The Newburgh Art Supply Store and building at 5 Grand Street in the City of Newburgh is facing foreclosure. Owner and resident Michael Gabor is seeking help and support from the city and community as he navigates the situation.

The Newburgh Art Supply, a local arts supply store and staple in the city arts community, first opened in 2008 under Gerardo Castro and Michael Gabor, who were both business and life partners. The building is not only the storefront but the residence of both partners.

Over the past decade, Castro and Gabor worked together to support and foster the arts community in the city. The Newburgh Open Studios tour, founded by both partners, became an annual event during the fall where visitors had the opportunity to come to Newburgh and view various artists in their spaces. It was also where conversations about the artwork and the opportunity to purchase the work was made possible through the event. The LightBulb Project and Art About Water were several art initiatives led by Castro.

At the age of 56, Castro passed away on March 17, 2024 of natural causes. Articles were written on his work and memorials services were held to honor the memory of Castro. The city and greater art community felt a great loss in the passing of Castro this past spring.

With the foreclosure situation, Gabor explained he is currently having difficulties with paying his property taxes and now the city is no longer willing to negotiate with him about the situation. Payment plans, said Gabor, were established with the business and the city and every two years, a new agreement was then signed. Due to payments not being accepted by the city last year, the city has moved forward with foreclosure proceedings.

A petition dated June 5, 2024 serves as a petition and notice of foreclosure. The petition involves the matter of “the foreclosure of tax liens by proceeding in rem pursuant to Article Eleven of the Real Property Tax Law by the City of Newburgh”. The petition was signed by City Manager Todd Venning, who signed as the Director of Finance and Enforcing Officer for the city.

A notice of motion dated August 1, 2024 has set a hearing at the Orange County Court in Goshen for Monday, August 26 to determine judgment, leading to awarding of title and possession of the property.

An affirmation in support of the default judgment was signed and filed by Assistant Corporation Counsel Jeremy Kaufman on August 1. Within the language of the document, it notes that Gabor had entered into a Installment Payment Agreement (IPA) with the city but continues with Gabor defaulting on or about August 1, 2023 on his IPA. The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance explains that those who are unable to pay their taxes fully may qualify for an IPA. Under the IPA agreement, monthly payments will be made toward unpaid tax balances.

The affirmation document continues that Gabor was notified of the default several days after and in October 2023, a certificate of reinstatement was issued by Venning in his capacity as Enforcing Officer. A petition was filed on June 10, 2024 and the affirmation claims that Gabor has not responded to the petition, stating again that Gabor is in default and the city should be awarded the relief.

The affirmation continues with several exhibits submitted which provide information on agreements, the payment schedules and other correspondence from the city to Gabor. The office of corporation counsel was contacted but no response was received prior to publication.

Gabor said he has been in contact with Kaufman about the situation but further information has not been provided. A friend of Gabor’s, a real estate agent, and a lawyer who Gabor was looking to hire contacted the city office and the situation was discussed at greater length.

“It’s interesting to me that the city attorney wouldn’t talk to me but would talk to them about my situation,” said Gabor. “I really am sort of out of the loop as far as what the specifics are at the moment. I’ve been told what they may be but I haven’t heard directly from the city.”

“I don’t know the figure of what they need to satisfy what they want, which would be helpful. That’s kind of what I’m looking for,” Gabor continued. “Obviously I need to raise money, and I need to figure out what that amount is that I need to come up with. All I’m looking for at this point is an extension of time.”

A GoFundMe page has been created and available at the following link: https://gofund.me/aaff4761.