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Putnam's
Tilly Foster to get rare animals
By Susan Elan • The Journal News • July 7, 2008
SOUTHEAST - County-owned Tilly Foster Farm, formerly a dairy
and horse breeding farm, has some new tenants.
Seven Randall Lineback Cattle and 15 Jacob Sheep, early
American animals, have taken up residence at the 199-acre
property off Route 312, a loan by Kent gentleman farmer and
financier George Whipple.
An official welcome to introduce the endangered species to
Putnam County residents is scheduled for Saturday. There
also will be arts and crafts activities, and a musical
performance.
Whipple moved the cattle and sheep from his animal
collection at his Pine View Farm on Wednesday and spent the
night wrapped in a blanket between two sheep pens at Tilly
Foster making sure they got acclimated to their new
surroundings.
"The people of Putnam County are the owners of Tilly Foster
and it's important to encourage them to come to free
activities often," Whipple said.
By bringing rare, early American animals there, he hopes to
make Tilly Foster a "world-class farm with animals you can
see only here," he said.
The farm is open free to the public every day until 4 p.m.
Planned events also will be free.
On Saturday, in addition to strolls through the property to
the animals, the Putnam Arts Council will host an open house
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring local pottery and
basket-weaving artisans.
Monthly activities are planned through November. An August
event will focus on sheep and how wool is spun and turned
into shawls and other items. Antique farm equipment,
including tractors, gas engines and farm implements, will be
on display in September. A farewell festival is scheduled
for mid-November, marking the end of the Tilly Foster farm
season as the animals prepare to return to Whipple's Kent
farm for the winter.
Whipple said he plans to introduce additional animals from
his collection to Tilly Foster in the spring.
The public's use of Tilly Foster that Whipple has made
possible fit the vision laid out by the Tilly Foster
advisory board after the county bought the property in 2002
to protect it from development, board member Ann Fanizzi
said.
"Thanks to the generosity, energy and enthusiasm of George
Whipple, the mission of establishing an agriculture and
education center for residents at Tilly Foster has been
resurrected," Fanizzi said. "At long last that dream has
finally come true."
A horse-boarding operation run by the county at Tilly Foster
was much criticized because of the associated costs. It
ceased operation at the end of 2007.
"We're looking forward to Tilly Foster being actively used
by the general public," Deputy County Executive John Tully
said. "We hope it will become a tourist attraction for
Putnam County and the surrounding area."
Mildred Nugent of Southeast said she hoped to see Tilly
Foster become Putnam's version of Muscoot Farm in Somers.
Nugent, who lived in Yorktown for 46 years, said she
frequently took her children and grandchildren to Muscoot.
She moved to Southeast eight years ago.
"They learned things they could never get out of a book,"
Nugent said.
On Thursday morning, about a dozen children with sketchbooks
in hand had taken up position near Tilly Foster's front
fields and were drawing the sheep and cattle.
"Allowing people to interact with their historic,
agricultural roots feels like the biggest success in my
life," Whipple said.
Notice of
Acceptance of Draft EIS and Public Hearing
Putnam County - The Town of Southeast Planning Board, as lead
agency, has accepted a Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the
proposed Stateline Retail Center. A public hearing on the Draft
EIS will be held on July 14, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. at the Southeast Town
Office, 1360 Route 22, Brewster, NY 10509. Written comments on
the Draft EIS will be accepted until ten (10) days following the
close of the public hearing. The action involves the construction of
approximately 184,800 square feet of retail use, 14,800 square feet
of office use, and 11,000 square feet of community space and 915
parking spaces on an approximately 44.7 acre site. Access would be
from three driveways off NYS Route 6, one of which would be
signalized. Water for the site would be supplied from groundwater
wells with an approximate daily usage of 4,900 gallons per day and
sewage would be treated in an onsite septic system. A series of
stormwater basins would be used as the primary method of managing
post development stormwater runoff. The project is located on NYS
Route 6 between Old Nichols Road and Dingle Ridge Road in the Town
of Southeast, NY 10509.
Contact: Laurie Fricchione, Southeast Planning Board, Phone:
(845) 279-7736.
