school board’s informal decision the night before to not change the terms of its offer to extend the time Kang had to purchase the two properties.
Kang had already gotten an extension from June to yesterday, so long as he paid a nonrefundable $2,000 a month to SW.
The board was willing to continue that arrangement from November 1 to either April 1 or 30 days after the Town of Tusten adopted its new zoning rules, which would likely have allowed Kang to turn the Narrowsburg school into a hotel without having to request a special use permit.
But Kang did not want to continue paying the $2,000 a month, said Hilton.
The board chose Thursday, however, to stick by its offer, resulting in Kang’s fax on Friday, abruptly ending a year of efforts.
“I’m hopeful this is not the end of Mr. Kang’s interests in the buildings,” Hilton said yesterday. “I also hope if we put it up for sale, we’ll have nibbles from other people.”
Kang did not return requests for comment at press time yesterday.
SW, meanwhile, will return the $150,000, which was held in escrow, and the school board will have a chance at this Thursday’s regular meeting to discuss whether to put the schools back up for sale.
That meeting, open to the public, starts at 7 p.m. at the high school in Lake Huntington.
In the meantime, Hilton confirmed the two closed campuses are being shut down completely to reduce ongoing maintenance costs.
“We’re going to lock up the doors, turn off the heat and drain the pipes,” he said.
As a result, the buildings will be closed to the public, including for use by EagleFest, whose organizers have put the popular January festival on hold.