Is a resurgence underway in Parksville? With the active engagement of the Town of Liberty, a number of projects in the hamlet have come to fruition and a few more are on the drawing board. An active group, Parksville Priorities, meets monthly to foster and advance the revitalization of the hamlet. Business entrepreneurs, local officials and neighbors meet to discuss ongoing projects and concerns.

Frank DeMayo, Town of Liberty supervisor, has had his eye on the village for about 20 years, with a vision of a better Parksville in the old and run-down buildings.

“I’ve got to credit Wade St. Germain and R.J. Baker for getting the ball rolling with Cabernet Frank’s, setting up Parksville as an entertainment venue and holding down the fort, waiting for other things to come to fruition,” DeMayo said. He also credits Rob and Kim Rayevsky for “staying with it,” first with Rolling River Café and now the DoubleUp, their new restaurant opening soon.

The fate of the Paramount Hotel

At the April meeting of Parksville Priorities, the abandoned Paramount Hotel on Tanzman Road was discussed. It has seen recent vandalism and further deterioration – to the concern of local police and firefighters. The property was apparently recently foreclosed on, and DeMayo met with the new owner or lender to discuss these concerns and learn of plans for the property. DeMayo said that while the buildings are seriously deteriorated and are an eyesore, the town has been reluctant to take enforcement action as the taxes have been paid and the 216-acre site has great potential.

One concern for all of Parksville, including the Paramount property, is the absence of a good sewage system, complicated by the Little Beaverkill, the stream that runs along Main Street. But redevelopment of the Paramount property might create a path for construction of a suitable sewer system.

DeMayo credited Nick Rusin, the Town of Liberty’s confidential secretary, for his work in helping a number of properties obtain Restore NY grants to aid in redevelopment. “It’s a long process – it’s not like you get awarded the grant and get the money,” Rusin said. “It’s a process of public hearings, paperwork, plan approvals, etc. But we’ve got three properties now covered, including the old synagogue and the pharmacy.”

DeMayo also praised Samantha MacManus for using her grant to open Pillars of Parksville, a health spa, and cited the opening of New Memories, a performance space and recording studio. “So we’ve got entertainment action now on both ends of the hamlet,” DeMayo said.

Fiddle’s and other Parksville properties

Bruce Davidson, owner of Pestech in Liberty, is ready to move forward with cleanup of the former Fiddle’s Dari-King and Charlie’s Pizza on Old Rte. 17, once he receives a permit to move a water line. He has someone interested in opening a pizza place and hopes to locate a garden stand there, too.

Nearby is the I-86 Diner that continues to be an eyesore, as well as the dilapidated housing behind it. DeMayo said he is uncertain who currently owns the diner property or what is planned for it. “I think somebody will pick it up, because it would be an anchor point and it would be nice to have book-in restaurants,” he said. The Dead End Café building on Main Street was recently sold again, and expectations are that the new owner will re-open it.

Adriane and Todd Perlmutter are proceeding with plans to open the Parksville Arts Center in the former synagogue on Main Street. They are currently forming a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and will also apply for a NY Restore grant. In the meantime, they are partnering with New Memories on a number of events this year, and again will be sponsoring the Parksville B’Kawk! Festival on Aug. 17.

The old Parksville Pharmacy’s owner has cleaned out the facility, but there is a lot of work that still needs to be done. Parksville’s former United Methodist Church had a “coming soon” pizza sign out front, but it has been taken down and plans for the site are unknown.

Other beautification projects

Parksville Priorities plans are underway for some beautification efforts in the hamlet, including a new Welcome to Parksville/O&W Rail Trail sign, and painting of the metal retaining wall on Old Rte. 17, with support from Sullivan 180. Additional ideas are percolating.

At the other end of Parksville, plans are being developed at the Fox Mountain Road entrance to the O&W Rail Trail to minimize walking along the road. They involve a regrading of the entrance to what will become the Trail extension to Livingston Manor. The committee is also seeking student and community volunteers for a Trail cleanup on June 1, National Trails Day. “It goes into Livingston Manor right now, passing Sonoma Falls,” said DeMayo of the O&W Rail Trail. “Eventually it will come from Liberty through Parksville to the Manor, so it will be quite a thing and great benefit to the village.”