CV Community Center Seeks To Build on Strong Foundation
By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
CHERRY VALLEY
Brick by brick, brush stroke by brush stroke, meal by meal, the Cherry Valley Community Center has become a hub for Cherry Valley.
Its purpose is “to provide a facility for every member of the community,” Richard Saba, board chair of the Cherry Valley Community Facilities Corporation, said while walking through the building. “We try to have something that benefits every age group,” he added, “programming, the meal site, and the senior housing wing for seniors, yoga and tai chi for whoever.”
“It’s really a labor of love, because the board is all volunteer, and it’s a lot of work keeping this ship afloat—and expensive,” Saba said.
“It is like a big ocean liner,” Vice Chair Carl Waldman chimed in with a grin.
The rurally-gargantuan building at 2 Genesee Street lovingly referred to as “The Old School,” a purpose it originally served for generations after its 1913 founding, is crammed with uses and still has space to fill. The local post office, town and village offices, 10 senior apartments, a gymnasium, a gallery space, a music room, and a multi-purpose space all have a home here. More unused space awaits hoped-for renovation funds to expand the purpose even further.
“Look how busy it is,” a beaming Tom Garretson, Cherry Valley’s town supervisor, said while holding up the center’s packed calendar at the December town board meeting. “Every day. Very impressive.”
Only a few dozen yards away, CVCFC, the nonprofit which manages the center, was hosting its “Food Frenzy Raffle” fundraiser to support the center’s operations.
Saba and Waldman estimate thousands of people use the building throughout the year. As of the 2020 census, the Village of Cherry Valley had a population of 467 people.
Among that population is an unusually large number of artists or family members of artists. For over a century, Cherry Valley has attracted artists and creatives, Saba and Waldman included.
Things really took off when Allen Ginsberg, the famed poet, purchased a farm on East Hill in the 1960s, one which Waldman said he was caretaking.
That “brought in all the luminaries from the beat generation, writers and artists,” said Saba.
The facility’s unique place in the community has also drawn unique commitment. Often, tasks like cleaning or painting will be done by volunteers or at a reduced cost. Community members will often donate items for shared use, too.
On Monday and Wednesday afternoons, Meals on Wheels also runs from the cafe.
“Today was good,” said Holly Patterson, after serving about a dozen people. “It was turkey divan with Brussels sprouts and broccoli.”
Since being built, the Old School has grown out its wings. The CVCFC board still has ambitions to use more of the original building.
“Our vision at this point is to pursue renovating that initial section [of the building], which really has some historical significance,” Saba said. That could include “a much more fully realized community arts facility with classrooms, studios, lecture rooms, exhibition spaces.”
CVCFC is seeking donors to chart its next stage of development.
