Judge halts sewer work that would have blocked Mahopac shopping center
By BARBARA LIVINGSTON NACKMAN
THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: December 13, 2007)

MAHOPAC - A state Supreme Court judge has temporarily stopped construction of a sewer line expansion along Route 6 that would have detoured vehicles from the main entrance of a busy shopping center during the final shopping weeks before Christmas.

Justice Andrew O'Rourke has signed a temporary injunction preventing the town, or its hired contractors, from blocking traffic entering or exiting the Lake View Shopping Center from today until Dec. 26, court officials confirmed this morning.

The mall's owner on behalf of his tenants, which include Kmart, a CVS pharmacy, and at least 10 independent merchants, had asked the court to intervene when the town of Carmel seemed unwilling to change its work schedule and notified the landlord that the main entrance with a traffic light would shut down this week. Originally, the plan was to do the work near the plaza around Nov. 20, but crews were delayed. Vehicles were expected to be funneled into the parking areas from Baldwin Lane.

December 8, 2007

When is land open space? Re:Putnam National

Good morning all - there is a debate going on in lohud.com/forums about when is land considered open space and when is it not.  Does a golf course meet the standard for open space? Does this particular golf course - Putnam National -  do so?   And you will see debate on both sides of the issue in the forum - open space considered in its purist form as natural, "unspoiled" area to be enjoyed as passive recreation and open space defined strictly as basically absent residential development but still developed in terms of golf courses or ballfields.

Mention was made of the development of Centennial Golf Course.  I live across the way and saw first hand the deforestation that took place; the displacement of wildlife and habitat destroyed;  the redesigning of land contours to fit the strictures of a golf course and the insertion of sand traps, etc.  Was open space destroyed?

Yet both the land comprising Putnam National and Centennial were zoned residential and were equally threatened by the prospect of intense residential development with its concomittant costs to residents in terms of increased school and property taxes. However, unlike Centennial, Putnam National was already a golf course and together with the Mahopac Airport acreage and historic Hill-Agor Farm comprised the purchase and the county lacked a moderately priced course for residents.  Could a golf course revert to natural open space - parkland as one commenter in the article suggested?  Not in my lifetime, I fear.  A dilemma indeed for officials and for all of us.

We can extend this example from golf courses to ballfields.  Many have termed "ballfields" as open space even though to create them, massive detruction of the environment has to take place i.e. deforestation of 22 acres and blasting of 14,400 tons of rock and dirt to make way for Camarda Park and over 15 acres leveled and deforested for Baldwin Woods.  Currently, 100 acres off Miller Road may also be felled to make way for Turf World, a 118,000 square foot sports recreation center. 

I raise these issues for discussion purposes: aside from its utilitarian value as recreational area, open space has inherent value not easily reduced to dollars and cents which must be prized and also protected. 

Recently, discussion has centered on a concept termed "Nature Deficiency" exhibited by children and the public alike.  The author, William Poole, writing in "LAND & PEOPLE" a publication of the Trust for Public Land, asserts that "there is a destructive gap between children and the natural world. Today's kids are aware of global threats to the environment but at no time in our history, have children been so separated from direct experience in nature. Recent studies show that nature can be powerful therapy for depression, obesity and for attention deficit disorder." 

What are we doing in Putnam County to our children, ourselves and our community when we put so little value on the nature around us and participate in its destruction. 

Sincerely,
Ann

December 7, 2007

Parties at Putnam National scrapped after Dec. 31
By SUSAN ELAN
THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: December 7, 2007)
MAHOPAC - The county-owned Putnam National Golf Club is shutting at the end of the year and some party planners are scurrying to find new locations for events already booked.

"My client already sent out invitations for a birthday party in February," said Sherri Hughes, a lawyer in Yorktown with a local client. "She's getting her money back and going elsewhere, but this is making her more anxious than anyone should have to be."

About 60 other patrons face the same predicament.

Putnam Golf Inc., the corporation that has run the 18-hole course and banquet hall, will cease operations Dec. 31. The golf course closed Saturday.

Harold Gary, the county's commissioner of highways and facilities, has declined to extend his contract as the corporation's unpaid president. Parties scheduled through the end of the year will go on, he said.

"We'll honor everything in 2007," Gary said. "We'll return the money to people who left a deposit for 2008."

Gary said he wanted to honor the banquet hall's 2008 bookings, but his lawyer said he didn't have the right to do so once his contract ended.

"I can't use the facility once my contract is over," he said. "I was trying to make things good for the county. Now I don't have anyone coming to the rescue because they say it's the corporation's problem. I don't get a call. There is dead silence. I feel like a lonely child."

