The future of the Dutch Reformed Church on Main Street in the Village of Bloomingburg could go one of a few ways, even though it appears a community group is going to block the sale of the church.

The Town of Mamakating, who owns the 197-year-old church, wants to sell it to the Apostolic Pentecostal Village of Middletown.

The agreement would require the congregation to repair and maintain the structure, and would prevent the congregation from selling it to another party who may demolish or repurpose it.

"It wasn't about saving the building," Mamakating Town Supervisor Bill Herrmann said. "Nothing bad was going to happen to this church."

Members of the Bloomingburg Restoration Foundation, who have been leasing the building from the town since 1972 for $1 per year, are trying to block the sale through a referendum.

"We are prepared to go forward with restoring this with all donations and grants that we can get," Bloomingburg Historian Linda Helms.

Since state law allows residents to deny the sale of a town-owned asset through a referendum, Helms and friend Gwen Gillen-Deserto presented an official petition to the town board at Tuesday's meeting. It appears to have at least double the required number of valid signatures to put the issue up for vote.

The foundation members want the sale canceled and their lease renewed, so they can keep holding community events and recruit new volunteers.

Helms said maintenance and repairs have not happened much in the last 10 years, because many of the foundation's most active members have been getting sick or dying.

"We're hoping that we can get some younger, new blood," Helms said, "to come and help us redo the outside of the the building, redo the steps, repaint it, and fix it up."

Town Supervisor Bill Herrmann said he did not expect this response from the community.

"We apologize for that misjudgement of how important it was," Herrmann said. "Because quite honestly, few people have shown some interest."

Helms said her side is sorry, too.

"We'd also wish to apologize to the citizens of the Town of Mamakating," Helms said, "for allowing the conditions of the historic landmark to deteriorate."

Herrmann said the petition looks complete, and that "it surely looks like the town will maintain the building."

As for the law that empowers residents to block sales of properties in their communities, Herrmann said it "is probably a good check and balance on the government." 

Just because all signs point to the sale of the church being blocked, it does not immediately mean the foundation will get to resume activities in the church. The town board still must vote on whether to renew the foundation's lease for one or more years.

Herrmann has one of the seven votes on the town board. When asked if he would consider voting to renew the lease, Herrmann paused and said, "Maybe."

A date for the referendum on the sale has not yet been set.