Future of Dowling's Oakdale campus concerns residents

Residents who live near Dowling College's sprawling Oakdale campus say they are concerned about what will happen to its collection of deserted buildings. The college filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

News 12 Staff

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Dec 1, 2016, 4:02 AM

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Updated 2,865 days ago

Residents who live near Dowling College's sprawling Oakdale campus say they are concerned about what will happen to its collection of deserted buildings.

The college filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday. It shut down operations in August after running out of money.

Oakdale Civic Association President Carol Schwaznick says they will be in touch with Islip Town officials to make sure the community is considered in any plans moving forward.

She says any plan to build large density condos on the current campus grounds would only create further problems in a low-lying community that already has issues with sewage removal.

"It really is critical for the quality of life, not being able to do laundry or basic things when it rains hard because the water table is so high that cesspools just don't work," says Schwaznick.

A Melville-based commercial real estate consulting firm has been retained to sell Dowling's two campuses, but so far, there's been no official confirmation on who the potential bidders are.