Putnam County Executive Robert Bondi said yesterday that the county was not responsible for any party arrangements made with the corporation.

"It is totally private and separate from county government," Bondi said. "We signed no contract with anyone but Harold Gary. We have never signed a contract to provide service to anyone."

Under pressure from lawmakers and residents, and a scathing report by the state Comptroller's Office on the arrangement that put a private corporation in charge of the club, Bondi agreed to search for an outside firm to run it.

A round of bids opened in October did not produce an operator. Most bidders failed to comply with requirements.

The county plans to begin a new search next week. This time, prospective operators can submit joint proposals to run the catering facility and the golf course.

In addition, "Vendors will have more flexibility in presenting their fee and compensation arrangements," said Alex Mazzotta, the county purchasing director. There also will be more time for "due diligence and to formulate their responses," he said.

Proposals will be due Jan. 23. The earliest date to reopen the club is March 1, Mazzotta said.

Valerie Hickman of the Putnam Visitors Bureau called the closing of Putnam National a serious setback for tourism. Many potential visitors ask whether the county has a municipal course, said Hickman, who plays golf.

"They tell us they are so surprised that a municipal course is so beautiful and so well run," she said.

Putnam's new tourist guidebook, good for the next two years, has already gone to the printer and features Putnam National as one of the county's attractions, Hickman added.

"They had a wonderful season and the golf course is making money," Hickman said. "I don't understand why this is happening. It's such a blow to the county - to the people who live here and to tourism."

Bondi said he had repeatedly made the point throughout the 2008 budget process that Putnam National would close without an outpouring of public support.

"We all felt hurt and disheartened that no one from the public came forward during two widely publicized public hearings to voice opposition to the potential closing," he said.

Gary said his efforts to provide the county with a first-class municipal golf course were rewarded with widespread criticism and a complaint by one legislator to the county Ethics Board that ultimately exonerated him but cost him legal fees.

Putnam's 2007 and 2008 county budgets contained no funds for Putnam National. Gary reported that as of September, it had earned a $208,000 profit for the year.

Eric Peterson of Southeast, a businessman who describes himself as an "avid golfer," said he was "outraged" when he learned of the arrangement the county had to manage its $12 million asset.

"There was no openness," Peterson said. "How do you book parties if you know you're going to close?"

October 28, 2007

Putnam throws out faulty bids to run Mahopac golf course
By SUSAN ELAN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: October 28, 2007)

The search for a company or person to run Putnam's county-owned golf course and banquet facility in Mahopac continues after most bidders in a first round failed to comply with requirements.

Deputy County Executive John Tully said he expects Putnam's Purchasing Department to renew the search this week.

Pressure from county taxpayers to lease the 18-hole golf course bought by Putnam in 2003 has increased along with recent tax hikes. County legislators plan to finalize the 2008 county budget Tuesday with an expected tax rate increase of at least 15 percent.

In its first few years of operation, Putnam Golf Inc., run as a private corporation, lost money while the county paid to renovate its greens and clubhouse.

This year, Putnam National was removed from the county budget. Since January, the golf course has earned $205,000 in profits.

Now, Legislator Tony Hay, R-Southeast, who long sought a change in the golf club's management arrangement, said Putnam should operate it as a county department but seek an outside concessionaire to run the banquet hall and food and beverage service.

"We don't belong in the catering business or serving alcohol," Hay said.

It would take three employees - a golf pro, a groundskeeper and an accountant who could also work part time for the county highway department - to run the club, said Hay, who served briefly as a legislative monitor of Putnam Golf Inc. Seasonal workers could be hired when needed, he said.
The profit the club now makes should be enough to pay those salaries, Hay said.

"Instead of working for Putnam Golf Inc., they would work for Putnam County," Hay said.

Highways and Facilities Commissioner Harold Gary, who serves as the unpaid club president, could continue to oversee it without pay since the recreational facility comes under his county responsibilities, Hay said.

Alex Mazzotta, Putnam's director of purchasing, said the county would need to calculate whether the golf course could earn enough to cover health and other benefits paid to its employees.

Westchester Parks Department spokesman Peter Tartaglia said it costs the county $10.3 million to run its six municipal golf courses. Westchester expects to get $9.7 million in revenue.

"Whether we break even or we're not profitable, it's a public service," he said. "It's well worth the expense for the number of people we serve. We have a large population that loves to play golf."

About 280,000 rounds of golf are played each year at Westchester County's six municipal courses. Westchester runs four of them, while Billy Casper Golf runs Hudson Hills in New Castle and Maple Moor in White Plains.

