Sugar Loaf woos college in effort to revitalize hamlet

Sugar Loaf — The famous movie line says, “If you build it they will come.” But in Sugar Loaf on June 7 “If you’ve already built it, we may come to you” would have been more appropriate. Though cautiously optimistic, Noel Spencer of Chester, a new Orange County legislator, couldn’t help but smile as he watched representatives from Orange County Community College speak with representatives from Sugar Loaf about plans for a renaissance in the little arts and crafts hamlet. Spencer brought them all together. Bill Richards, the college president, was there, along with members of the college’s arts department. Minority Leader and Legislator Tony Marino said Sugar Loaf’s arts community was at its peak of activity during the 1970s but has since gone into a decline. “It’s tough to get the word out that it’s here,” he said. The college also stands to benefit from a partnership with Sugar Loaf. Richard Heppner, associate vice-president for liberal arts and former chairman of the Arts and Entertainment Department, said the college “really needs a new facility at some point. They’re very limited in what they can do now.” The arts department is presently in two buildings, and the college is looking to merge in a central location. The college also wants to expand its media arts programs in such areas as Internet radio, digital audio-production, and Mac video editing, and to offer a degree in visual communication. The college now offers art courses, art history, painting, drawing and figure drawing, design, color and black-and-white photography, acting, and improvisation. Students put on a production every semester as well as in summer, according to Heppner. As the group toured Ray Boswell’s three-story pottery studio, Heppner and Susan Slater Tanner, a teacher at the college who lived in Sugar Loaf for nine years, discussed the possibility of reviving the school’s ceramics offerings if Boswell’s program was compatible with the college’s courses. Boswell offered to dedicate certain days to the college, to accommodate both his 75 students and those attending through the school. The prospect of offering such a program, and of not having to comply with the strict requirements of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration regarding the use of a kiln, seemed appealing to the college’s administrators. The school is also looking to expand gallery space for the display of students’ work. “Whatever happens in times when budgets are tight, the arts people need to stick together,” Heppner said. “But then, budgets are always tight.” “We want to partner, for sure, if there is a way to do it,” said Carol Chiu, a new associate vice-president for the Theater Arts Program. “We’re very optimistic about the possibilities.” She explained that the theater on campus is not adequate for the program’s needs, and that the college wants to expand its community outreach in the arts. Spencer’s idea for the revitalization of Sugar Loaf includes a role for the Lycian Theatre. When comparing his hopes for Sugar Loaf with the college’s plans to expand in Newburgh, he said lightheartedly, “I don’t want a whole college, just a department.” The Lycian, which has struggled for years to stay open despite financial difficulties, would offer great opportunities for internships as well as for college performances and programs, he said. Dorian Dehan-Ross, a member of the Sugar Loaf Vision Committee, called the meeting “fabulous.” She hopes a renaissance in Sugar Loaf will attract new artisans to the hamlet and put it back on the tourism map. Plans are still in their very earliest stages, and nothing has yet been decided. Yet it’s a start. “Noel is handling this the right way by getting the right people together,” Marino said. “This will be a shot in the arm.”