Future of Tilly Foster Discussed at Committee Meeting
With Preserve Putnam imminently discontinuing its management of Tilly Foster Farm, Putnam County lawmakers had no choice but to discuss the next steps for the county entity last Wednesday.
During a Physical Services Committee meeting, legislators started brainstorming about how it could get the farm to be a thriving county property after Preserve Putnam broke its 40-year lease after just five years. Residents also spoke up about the vision they see for the farm going forward.
One idea that was brought up was finding a way to get farm animals back on Tilly Foster after all the livestock was sold off in the past couple months. And that could depend on the actions taken by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The new mayor of the Big Apple has made clear his intention to outlaw horse-drawn carriages from city streets because he said they are cruel to the horses. If de Blasio is successful, legislators pondered if it might be able to get some of those horses to retire on the farm.
It was suggested that legislator Carl Albano for District 5 would reach out to New York City officials in order to explore the possibility of bringing some horses up north.
Legislator Sam Oliverio of District 2 expressed the value those horses would bring.
“They’re really neat animals,” he said of the horses. “They have their own personalities.”
But legislators also understood that the horse carriage owners are ready to fight the ban, and it might take an extended period of time for that to happen.
Residents also spoke out about the future of the farm.
Ann Fanizzi of Southeast said she wanted the farm returned to its historical roots.
“Tilly Foster has a wonderful history and that history has been denied to the people of Putnam County,” Fanizzi said. “
She also wanted to reintroduce some of the type of animals that were at Tilly Foster prior to them being sold and said she’d be wiling to donate those animals.
A group of three men also spoke about their desire to get involved in the reboot of the farm. One of them, Chris Moran of Brewster said a group of people that care deeply about the farm is putting together a proposal to present to the county.
Moran said the group was thinking of turning Tilly Foster into a community center based around the arts, agriculture, music, and programing within the farm that can bring money in.
Right now, the county has a transition committee for the farm that includes deputy county executive Bruce Walker, Preserve Putnam’s Meredith Whipple who ran the farm, the county attorney and Albano.
“This is only for the transition. It’s not for the future of the farm,” Albano clarified. “We still haven’t established clearly where we are going from here.”