The Putnam County Purchasing Department received four proposals to run its golf course but three were disqualified because they did not meet bid requirements, Mazzotta said. Two did not include proposals on license fees the contractors would pay the county for the golf course concession, "which were critical to the evaluation," Mazzotta said. The third combined proposals for the golf course and the banquet services instead of submitting them separately as instructed, he said.

One bidder did meet the requirements, but the county was not satisfied with having just a single acceptable bid.

Putnam's search for companies to run Putnam National was advertised in local and trade publications and via e-mail to the National Golf Association, which has more than 400 members, Mazzotta said. Some vendors who attended meetings at the club said they did not submit proposals because they wanted to make joint bids for the golf course and banquet facility or they did not have enough time for research before making a proposal, Mazzotta reported.

Responses to a new search would be due by year's end and contracts could be awarded by mid-to-late January, he said.

Reach Susan Elan at selan@lohud.com or 845-228-2277.

April 14, 2007

Mahopac defeats library budget

good morning all - I just posted this comment attached to the article in yesterday's Journal News on the defeat of the $2+million library budget that would have increased Mahopac tax by $14 a year.  What the residents don't realize is that millions are being squandered by a wastrel town board.  Where is the accountability? Where is the public outrage?
Sincerely,
Ann
www.putopenspaces.com


This is only the tip of the iceberg and even that is fast disappearing. Let me count the millions proposed to be spent by the spendthrifts on the Carmel Town Board:

Camarda Park - anywhere from $3 to $5 million (excluding possible Seminary Hill Rd work) so that the sports associations can have their major league fields of dreams contrary to residents of the immediate area who have advocated for a small, modest "neighborhood park" saving both the environment and millions in taxpayer dollars. As a matter of fact, attorney William Shilling, even advocated for a "Pocket Park" interesting turn of phrase - whose pocket?

The other parks, (Sycamore, Jimmy McDonough (aka Crane); Baldwin Hills; Mahopac Airport with projected six soccer and multipurpose fields with proposed artificial turf - millions more.

And this added on to the ever growing budget to cap the landfill - $6 million and counting.

At last Wednesday's Town Board meeting, an exasperated Comptroller, Carey, was heard to exclaim "There isn't any money" when talk turned to hiring another consultant and replacing Highway Department equipment estimated at more than $1 million.

Mr. Ravallo has the answer: senior housing - the rec fees paid by developers would more than cover the millions spent for Rec Plexes. So we know raid the Recreation Fund. The old shil game.

Fire rips through Putnam Arts Council building in Mahopac
By ROB RYSER AND FRANK BECERRA JR.
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: February 12, 2007)

MAHOPAC - An overnight fire shot through the roof and destroyed part of the Putnam Arts Council building and injured at least one volunteer firefighter, police said.

The volunteer, whose name was not immediately available, was treated at Putnam Hospital Center with injuries that were not thought to be life threatening, police said.

The fire began about 11:30 last night at the one-story, ranch-style building at 521 Kennicut Hill Road.

It burned for two hours until the Mahopac Fire Department brought it under control.

Companies from Mahopac Falls, Brewster, Carmel and Croton Falls assisted.

The cause of the fire was not immediately available this morning.

An estimate of the damage and how it would affect programs was also not immediately available this morning.

Check LoHud.com for updates.

Hi all - in our midst, the architectural genius of Frank Lloyd Wright, can be seen.  Putnam County coming of age. Please note day - Saturday; meeting place - Mahopac Library; time: 9 and 12 and the cost is a crisp Ben Franklin. 
Sincerely,
Ann
www.putopenspaces.com
 

It's the Wright time on Lake Mahopac
By BARBARA LIVINGSTON NACKMAN
bnackman@lohud.com
THE JOURNAL NEWS
If you go

Petra Productions Ltd., an educational film company producing a public-television documentary on the project, and the Westchester/Mid-Hudson AIA Chapter are offering two tours of the house for architects and the public.


When: 9 a.m. and noon Saturday.

Where: Tour groups will meet at Mahopac Public Library, 668 Route 6, Mahopac. Visitors will travel to the island aboard pontoon boats.

Cost: $100. Proceeds contribute to funding the "Building Wright" documentary Petra Productions is producing; a significant portion of the fee is tax-deductible.

Reservations/information: Petra Productions at 845-628-4411 or symposium@petraproductions.org


(Original publication: May 16, 2006)
MAHOPAC

Owners of a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home on Lake Mahopac are almost ready to move in new bedding, dishes and final homey touches after three arduous years of construction and five years of planning.

A 25-foot-long cantilevered deck, which once jutted out onto the lake with bulky plywood frames, now gracefully recedes into the natural surroundings of Petra Island. The structure looks less like a construction site and more like a beloved retreat for its owners. The deck has three of the home's six fireplaces and gives space to a living room, dining area and library, all of which flow into one another.