April 29, 2008
Disputed Southeast barn knocked down
By
Michael Risinit
The Journal News • February 7, 2008
SOUTHEAST - An excavator yesterday flattened an early
19th-century barn in Southeast, obliterating a piece of
Putnam County's history and emotionally crushing those who
tried to save the structure.
"It's a pile of rubble, a seven-year battle all in
splinters," Katherine Dwyer said minutes after the walls and
roof crumpled to the ground.
Dwyer has lived next door to the circa-1820 barn, once part
of the Rocky Dell dairy farm, for 27 years. Neighbors have
recently fought to save the barn - first as a temple was
considered for its surrounding land off Doansburg Road, then
as a Bedford developer proposed four homes on the land. But
time finally ran out yesterday for the barn, during its
third century of life.
"I've gotten stays of execution on several occasions. I was
hoping they would hold off until we could figure out a way
that would benefit everybody," Dwyer said.
The latest reprieve began in October, when Strazza
Development put the land up for sale. That caused
then-Southeast Supervisor John Dunford to put his pen down
and not sign the demolition permit. Current Supervisor
Michael Rights, though, signed the necessary paperwork last
week.
"On advice of counsel, we do not have legal grounds to
prevent (Strazza) from using (its) property, from pulling
down this rotting barn," Rights said. "At the end of
expensive litigation, the town would be ordered to issue the
permit anyway."
Dwyer had rejected opportunities to buy the barn and its 47
acres as too expensive, countering with offers to purchase
the building and no more than an acre. She and
philanthropist George Whipple III of Kent thought a deal was
in place for Strazza to transfer ownership to Whipple's
Preserve Putnam County foundation in return for a charitable
tax deduction. Dwyer would then pay to move the barn to her
land. At some point, it possibly would have been relocated
to public property.
The excavator was dropped off at the site Tuesday. Yesterday
morning, Strazza owner Michael Diguglielmo said he would
hold off the demolition if he had written assurances the
barn would be removed from his property within 30 days.
"If they are willing to take the barn, why bother?" he said
a couple of hours before the razing.
But Dwyer was unable to get an estimate quickly of how much
it would cost to move the barn so a contract could be
written.
An architectural historian hired by the town last year
concluded the barn and Dwyer's home were once part of the
same homestead but were divided in the middle of the last
century. That separation wiped out any eligibility for state
and national historic status, the historian said.
Nonetheless, Putnam County Historian Alan Warnecke said
the barn should have been preserved as a link to the
county's roots. Instead, its hand-hewn timbers, cupola and
side-gable roof lay heaped on the wet ground yesterday
afternoon.
"That's a real tragedy. It's very distressing to see another
historic structure being destroyed," Warnecke said.
Staff writer Marcela Rojas contributed to this report.
Reach Michael Risinit at
mrisinit@lohud.com or 845-228-2274.
Read reactions to this story
AnnFanizzi wrote:
Just to add another comment. One of the areas that need
to be discussed is how can we bring developers and
preservationists together and understand that the presence
of an historic structure on their property only can enhance
its value. This is what Europeans have done. They have
not carted the ruins of Pompeii away in trucks nor the Forum
or Coleseum in Rome. These "crumbling" historic structures
have become meccas for tourists and an economic boon to the
cities in which they are located. We could profit by their
example.
February 27, 2008
Horses out, cows in at Putnam's Tilly Foster
Farm
Susan Elan
The Journal News
January 28, 2008
SOUTHEAST - There will be no horses
grazing on the rolling pastures of Tilly Foster Farm anytime
soon.
Putnam officials have rejected
proposals from the two bidders who wanted to run an
equestrian center on the county-owned property, which was
once a thoroughbred horse farm.
Instead, a private company is offering
to bring "child-friendly" agrarian activities to the
199-acre Southeast landmark at no cost to Putnam, County
Executive Robert Bondi said Thursday.
Tilly Foster had a dairy herd before
the Benedict family turned the Route 312 spread into a
thoroughbred stable. Bondi envisions bringing the cows and
calves back.
"We could have a program where
children would feed and learn the proper care of the little
calves after school," Bondi said.
Over time, Tilly Foster could become
Putnam's version of Muscoot Farm in Somers, Bondi said.
"We would go in stages to implement it
because of fiscal concerns," said Bondi, who owns a farm in
Steuben County with 29 cows and calves.
