STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – One of Staten Island’s longest standing and most venerable clubs needs a new meeting place.
The Staten Island Society of Model Railroaders, first chartered in 1956, had been meeting in the staff house building at New York Health + Hospitals/Sea View for more than ten years.
The spot wasn’t ideal because of a leaky roof, according to club vice president Michael Pillarella, but the meeting place allowed the group to keep its model railroad setups permanently standing.
But then the group was told that while the building would be renovated, there would be no room for the club there in the future. The railroaders held their last meeting there in December of 2022 and have been looking for a new meeting place ever since.
“We want a place where we could have a workshop, we want a place where we can set up layouts,” said Pillarella.
The eviction stung because the group had been a part of the fabric at Sea View.
Group past president Ron DeMartini said the railroaders had helped the nursing home conceptualize a train layout enjoyed by Sea View residents in the facility’s greenhouse area and had maintained and repaired the setup for the length of the club’s time there.
“Since we’ve been released from that building, the layout has gone to hell,” DeMartini said.
He said the group also ran monthly interactive train shows for the Sea View residents and also held annual holiday train shows in the nursing home lobby.
“We were contributing to that environment,” DeMartini said.
“NYC Health + Hospitals/Sea View is committed to building valuable partnerships with local community organizations,” said agency director of public affairs and communications Rafael Dominguez, “however our existing buildings on the campus were built more than 50 years ago and need structural improvements.”
He said, “As we address these needs, space remains limited. We will work with all our tenants and partners to accommodate requests as best we can.”
Sea View…
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