Owner Joseph Massaro says he is thrilled that it is looking less like a rumble of concrete and rock and more like a house — his dream home.

"I'm a great starter, not always a great finisher. This, though, is really coming together," he proudly said this month as a winter construction hiatus ended and workers installed lighting outlets, radiant heat in the floors and mahogany wood trim on window and door frames.

"The bed will go here, a closet on that side," said Massaro, 59, standing in a small master bedroom that features a wall of windows facing the lake and a fireplace.

The walls are lined with long planks of mahogany wood. There also are 29, 8-foot triangular-shaped skylights in the ceiling, more than 50 panels of embossed copper sheets along the fascia of the house's exterior and six stone-edged fireplaces.

The one-story structure once blared out into Lake Mahopac with wooden frames holding the concrete and stone forms together. Now workers are grinding and polishing the concrete and rich wood trim already installed, and the rooms are identifiable.

"You don't see many houses like this one," said Daniel Mochol, 29, of Mahopac, who has been on the construction crew since building began in 2003. "The architecture, the concrete — it has been a challenge."

Eric Brosinski, 33, a technician with Mahopac Marina along Lake Mahopac, has been watching the construction since the beginning.

"It is absolutely unbelievable. The talk of the lake," said the 11-year marina worker. "Since the days of bringing zoning members and contractors out to the island this has taken shape. Having original plans from such a famous architect on the island is quite special, and the owner really worked hard to make this happen," he said.

Wright, the renowned American architect, drew plans for the four-bedroom home in 1951 when he was living at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The then-owner of the 10.37-acre island, J.K. Chahroudi only built a Wright-designed cottage, leaving plans for the main house stashed in a cupboard.

Massaro purchased the private island in 1995 for $750,000 and spent five years securing town approvals for the structure. He had to agree to forgo fire protection and school transportation from the island. The house is equipped with at least seven security cameras, and Massaro will have to haul the trash back to the mainland.

Chicago-area architect Thomas Heinz helped Massaro update the drawings to include energy efficient windows and plenty of electrical outlets for contemporary electronics including television and Internet service. The room sizes have been kept small just as Wright had envisioned.

An enormous boulder — 12 feet high, 60 feet long and 12 feet wide — as Wright planned, is a highlight of both the entranceway and the living room.

"My grandson (6 years old) told me now he will have somewhere to play inside when it rains," joked Massaro, who expects the home to be a retreat for him and his wife Barbara, their grown daughters and their children. "This is a work of art and an investment for my family."

Massaro plans to boat to the Wright house from his lakeshore abode and onward to his other favorite destination along the lake, the Mahopac Golf Club.

His wife is gearing up to choose interior fabrics for built-in furniture, fixtures for bathrooms and kitchen equipment.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservatory in Chicago, which was founded to preserve the architect's structures, said there are about 400 Wright buildings nationwide, the majority of them homes. This project will be recognized as inspired by Wright, not as an original.

"Every detail," said Massaro, "is as close to how Wright would have done it as possible."

Massaro has chosen a tan color, called Covered Wagon from Pittsburgh Paints, for some of the concrete exterior portions and a burnt reddish stain for the triangular floor tiles. A friend gave him a statue by Wright, which Massaro said will stand by the front door.

Massaro said he is looking forward to appreciating his Wright home — reading on the deck, cooking in the kitchen, entertaining friends, and walking the circumference of the island.

"I want to just relax in a hammock and take all this in," he said.

Sprawl Solutions workshop - March 11

From: Chris Wilde [mailto:cwilde@riverkeeper.org]
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 2:54 PM
To: watershed@riverkeeper.org
Subject: [RW list] Sprawl Solutions workshop - March 11

Following up on today's Journal News piece, attached please find the electronic flyer for our March 11 sprawl solutions workshop, at Mahopac Public Library from 1-4 pm. Please distribute to appropriate listservs, and I hope to see you there!

Chris Wilde
 

Fighting suburban sprawl in Putnam County
By MICHAEL RISINIT
mrisinit@lohud.com
THE JOURNAL NEWS

If you go

What: Riverkeeper's first round-table discussion on sprawl

When: 1-4 p.m. March 11

Where: Mahopac Public Library, Route 6

More information: Free. Those interested in attending should contact Riverkeeper attorney Chris Wilde at 914-422-4450 or cwilde@riverkeeper.org. Registration is not required but would help the organizers plan appropriately.

On the Web: To see the group's sprawl report, visit:
http://riverkeeper.org/campaign.php/watershed/we_are_doing/1102.

(Original publication: February 21, 2006)

There's no demarcation between one community and the next, said Scott Yaremko of Putnam Lake. Consequently, he said, traffic in the mornings just piles onto the road all the way to his accounting job in Harrison.