The Westchester County Department of
Parks, Recreation and Conservation runs programs for
families at Muscoot, including Meet the Baby Animals. The
farm, which dates to the late 1800s and was a family-owned
dairy operation until 1967, is home to ducks, geese, cows,
horses, pigs, sheep and goats.
Bondi declined to identify the
potential new operator. But he said he hoped the company
would work with investment banker and gentleman farmer
George Whipple, who in the spring of 2006 offered to give
Tilly Foster early American livestock from his farm in Kent.
The donation would have included Randall lineback cattle,
pilgrim geese, runner ducks and American Jacob sheep.
"Both say they want to do something
really good for the people of the county," Bondi said. "The
two could work together -although they don't realize it
yet."
Whipple said Friday that it was the
first he had heard of the plan, but he thought the venture
would be good for county tourism and an asset for residents.
"I'd be delighted to work with anybody
to connect schoolchildren to their rural past," Whipple
said.
Ann Fanizzi, a member of the Tilly
Foster Advisory Board who was instrumental in the campaign
to save the farm from development, called Bondi's new
direction the right choice.
The board had agreed several years ago
with a consultant's recommendations calling for a "mini-Muscoot
on Tilly that would reflect the agrarian history of Putnam
County and Southeast in particular," Fanizzi said. The board
also wanted a farm museum and year-round activities for
children and families, she said.
"I'm elated they are going back to the
original vision," she said.
Putnam purchased the property named
for Tillingham Foster, a 19th-century farmer, in the fall of
2002. The New York City Department of Environmental
Protection provided $3.9 million in watershed protection
funds to acquire the land adjacent to the Middle Branch
Reservoir, part of the city's water supply.
The county replaced the roofs on two
barns and repaired fences and drainage at Tilly Foster,
where it ran a horse-boarding operation for several years.
The horse barn closed in late December. A search to run it
privately ended last week after the county rejected the only
two proposals it had received.
"Neither provided quite the services
we were looking for," said Alex Mazzotta, Putnam's
purchasing director. "We're going to think over different
ideas and not rush back into setting up a new RFP," a
request for proposals from bidders.
Drew Marino of Mahopac withdrew a bid
after Putnam turned down his request for more land for
additional stalls and paddocks and an indoor riding ring.
Later, the county reconsidered, and he and his two partners
resubmitted a proposal. But by Thursday the deal was off
again.
"I'm upset in one way because I wasted
a lot of time," Marino said. "But they have their hands full
with the golf course. They are really under the microscope.
But it's disappointing to see it closed."
Friday is the extended deadline for
companies to submit bids to manage the county-owned Putnam
National Golf Club in Mahopac. The 18-hole course and
banquet facility closed Dec. 31 and would reopen only under
private management.
Anthony Zumpano, manager of River
Ridge Equestrian Center in Eastchester, who also bid on the
Tilly Foster horse barn, said he did not know why Putnam had
not accepted either bid.
"We had some contractual issues, but I
can't get into those," he said.
Some horse owners in Putnam and
Westchester had criticized Zumpano for the condition of the
horses and the facility he runs on his 7-acre, Westchester
County-owned site in Eastchester. He said the allegations
came from disgruntled boarders he has long tried to evict
from River Ridge.
Kathie Franco of Kent, a former
boarder at Tilly Foster, said she hoped to see animals,
especially horses, return to the farm, even if it was only
for pony parties and horse shows.
Katherine Dwyer of Brewster boarded
her thoroughbred mare Evening Star at Tilly Foster and was
among the last to leave.
"I hung on to the end hoping the
county would come to its senses," Dwyer said. "It's so sad
to see that beautiful farm and gorgeous paddocks without
horses. I wish the county had not undone what it had.
January 28, 2008
Hi all
Below is my reply to Zumpano's letter that appeared in the
Journal News- see below. The reply appended to the letter
has to be within the severe limitation of 1000 characters
(not words) imposed by the Journal News Forum.
We need letters to the editor and comments on the forum.
Sincerely,
Ann
www.putopenspaces.com
I am not a disgruntled boader and have visited your
so-called equestrian center, with horses in filthy, decrepit
barns and stalls the size of cages (7X7), violating ever
known rule for adequacy of space (at least 10X10) and
conditions urged by advocates of equine welfare. Anyone who
visits this dismal facility, devoid of grass and beauty,
better wear knee high boots to slog through the mud-laden
grounds and don't stay too near the broken and jagged vinyl
post fences housing the horses.
