The Nevele Grande Resort has closed its doors for what the hotel's management says is to be a one-month period of reorganization. The Nevele has, in recent years, undergone several physical and financial setbacks. And the hotel's closure comes as a surprise to no one; instead, it is a sad confirmation of what for years many people have suspected was coming.

What makes the closure all the more tragic is the fact that, if you were to walk into the Nevele's lobby, you'd never know that there had been any financial troubles at all (skipping, of course, views of the overgrown grounds and the parking lots and roadways in serious need of repaving). There are problems throughout the resort — no one disputes that — but to say that the Nevele is done, and good riddance, would be a sad misconception.

Now, let's contrast the Nevele with the ongoing disaster that is the former Homowack Resort in Spring Glen. The Homowack was once a grand resort not unlike the Nevele. In the 1960s and '70s, people flocked from all over the region to enjoy its posh atmosphere and excellent dining. Now, through neglect and government indifference, its once-elegant condition has deteriorated to the point where it may not be possible to salvage the place. There are roof leaks, exposed wiring, and a host of other problems. The Town of Mamakating and the New York State Department of Health have asked that the property be voluntarily evacuated. More drastic government action could follow in short order.

Is the Homowack a stark glimpse at the Nevele's future? The parallels are difficult to ignore; and the fact that the two are so close to one another, and part of the same Catskills legacy, link them in the past if not in the future. If the Homowack is any indication of what could happen, the Nevele's future could be grim indeed.

But it need not be that way if members of the community can come together and look to ways to ensure a bright future the old resort. One example of such an effort is being made right now with the one-room school house on the Nevele's golf course. Former village resident Jack Godfrey and current resident Tony Percoco are working to gain access to the Nevele's grounds in order to restore the schoolhouse, a building which is an integral part of Wawarsing's history and culture. While the resort is closed, however, they will be unable to get on-site, and will likely have to wait for the hotel's doors to reopen for their dream of restoring the schoolhouse to come to fruition.

Is the Nevele any less a part of Ellenville and Wawarsing's rich past that we all hope to preserve and cherish? It seems appropriate that these two icons of the town's history have fallen into disrepair together — and that they will require a dose of community-minded cooperation to keep from being forgotten or destroyed.

As much as thriving businesses help a community, closed businesses hurt it. The town loses jobs, and it also gains an albatross that's difficult to shake from its municipal neck. We are surrounded by abandoned or empty businesses — from the Hydro facility to the near-empty Napanoch Valley Mall site. And in terms of the Homowack, the Town of Mamakating faces serious liability issues for the environmental and structural problems that riddle the site. The last thing Wawarsing needs is another blight on its landscape.

Right now the Nevele's lights are dark, the water is off, and the property is effectively abandoned. It can go in two vastly different directions — it's at a crossroads. Now is the time to collectively address this issue to prevent what we've seen happen time and again, and to figure out a way to prevent something that has become all too familiar. We need to take action to help keep the Nevele from becoming yet another deserted property slowly going to seed — unless we want to have a Homowack-sized headache tomorrow.