"It's horrendous and just so backed up," Yaremko said.

From behind the wheel, such a pattern can be frustrating. Outside the car, some see such uncoordinated development as a contributor to pollution and taxes as well as a threat to open space and downtown business.

Sprawl, the "haphazard auto-oriented development characterized by strip malls outside of existing downtown centers and McMansion subdivisions in formerly rural areas," was the focus last year of a report by the environmental group Riverkeeper. Next month, the group will begin discussions with residents and local leaders throughout the Lower Hudson Valley aimed at finding solutions. The first is at the Mahopac Public Library.

"Rather than us providing solutions and hand them out, we wanted to work with people in the community," said Chris Wilde, a Riverkeeper attorney.

"Pave It ... Or Save It," Riverkeeper's almost-100-page report, provided a layperson's guide to sprawl, a term planners have used to describe how the building of highways after World War II allowed workers to move away from cities to smaller towns.

Sprawl's remedy, Wilde and others agree, is pointing development toward existing centers — such as Brewster. That, though, can be limited by infrastructure. In Brewster, an organization of officials and residents is looking to build on the village's new underpinnings of sewer and water lines.

"Exactly what we're trying to do is take an old urban community and improve it, make it a village people want to come to," said Denis Castelli of Southeast, who is part of Team Brewster.

A shopping center, he said, leads to traffic and then higher tax bills to pay for road improvements and more emergency services.

In Putnam County, one shopping center — Patterson Crossing — is on the drawing board. A $1.8 million shortfall in sales-tax revenue for 2005 seems to have county leaders looking for more. Downtown development and outlying retail centers aren't mutually exclusive, Deputy County Executive Frank Del Campo said.

"It has to be an environmentally sound project," Del Campo said. "We can't market a particular project. But we are certainly encouraging planning boards throughout the county to take the most appropriate action to bring in some commercial retail development."

Hill/Agor on the road to preservation?
Ann

Putnam officials renew interest in preserving Hill-Agor farm
By SUSAN ELAN
selan@thejournalnews.com
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: January 23, 2006)

Backed by local historians, Putnam lawmakers are dropping their objection to having the historic Hill-Agor farm in Mahopac placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"We still want to designate it as a historic site," Legislature Chairman Dan Birmingham, R-Brewster, said Friday. "We were worried we wouldn't be able to transfer the land to Carmel for ball fields so we pulled the application."

Last summer, the Legislature withdrew an application for historic designation which history buffs say would help bring in money for restoration of the 19th-century, Greek-revival style farmhouse. The legislators said the application hadn't been cleared with them first.

In December, county and Carmel officials signed a lease that turns over 36 acres of a former airstrip located behind the farm for use as town playing fields.

Now legislators say they are ready to re-evaluate the issue of historic designation and planned to tour the farm yesterday with local historians.

John Agor, who grew up on the homestead off Hill Street, said Friday that he is pleased with the apparent progress.

"I think it's great because it should be preserved to show how people lived and farmed in the 1800s," he said.

County Executive Robert Bondi said Friday his first priority was insuring that Putnam fulfilled its promise to Carmel for playing fields with access that would not create traffic in nearby neighborhoods. Bondi said he is now ready to discuss repair of the Hill-Agor farmhouse for "recreational purposes."

Contention between county officials and historians has centered around use of a dirt road that runs between the Hill-Agor farmhouse and the barns to provide access to the ball fields. Preservationists say heavy traffic by sports enthusiasts would destroy the historic nature of the core 23 acres of the farm. Putnam officials say the farm and ball fields can coexist. The road will remain unpaved and will not require removal of any old stone walls, Deputy County Executive Frank Del Campo said.

Lillian Eberhardt, president of the Carmel Historical Society, expressed optimism over the renewed positive interest in Hill-Agor by county officials.

"We want to work together with the county and town officials to preserve Hill-Agor farm, as a historic heritage for the community," she said.

In 2003, the county purchased the Hill-Agor farm as part of a 375-acre acquisition that also includes the former Country Club at Lake MacGregor — now Putnam National Golf Club — and the defunct grassy airstrip. The deal cost $11.35 million.

Good morning all

In addition to the Belden House, we now have another historic site in Carmel/Mahopac threatened: the Hill/Agor Farm dating from pre-Revolutionary times and the subject of a Justice John Marshall Supreme Court decision that solidified the Court as the final say in judicial matters.