Zumpano letter - Jan 26.
Positive plan for Tilly Foster
Regarding "Horse owners to lobby Putnam to block leasing of
Tilly Foster barn" (Jan. 2 article): Obviously, several
factors have been omitted in regard to the conditions at
River Ridge Equestrian Center. River Ridge has been owned by
the County of Westchester since 1925. Rusty Holzer has been
the lessee since 1997. In 2007, the county awarded Mr.
Holzer a 20-year lease with River Ridge under the condition
that he must invest $500,000 worth of improvements in a
two-year time frame.
Kathie Franco has voiced her opinion in regard to the
condition of our horses at River Ridge. However, licensed
veterinarians feel our horses are well-fed, exercised and
maintained in a very healthy atmosphere. The alleged charges
of wrong-doing against myself have been dismissed after
serious investigation. We feel that disgruntled boarders who
are under an eviction process have trumped up the majority
of these false accusations.I feel we run a very friendly,
family-oriented stable that reaches out to all persons from
the beginner to the expert rider. We have reputable boarders
including the Mount Vernon Mounted Police Unit and many
longtime satisfied boarders.My goal for the Tilly Foster
Farm is to provide an enjoyable, safe recreational
equestrian center for all the residents of Putnam County and
areas within. I invite anyone to visit River Ridge
Equestrian Center in Eastchester at anytime to see for
yourselves what a fun and welcoming atmosphere we provide to
the public. I trust the County of Putnam and the Town of
Southeast will see the positive views on my proposal for
Tilly Foster Farm.Anthony ZumpanoEastchesterThe writer is
stable manager at the River Ridge Equestrian Center.
January 28, 2008
Horses out, cows in at Putnam's Tilly Foster Farm
Susan Elan • The Journal
News
January 28, 2008
SOUTHEAST - There will be no horses
grazing on the rolling pastures of Tilly Foster Farm anytime
soon.
Putnam officials have rejected
proposals from the two bidders who wanted to run an
equestrian center on the county-owned property, which was
once a thoroughbred horse farm.
Instead, a private company is offering to bring
"child-friendly" agrarian activities to the 199-acre
Southeast landmark at no cost to Putnam, County Executive
Robert Bondi said Thursday.
Tilly Foster had a dairy herd before the Benedict family
turned the Route 312 spread into a thoroughbred stable.
Bondi envisions bringing the cows and calves back.
"We could have a program where children would feed and learn
the proper care of the little calves after school," Bondi
said.
Over time, Tilly Foster could become Putnam's version of
Muscoot Farm in Somers, Bondi said.
"We would go in stages to implement it because of fiscal
concerns," said Bondi, who owns a farm in Steuben County
with 29 cows and calves.
The Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and
Conservation runs programs for families at Muscoot,
including Meet the Baby Animals. The farm, which dates to
the late 1800s and was a family-owned dairy operation until
1967, is home to ducks, geese, cows, horses, pigs, sheep and
goats.
Bondi declined to identify the potential new operator. But
he said he hoped the company would work with investment
banker and gentleman farmer George Whipple, who in the
spring of 2006 offered to give Tilly Foster early American
livestock from his farm in Kent. The donation would have
included Randall lineback cattle, pilgrim geese, runner
ducks and American Jacob sheep.
"Both say they want to do something really good for the
people of the county," Bondi said. "The two could work
together -although they don't realize it yet."
Whipple said Friday that it was the first he had heard of
the plan, but he thought the venture would be good for
county tourism and an asset for residents.
"I'd be delighted to work with anybody to connect
schoolchildren to their rural past," Whipple said.
Ann Fanizzi, a member of the Tilly Foster Advisory Board who
was instrumental in the campaign to save the farm from
development, called Bondi's new direction the right choice.
The board had agreed several years ago with a consultant's
recommendations calling for a "mini-Muscoot on Tilly that
would reflect the agrarian history of Putnam County and
Southeast in particular," Fanizzi said. The board also
wanted a farm museum and year-round activities for children
and families, she said.
