Conkling Hall makes friends

Enterprise file photo — Marcello Iaia

Conkling Hall, the historic venue for an annual chili contest and regular concerts, is at 8 Methodist Hill Road, just off of Main Street in the hamlet of Rensselaerville.
 

RENSSELAERVILLE — A not-for-profit organization formed to boost community support for a 176-year-old venue was recently approved as exempt from federal taxes, according to board member Kevin McGrath.

Donations to the charitable organization, Friends of Conkling Hall, will be tax deductible. Before, the hall’s revenues or donations went to the Presbyterian Church of Rensselaerville, which owns the building and will continue to be responsible for basic structural maintenance, said McGrath. Now, donors can give their money to a separate entity, specifically for the benefit of the hall.

While it has received approval from the Internal Revenue Service, the organization still has to submit financial records to the state, McGrath said.

Part of the reason for forming the separate group was to bring more acts and events to the hall, which was originally built as a Methodist church and continues to be a place for plays, concerts, an open mic night, yoga classes, political forums, square dancing, and fundraisers.

In a bid to make the hall more accessible to people using wheelchairs, the board of directors hopes to install a lift inside of the first-floor lobby, but the project could cost tens of thousands of dollars. In that case, McGrath said, the organization and the church might pool their resources.

— Marcello Iaia

More Hilltowns News

  • The Knox candidates are in, with town Clerk Traci Delaney (formerly Schanz) running for town supervisor on the Republican line, and former Berne-Knox-Westerlo Board of Education member Chasity McGivern challenging her on the Democratic line. 

  • Berne’s election this year will be reformative, since every town board seat is up for grabs along with other high-profile positions like town clerk and highway superintendent. 

  • The law will make it easier for residents to build accessory-dwelling units that are up to 1,500 square feet of living space, in what is at least partly an effort to keep senior citizens in the town. 

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