A tip to News 12 about a model train club being forced out of the Monroe Senior Center led to an unexpected response from Town Hall about why the club was canceled.

Town officials say the discovery was made on Jan. 8, when staff were reviewing a basement room to relocate the town’s Dial-A-Bus program. Officials say ammunition, firearm magazines, and accessories were stored in an area used by members of the model train club, inside boxes that were supposed to contain train parts.

According to the town, the items were first found by Kate O’Boyle, the town’s head of maintenance and a former Navy service member.

“It’s all labeled — 9 mm, .223, .357. Shotgun shells, birdshot — you name it, it was here,” O’Boyle said.

New Town Supervisor Maureen Richardson says personal materials bearing the name of Blooming Grove Police Chief Alex Melchiorre, including business cards and stationery, were found next to the ammunition and accessories. Richardson says Melchiorre was a member of the model train club. Melchiorre is also running for mayor in the Village of Monroe.

“This entire room was filled wall to wall with shelving, and it was like someone was living down here,” Richardson said.

Richardson says the basement, located beneath areas used regularly by seniors and the community for events, luncheons and Town Board meetings, was being utilized in a way she says was never formally authorized under the prior administration. She also says flammable materials, including small propane tanks and spray paints, were stored in the space. News 12 observed some of those materials inside boxes while reporting at the senior center.

"Things that you should never be using in a closed off space without any insurance or authorization, and God forbid there was a fire here," says Richardson." Our fire department would have no idea what to expect if that ammunition went off by accident."

Richardson says the town contacted Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta, who advised identifying the owner of the items and having them removed from municipal property. News 12 also reached out to the sheriff for comment and is awaiting a response.

Richardson also alleges that surveillance cameras in the basement room were angled downward, limiting visibility of activity in the space. She says the town is reviewing that footage as part of its internal review.

Melchiorre confirmed to News 12 that the ammunition belonged to him, saying it was temporarily stored at the senior center while he cleared out a personal storage unit.

“The ammunition was mine and mine only,” Melchiorre said in a statement. “Absolutely no weapons were ever at that location.”

Melchiorre disputes the town’s characterization of the situation, saying the model train club was allowed to use the space with permission from the prior town supervisor and the former senior center director. He also denies that propane tanks were stored in the basement and says an independent review should determine whether surveillance cameras were tampered with.

Former Town Supervisor Tony Cardone told News 12 he was not aware of anything other than model train parts being stored in the basement during his administration.

Town officials say the situation raised safety and oversight concerns because of the building’s use by seniors and the public.

“Under their feet all along there was someone using this as their personal living room,” Richardson said. “It’s a disappointment.”

Richardson says the town would welcome the return of the model train club, as long as it obtains proper approvals and liability insurance and complies with town policies.

The town says the locks at the senior center have since been changed and policies governing access to municipal buildings are now under review