To save Hill/Agor, County Historian Warneicke sought funds that would alleviate taxpayers and county of the burden of the costs of renovation. What would have strengthened his case was designation as a registered historic site. In an unprecedented move and unbeknownst to the public ( it was neither on the official agenda nor listed under New Business), the County Legislature sought to abort the application process, assigning to itself the role as approval agent. ,

If one recalls, the reason that the historic Belden House will disgracefully join the dust bin of history, was that the legislature would not allocate funds for its renovation, citing exorbitant costs, the county's precarious financial condition and the deadlocked negotiations between the DEP and the county over who would assume final responsibility for the costs of the renovation, the county correctly feeling that since DEP had permitted the neglect in the first place, it should now incur the cost.

So approximately six months ago, a meeting was convened by County Executive Bondi, presided over by Deputy County Exeutive, DelCampo, which was attended by at least 50 people, including myself, in an attempt to break the stalmate and cobble together the means for the Belden House's salvation, centering on attracting private and public funds. As of this writing, that effort has gone nowhere. Death by neglect.

Now here we have a similar situation - an historic site threatened - where however an individual, the County Historian, has taken the initiative to cobble together private and public funds for the restoration of an historic farm at no cost to taxpayers and we have the county legislature, after the fact, saying no you can't

Our rapidly vanishing historical resources - our memory of who and what we were and are - are being sacrificed on the altar of politics, special interests and developers. Instead of smoothing the path to preservation, the legislature has strewn the path with obstacles to discourage any person.

You would have thought that they would award the County Historian the "Good Citizen Badge of Honor" for doing his job. Do you think that is what is going to happen?

Sincerely,
Ann
www.putopenspaces.com
Have you called or written to Supervisor Pozzi supporting the Senior Housing Moratorium?

Putnam to lose grant
By SUSAN ELAN
selan@thejournalnews.com
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: August 9, 2005)

MAHOPAC — The paint is chipping, and the roof leaks on the two-story, white clapboard Hill-Agor farm house situated on 375 rolling acres that was purchased by Putnam County in 2003.

County Historian Allan Warnecke says a $500,000 federal grant that could restore the rapidly deteriorating early 19th-century, Greek-revival style farmhouse will be lost because the Putnam County Legislature has voided his application for inclusion of the property on the National Register of Historic Places.

"This is the most significant historical site in Putnam County," Warnecke said yesterday.

Legislature Chairman Robert McGuigan, R-Mahopac, confirmed yesterday, "His application is dead."

At a special meeting June 3, the Legislature stated that any application for historical designation of any county-owned property had to be approved first by them.

"Sure, he did it with good intentions, but it is not protocol," McGuigan said. "No department head should be acting individually. That's the purpose for having a Legislature."

The county purchased the Lake MacGregor property, which also includes the 18-hole Putnam National Golf Club and the former Mahopac Airport, for $11.35 million.

Warnecke contends the house and the 23-acre farm it sits on have historic significance for the country because of a battle over ownership in the early 1800s that went to the U.S. Supreme Court and set a precedent for that body's reviewing lower-court decisions. In addition, he said, archaeological studies are under way on the property now that would advance the cause of historic preservation.

Where weeds now grow, Warnecke would like to see corn and wheat fields and cows and other farm animals that school children and families could visit.

County officials say the county-owned Tilly Foster Farm Conservation Area in Southeast already serves that purpose, and they want the road that leads to the Hill-Agor farm to provide access to ball fields to be built on the former airport runway.

Deputy County Executive Frank Del Campo said negotiations to lease 36 acres of the property to Carmel for use as ball fields for 99 years at a cost of $1 are nearing conclusion. As part of the deal, Carmel would widen an access road off Hill Street through the farm to the fields and take over responsibility for the Red Mills water system that currently supplies 142 homes.

The enlarged road would cut through the heart of the farm, destroying its historic quality, Warnecke said.

William McCormack of Mahopac, a member of the Lake MacGregor advisory panel, said the ball fields Carmel wants to build would be better located off Austin Road, adjacent to the elementary school. That location would cause less traffic congestion, he said, and help the school gain needed access to more playing fields.

Del Campo said environmental reviews already conducted show the best location for the ball fields to be on the flat airport land with the access road through the farm.

"Taking care of the ball fields is our priority," Del Campo said.

May 23, 2005

Mahopac Airport Notes

This portion of Wednesday's Meeting Notes (May 18) thru the courtesy of Jerry Ravnitzky.

Ann
www.putopenapces.com

Negotiations for Lease of Airport Property: The first one hour and forty five minutes was spent in discussion of the airport property. It was announced that this would be an informational meeting, and that the following people were invited:
Representatives of the Red Mills and the Lake McGregor Associations
Joe DiMarzo, Chairman of the Parks & Recreation Committee
Dave Furfaro, President of the Mahopac Sports Association
Mike Simone, Highway Superintendent
William Gilchrist, Director of Recreation & Parks
Mr. McGuigan and Ms. Morini of the County Legislature were invited but they were unable to attend because of a special training session. Mr. Tamagna, also a County Legislator, was in Washington and couldn’t attend.