"I'm elated they are going back to the original vision," she
said.
Putnam purchased the property named for Tillingham Foster, a
19th-century farmer, in the fall of 2002. The New York City
Department of Environmental Protection provided $3.9 million
in watershed protection funds to acquire the land adjacent
to the Middle Branch Reservoir, part of the city's water
supply.
The county replaced the roofs on two barns and repaired
fences and drainage at Tilly Foster, where it ran a
horse-boarding operation for several years. The horse barn
closed in late December. A search to run it privately ended
last week after the county rejected the only two proposals
it had received.
"Neither provided quite the services we were looking for,"
said Alex Mazzotta, Putnam's purchasing director. "We're
going to think over different ideas and not rush back into
setting up a new RFP," a request for proposals from bidders.
Drew Marino of Mahopac withdrew a bid after Putnam turned
down his request for more land for additional stalls and
paddocks and an indoor riding ring. Later, the county
reconsidered, and he and his two partners resubmitted a
proposal. But by Thursday the deal was off again.
"I'm upset in one way because I wasted a lot of time,"
Marino said. "But they have their hands full with the golf
course. They are really under the microscope. But it's
disappointing to see it closed."
Friday is the extended deadline for companies to submit bids
to manage the county-owned Putnam National Golf Club in
Mahopac. The 18-hole course and banquet facility closed Dec.
31 and would reopen only under private management.
Anthony Zumpano, manager of River Ridge Equestrian Center in
Eastchester, who also bid on the Tilly Foster horse barn,
said he did not know why Putnam had not accepted either bid.
"We had some contractual issues, but I can't get into
those," he said.
Some horse owners in Putnam and Westchester had criticized
Zumpano for the condition of the horses and the facility he
runs on his 7-acre, Westchester County-owned site in
Eastchester. He said the allegations came from disgruntled
boarders he has long tried to evict from River Ridge.
Kathie Franco of Kent, a former boarder at Tilly Foster,
said she hoped to see animals, especially horses, return to
the farm, even if it was only for pony parties and horse
shows.
Katherine Dwyer of Brewster boarded her thoroughbred mare
Evening Star at Tilly Foster and was among the last to
leave.
"I hung on to the end hoping the county would come to its
senses," Dwyer said. "It's so sad to see that beautiful farm
and gorgeous paddocks without horses. I wish the county had
not undone what it had."
Reach Susan Elan at
selan@lohud.com or 845-228-2277.
January 16, 2008
Tilly Has Fleas
Good morning -
As if we didn't have enough with the attempt by the County
to grant a contract to the highest bidder who had the lowest
standards for animal care, we now have a proposal which has
been rumored is up before the Economic Development Committee
of the Legislature on Thursday night at about 6:45PM
presented by no other than the Putnam County Tourism
Director, Valerie Hickman. Are you ready? "A Weekend Flea
Market." There are takers already.
And why not? This descent into absurdity began when the
County installed their Septic Repair program on the Farm,
then they farmed out various buildings for humanitarian
reasons and then the DEP took another slice. Indeed we are
witnessing the death of a thousand cuts. And all the while
the hope and expectations of residents for the farm dashed
amid the bickering between the legislature and the
executive, nothing but a pawn.
The vision and plans for Tilly developed by consultants and
the TFAB were put aside; the two-year proposal by George
Whipple for including his herd at his own expense, ignored.
It would have been a start toward a mini Muscoot Farm.
And now, the Farm is desolate, bereft of the horses that so
inspired residents to fight for its preservation. It has
now become a reminder to residents not of past glory but of
present waste and mismanagement. It now fit for only a
flea.
Today in the Journal News several letters from Westchester
residents disgusted with their government's antics, are
calling for abolishing County Government. Maybe it's time
for us in Putnam to seriously consider this move.
Sincerely,
Ann
Telephone # for the Legislature -
225-3641 Ext. 209, att. Tony Hay, Chairman
January 9, 2008
Countdown to
Decision on Tilly Foster - Friday, Jan. 11
Good morning all -
Yesterday I walked into hell. That hell was the River Ridge
Equestrian Center in Eastchester, owned by wealthy
horseman, Rusty Holzer and his wife, but managed by Anthony
Zumpano, a candidate to operate the horse portion of the
Tilly Foster Farm. Mr. Holzer, you might say, is an
absentee landlord as is Westchester County, who owns this
facility and who leases it for a paltry $6,000 a year.
