Port Jervis, TOYX Negotiate Turntable Site Lease Before July 26 Deadline

Port Jervis officials and the local nonprofit TOYX have entered direct lease negotiations for the 8.67-acre former Erie Railroad turntable site as a July 26, 2026 vacate date set by the city approaches. The site contains a 115-foot-long turntable and, as of TOYX’s December statement, 27 historic railcars linked to the city’s railroad heritage.

TOYX announced on December 3, 2025, that it would “suspend all operations within the City of Port Jervis and remove all 27 of its historic railcars, related exhibits and artifacts from the city over the next eight months.” That release also said city officials had told the group they “now intend to seek a New York State brownfield remediation grant for the heavily polluted property, then sell the land for private redevelopment.” TOYX followed with a January 23 social media statement that expressed hope for a deal: “We are optimistic that a mutually beneficial agreement will be reached to continue and expand TOYX's ongoing preservation and interpretation of this city-owned historic site, as well as provide a public space for residents and visitors to experience TOYX's own railcars and artifacts that are so critical to the city's heritage.”

City leaders and TOYX offer conflicting accounts of plans for the property. At a December 8 city council meeting Mayor Dominic Cicalese said plainly, “The historic turntable is not being demolished, the land is not being sold, and there is no development going on that land.” He added, “Those artifacts are staying here, and they need to stay here. … Outside of that, there is nothing much more I can say and there is nothing much more the public can hear on this.” At the same time, the city moved to terminate the existing tenancy arrangement, telling current occupants to vacate by July 26, 2026.

The lease mechanics have been a point of contention. Rudy Garbely, president of TOYX, described the prior arrangement as a service-based sublease: “We have a service-based sublease. The city owns the site and leases it to the Outdoor Club of Port Jervis, which is responsible for maintenance of the property, grounds, and turntable. The Outdoor Club then subleases all of the tracks to TOYX.” Garbely has said the Outdoor Club has had second thoughts about managing the turntable site because it lies outside the club’s trail stewardship mission. Multiple accounts indicate current negotiations are direct between the City of Port Jervis and TOYX rather than routed through the Outdoor Club.

The dispute has concrete community consequences. Tri-States Railway Preservation Society has closed its boxcar museum and warned, “MUSEUM CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.” Tri-States said the boxcar and its collection will leave Port Jervis in the first half of 2026 and that a new museum facility in Orange County is not expected to reopen until at least 2027. TOYX’s work over the past four years brought thousands of visitors to the site, restored railcars, installed exhibits, and supported local partnerships; a removal or prolonged closure would affect tourism and public access to the city’s railroad legacy.

What comes next matters for residents and local businesses: whether the city finalizes a direct lease with TOYX, whether any brownfield remediation grant application is filed and what it would allow, and the timetable for removal or preservation of the 27 railcars and Tri-States artifacts. Negotiations continue, and the July 26 deadline will be the immediate test of whether the turntable remains an active public heritage site or the rail collection is relocated out of Port Jervis.