Mr. DiMarzo said he was excited about additional field space, but he also wanted to be mindful of environmental and traffic concerns. Mr. DiCarlo pointed out that part of the airport land would be used for County recreation use. Putnam County has reportedly been discussing the leasing to the Town of Carmel all the airport land below Scott Road while retaining the airport land above Scott Road. Mr. Marino asked what kind of recreation the county was planning as he didn’t want the Town to be duplicating their plans. Mr. Marino wanted a cooperative effort.

Mr. Furfaro, who also serves on the County Commission chaired by Mr. Tamagna, said that the county planned to build a park, a pool, tennis courts, and things that go with a country club, but that all this was a low priority now. He said that the town would use the land for sports fields, and they were very limited in the amount of impervious surfaces that could be constructed. Mr. Pozzi added that none of this will be done in a vacuum, and they will work cooperatively.

Mr. Furfaro added that there would be shared ingress and egress, and that the county and town should share the cost of that. Mr. Ravallo commented that the Town wants to move forward quickly while the County has placed a low priority on this and would consider recreational development further down the road. He agreed that the cost of ingress and egress should be shared between the town and the county.

Mr. Hennelly stated that if the plans are changed, then the town would have to start the application process to the DEP all over again. Mr. Ravallo said that no formal plan had been submitted. Mr. Marino questioned whether the town and county were required to present a plan together. He stated that the county had no plan for that property for at least five years since they have other priorities. Mr. Hennelly said that they cannot segment the plans. Mr. Ravallo said that the town planner and engineer will have to address this so it isn’t viewed as segmenting.

Mr. Ravallo stated that the first objective is to pin down the lease, which will be for 99 years for $1 (Editor’s note: assuming that the town can legally enter into a 99 year lease). The town’s vision is that there would be ball fields for the benefit of the Town of Carmel. Mr. Pozzi said that the board members had copies of all the correspondence received regarding this project. There was no discussion of the nature of this correspondence.

Mr. Fabiano, representing the Red Mills Association, said that he was in favor of the field, but asked about a buffer area. He was also concerned about the entrance and exit. He said that there are some undeveloped roads in the area and wanted them to be included in the buffer area. He said that the area where the tree line is would probably be proposed for the entrance and exit. He emphasized the need to work with the town regarding plans. Mr. Pozzi said that they would try to leave that tree line if possible. The tree line was reported to be 30-40 feet deep. Mr. Pozzi said that Scott Road would be for emergency use only. Mr. Fabiano was also concerned about lighting and a sound system since that could disturb privacy, which he felt was important.

Mr. Walter Brady, a resident of Mahopac, referred to a 2003 conceptual map of the airport property that was obtained from the county, and was informed that it was changed but no new map was yet accepted. Therefore, there is no up-to-date conceptual map. The next question was where the money to make this possible was coming from. Mr. Pozzi responded that there was no plan yet so they didn’t know the cost.

Mr. Ravallo said that a significant part of the money would come from Town of Carmel taxpayers. He added that part of the money would come from the recreation fund, but they have limited ability to pay for the project. He said that, maybe, if they are lucky, some money would come from some grants. He said that the good part was that the town didn’t have to pay for the property. Mr. Hennelly commented that the property was worth 2.5 to 3 million dollars, and the town didn’t have to pay for it. Mr. Marino added that the town didn’t pay for the Camarda Park land and it will probably cost at least $7 million.

Mr. Brady mentioned that the Town Board had previously proposed a domed stadium, to be privately owned, and asked if this might be planned at the airport land. Mr. Ravallo said that it couldn’t be done because of the limitation on impervious surfaces. Mr. Marino added that they couldn’t say that a stadium might not occur some time later. He added that the private company’s address had been a mail drop on Central Avenue in Scarsdale. Mr. Pozzi said that even if the town wanted to put a domed stadium on that land, the DEP wouldn’t allow it. The limitation on impervious surfaces was a condition the DEP imposed since NYC funds were used for the County’s purchase of the land.

Mr. Brady said that the county was planning an additional nine holes of golf on their property, but he said that there was not enough water for the existing golf course. He asked if they will pump water from Lake McGregor, and Mr. Pozzi said he would have to ask the county about that. Mr. Ravallo added that the town has very limited say about what the county does with their part of the land. In response to another question, Mr. Furfaro said the intention is to leave the lake the way it is. There was no mention of the added chemical burden due to runoff from an addition to the golf course.

