BILL NUMBER: S6494

SPONSOR: MAYER
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend chapter 498 of the laws of 2017
authorizing the New York state thruway authority to convey real property
to Rye Country Day School, in relation to requiring the Rye Country Day
School to make the athletic field and track available for rental to
public recreation groups for a certain amount of time per year

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To provide an alternative method of securing public use of a recreation
parcel being sold by New York State to a not-for-profit school for
recreational and educational uses.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section three is amended to read as follows:

§ 3. The authorization to transfer and convey the lands described in
section four of this act shall be contingent upon the inclusion of a
              

covenant providing that Rye Country Day School shall make the athletic
field and track available for rental to public recreation groups for no
less than twenty-nine percent of usable hours in the course of each
calendar year and to provide opportunity for public rental of any recre-
ation buildings that may be constructed on the parcel.   
DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION (IF APPLICABLE):

 n/a

 
JUSTIFICATION:

This legislation amends Chapter 498 of the Laws of 2017 which authorized
the sale of state land to Rye Country Day School, a not-for-profit
corporation chartered by the Board of Regents of the University of the
State of New York for recreational and educational use by the school and
the public.

That legislation established a process for the school and the city to
agree to a use plan for school and public use of the parcel. Discussions
towards such a use plan have not been completed. To insure that the
community, through school acquisition, retains the opportunity to secure
the parcel for the benefit of school and public recreation groups
contemplated in 2017 legislation, this measure provides an alternate
method of assuring public use through the inclusion of a deed covenant
by the school before transfer from the state can proceed. Utilization of
this covenant will only be necessary if the city and school fail to come
to agreement.

The twenty-nine percent of field and track time for public use included
in the legislation matches the amount of time detailed in the proposal
by the school which was the basis for their willingness to commit to a
major capital program to acquire the parcel and develop the site at
their cost.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

n/a

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.