NARROWSBURG — Ten years after its closure and nearly nine decades after its opening, the Narrowsburg School gained its first-ever private owner Wednesday.

Narrowsburg residents Brendan and Kathleen Weiden finished the $751,000 deal with the Sullivan West Central School District after a four-hour closing that day, setting the vacant property on a new path.

The Weidens hope to secure a gourmet ice cream manufacturer in the near future and educational, community and artistic offerings in the longer term.

They see it as part of an ongoing renaissance of Narrowsburg, thanks to existing businesses, organizations and residents.

“[We're] making a contribution to an effort that already has momentum,” Brendan told the Democrat minutes after the closing.

“We're thrilled that it's done,” added Kathy, who acknowledged it will be a continuation of the Weiden family's multiple-generation presence in the community.

The completion of the sale takes the aged building off district taxpayers' hands and puts it on the tax rolls.

SW Supt. Nancy Hackett said the district's long-held hope was that the facility would see a renewed existence.

“We're thrilled the Weidens have already taken some great steps,” she affirmed.

And those steps continue. The Weidens just acquired three more privately-owned parcels, located adjacent to an athletic field that was part of the school sale. Comprising 16 acres, the field and associated properties sit between Kirk Road and NYS Route 97, nearby but separate from the two-acre property hosting the school itself.

On Tuesday, the couple gained Sullivan County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) Board approval to add those three parcels to the existing “Master Developer” agreement they have with the IDA.

The board also raised to $72,000 the maximum sales tax breaks the Weidens can get on materials, equipment and services purchased for any construction, demolition and equipping associated with the school project.

Though the IDA resolution indicates a house on one of those newly-acquired parcels will be demolished, details remain scarce, with the properties being listed as part of a “future phase.”

The Weidens aren't yet ready to name the ice cream manufacturer they're wooing either, though they affirmed the very next step is to finalize that arrangement, with a hope to have the factory up and running by next year.

However, the building will be partially opened this fall for a major gathering. The Delaware Valley Arts Alliance has announced that its 40th Anniversary Gala will be held inside the school on October 17.