Horses were not in stalls but in cages - no more than 7X7 -
dismal, dark, wood rotten, paint flaking enclosures, filthy
beyond description. Even newer stalls were so tiny that a
horse probably would have difficulty turning around. In
contrast, Tilly Foster's stalls are at least 10X10. The
River Ridge paddocks lacked grass; Tilly Foster lush with
green grass. We sloshed in mud from the entrance to the
exit with dumpsters clearly in sight and water (perhaps with
manure) forming troughs that emptied into a lake. The
trails were not any better. My disposable camera
memorialized the deplorable, inhumane conditions.
And yet, Zumpano has applied and the county, as I write,
pressured by clamor for profitability, is seriously
considering his offer to operate the once, stellar,
top-flight, renowed horse operation introduced by the
Benedict family more than 50 years ago. Not a hint of
scandal was attached to their operation. Not so with River
Ridge. I have received via e-mail and Fed Ex pictures and
actual cases filed in Westchester County detailing
allegations of substandard care and retaliation against
those who protested which will only drag down the fine
reputation of Tilly Foster, becoming fodder for sensational
news stories and further discrediting the entire open space
movement.
For your information, I am attaching a September 10, 2007
article that appeared in the New York Post. It is but the
tip of the iceberg.
You did not permit Tilly Foster to be sold to developers. I
am certain you will not be a witness to the wreckage to
Tilly and the horses that will occur should the contract be
signed. The countdown to a decision by the County on
Tilly is fast approaching - this Friday, January 11th.
Call 225-2212 - County Executive Robert J. Bondi or write to
him at 40 Gleneida Avenue, Carmel, New York. Call the
legislature - 225-3641 ext. 209 or write Hon. Tony Hay,
Chairman of the Board of Legislators at the same address.
New York Post
TALE OF WHOA By ERIKA MARTINEZ
September 10, 2007 -- Investigators are probing
whether a Westchester stable operated by Olympic equestrians
used unlicensed "veterinarians" to treat horses, The Post
has learned. At least three agencies are zeroing in on
possible criminality by vets at the River Ridge Equestrian
Center in Eastchester, which is run by Charles "Rusty"
Holzer and his wife, Ashley, sources said.
Holzer is the son of "Baby Jane" Holzer, socialite, model
and 1960s pop icon who served as a muse for artist Andy
Warhol and appeared in several of his art-house flicks.
An accomplished equestrian, Holzer competed on the U.S.
Virgin Islands team in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and
his wife won a bronze medal for Canada in the 1988 Olympics
in Seoul.
State officials as well as Westchester cops have been
investigating claims that two men without veterinary
licenses were performing medical procedures on horses,
including administering anti-rabies vaccinations, the
sources said.
One of the two was an accredited veterinarian in England,
but lost his privileges this year after he admitted stealing
narcotics for his own use.
He still managed to get a license here - three weeks after
he allegedly administered the vaccine.
And the state is looking into whether a licensed vet, Dr.
William Isomoto, violated protocols by allowing the former
British vet and a colleague to perform medical procedures
and signing off on their paperwork, despite the fact that he
was not there to supervise their activities, the sources
said.
Allegations against Holzer and the stable - which sits on
land owned by the county and leased to the Holzers for 20
years - arose about five months ago when several owners
began to grow suspicious of the qualifications of the two
"vets" and contacted authorities.
Isomoto, the licensed vet, was suspended five years ago by
the Racing and Wagering Board amid accusations he improperly
prescribed meds to three racehorses.
The Holzers' lawyer, Jeffrey Chartier, said Isomoto was
hired "with the full understanding that that he would
perform the tests in accordance with the law."
Chartier added that questions about how "Dr. Isomoto
fulfilled his obligations should be directed to him."
Isomoto denied any wrongdoing.
He initially said those doing "all the work" were licensed,
but when told state records did not reflect that, he said
the pair was at the stable to collect data and any work they
did occurred without his authorization.
