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