Mr. Marino said that the sun should shine on this contract, referring to a need for openness in all discussions and decisions. He also would like the county to make up the $25,000 in lost property taxes to the town when the county took over the land.

At a previous meeting, the board had discussed the fact that when the county purchased that land, they also took ownership of a private water company that supplied water to the Red Mills area. The County does not want to keep ownership of that water company as they do not have water districts. However, the town found that engineering reports showed that the water district was in need of expensive repairs to bring it up to state standards.

In the previous meeting, some board members asked about whether the county would pay for all or part of these repairs before the town took over the district. I asked about what happened regarding this issue. Mr. Hennelly said that it was against the law for the town or county to pay for improvements to a water district, and they must pass the expense along to the users of that water. Mr. Marino commented that there was no water district now. Mr. Fabiano said that only four homes in Red Mills have wells and they wanted to be hooked up to the water district.

Mr. Brady asked if there would be an access road from Austin Road to the nine-hole golf course. There was no definitive answer to that. Mr. Pozzi said that the Red Mills Association and the Lake McGregor Association will be invited to future meetings about this property. Plans for future meetings will be made by the Recreation Committee. They will also come up with a recreation plan to discuss what the recreational needs of the town are.

Another person commented that there should be parameters regarding the lighting and sound at the fields. He also asked if the town had any idea of the cost of developing the property, and Mr. Pozzi said that the town would come up with a plan and then see if they could afford it. This questioner expressed concern about the cost, especially after a 10% school tax increase. Mr. Marino said that there was also $7 million to develop Camarda Park. Mr. Hennelly said that it was not $7 million. Mr. Marino said he was told that it would be $7 million, and Mr. Carey, the town comptroller, confirmed that amount. Mr. Marino said he thought it would ultimately be $8 million. Mr. Pozzi and Mr. Furfaro disagreed and Mr. Marino said to the audience “Remember this, ladies and gentlemen.”

Mr. Ravallo said the town board will not allow taxes to get out of control, and “We’ll be very careful about the impact on the budget.” He added that they were not going to improve the quality of life for one part of the town at the expense of the other part of the town. It was interesting that his next comment was that it would be a win-win situation for everyone in town, but you have to be able to afford to live here. That concern was foremost in the minds of many residents.
 

MAHOPAC — Three popular Putnam County lakes, closed Monday because of high bacteria levels in the water, reopened yesterday, just in time for August's first weekend.
By BARBARA LIVINGSTON NACKMAN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: July 31, 2004)
MAHOPAC — Three popular Putnam County lakes, closed Monday because of high bacteria levels in the water, reopened yesterday, just in time for August's first weekend.

Putnam County Health Department officials certified that levels of total coliform in Lake Secor in Mahopac were no longer evident and that it was now safe for the public to swim there.

"Everything is now within standards, and all beaches are open to the public," Anne Bitt-ner, senior public health sanitarian, said yesterday. Storm-water runoff from heavy rains is considered the cause.

Two Putnam Valley lakes, Barger Pond and North Beach in Lake Peekskill, were also reopened.

By midday, officials had unlocked beach gates and removed closed signs.

"It's great to hear they are open," said Jim Nyarady, chairman of the Lake Secor Park District Advisory Board. "Now, we need to find out what caused the problem."

Lake Secor's annual Water Carnival, planned for tomorrow, has been rescheduled for noon next Sunday to give organizers time to prepare, Nyarady said.

The Health Department had closed the lakes after finding high levels of total coliform in two consecutive tests at all three sites.

When total coliform exceeds 5,000 per 100 milliliters the Health Department closes the lake and calls for further sampling. The New York state Sanitary Code requires that no more than 20 percent of samples can exceed this level, but the county's standard is more stringent.

Test results at Lake Secor on July 21 and 23 ranged from 1,100 to 11,000 per 100 milliliters, officials said. Bittner was not able yesterday to immediately give the numbers from the latest round of testing that allowed the beaches to reopen.

Total coliform is not dangerous by itself, but it can indicate the presence of other illness-causing bacteria. Health officials said that there was no evidence of fecal bacteria in the samples taken Wednesday, but that they would continue testing to identify the possible causes of the current problem.

Beaches are tested once a week during the summer, health officials said.

The tests were done after substantial storms, Carmel Town Engineer John Karell Jr. said. A heavy rain can wash debris from the shoreline into the water, causing the high levels, he explained.

Longtime residents of the 500-home Lake Secor neighborhood said it was unusual to close the lake for this type of problem.

"I've been here 16 years and this is the first I can recall," said Nyarady. "It seems it takes one rain to open the lake and two good ones to close it. We have to make sure this isn't some kind of on-off switch all summer."

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