Peter Tartaglia, a spokesman for the Westchester Parks
Department, which gave the Holzers their $6,000-a-year
lease, said he believed all medical procedures were done
properly.
erika.martinez@nypost.com
Friction carries on after election, as new Southeast board
meets
By MARCELA ROJAS
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: January 4, 2008)
SOUTHEAST - Tensions erupted at the end of a rather
uncomfortable first meeting last night with the town's new
administration.
Councilman Paul Johnson said he took issue with an earlier
incident involving new Supervisor Michael Rights and
longtime Town Clerk Ruth Mazzei. Johnson said Mazzei called
the Putnam County Sheriff's Office yesterday when Rights
would not leave her office after she repeatedly asked him to
do so.
"I respectfully ask the supervisor to tone it down," Johnson
said. "I respectfully beg that you respect her personal
space and her office."
Rights fought back, saying Johnson was not present "in any
of the circumstances" and that he does respect Mazzei.
"The old guard was not prepared to lose the primary
election, and they did," Rights said. "Now they are not
happy losing Town Hall. We will press on for the town's
benefit."
Heckling ensued from the audience. Mazzei elaborated from
the bench, saying she felt threatened after she asked Rights
to leave her office four times and he refused.
"Unfortunately, I felt I had to call the sheriff's
department to be escorted out of the building," she said. "I
felt for my own safety this is what I had to do."
The disagreements continued past 8:30 last night, with
Councilman Richard Honeck objecting to Rights' orders to
relocate employee parking spaces farther from the building's
entry.
Rights said he did that to open spaces for the public.
The hostility was palpable from the outset of the Southeast
Town Board's organizational meeting last night at the new
Route 22 courthouse facility. There were three new faces on
the Town Board, including Rights and council members Dwight
Yee and Roger Gross.
Last year's race for Southeast offices was arguably the most
contentious the town had seen in recent history.
Lingering frictions from the bitter election season appeared
to have been on display last night.
Throughout the meeting, Rights abstained from voting on
several motions, including designating Willis Stephens Jr.
as the town attorney and Nathan Jacobson & Associates as the
town engineer. He objected to designating The Journal News
and the Putnam County Press as the town's official
newspapers.
Rights also asked to vote at a later date on the motion to
appoint several board seats, including the Planning Board,
the Library Board and the Open Space Committee, saying that
the new members of the Town Board had not had a chance to
meet with those people as they just took office this week.
Yee seconded the motion. The rest opposed.
"You made no attempt to meet with the outgoing supervisor,"
Johnson said. "It's a two-way street … you need to show an
interest in the town."
Toward the close of the meeting, Rights threw curve balls at
some of the board members, including establishing an open
government committee to update the town Web site and "handle
the intellectual property" of the town.
"I oppose this. I don't know what you are talking about,"
Johnson declared. Rights said Johnson was out of order.
Rights named Yee as "special protocol officer," an unpaid
position where he would serve in the supervisor's absence.
The board unanimously voted in favor of the designation. In
December, the Town Board dissolved the position of deputy
supervisor.
Rights also made a motion to have former Councilman Pat
Bonanno be the town's special prosecutor and later withdrew
it after some members said it should be discussed at a work
session.
The next regular meeting of the Southeast Town Board is Jan.
17.
Southeast is buying more land next to
baseball park
By MARCELA ROJAS
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: January 1, 2008)
SOUTHEAST - Town officials are adding more land to the new
baseball fields on Zimmer Road.
Southeast recently contracted to buy a 1.65-acre parcel
adjacent to a roughly 10-acre baseball park expected to open
in late spring.
"This is a perfect fit," said Supervisor John Dunford.
It has not been determined what the additional land will be
used for, but a parking area or storage facility are
possibilities, he said.
The parcel costs the town $185,000, which comes from its
recreation reserve fund, Dunford said. The fund has more
than $900,000, consisting of fees collected when land is
subdivided in the town.
The property belongs to the Young family, who approached
Southeast in the spring with an asking price of $235,000,
Dunford said.
Community members have long called for more baseball fields
in town. Southeast has two other baseball fields at Scolpino
Park and leases two at Markel Park.
The Zimmer Road park will include two fields, including one
for Little League, a walking track and a grassy area for
picnic tables and a playground, officials said. The land on
which the fields sit was donated to the town by LAD Family
Investments, which is building senior-citizen housing units
adjacent to the site. |
