Residents Pitch Idea for Garden, Creative Space at Millwood Site
A pair of New Castle residents publicly proposed last week buying the site of the former Millwood Swim Club and transform the parcel into a community garden and a space for artists and writers to work.
Former councilman Michael Wolfensohn and Millwood resident Quint Smith told the town board last week that they would buy the 1.3-acre property on Sand Street from the town if they can negotiate a mutually agreed upon price with municipal officials. The town recently took title to the property.
“Our vision is to take the garden itself and to make it about community,” Wolfensohn said last week. “We want to have key holders and we want to open it up to the entire Town of New Castle.”
The main function of the property would be the garden with roughly26 plots that would grow a variety of produce, he said. For an annual charge, the owners would also provide access to “creative key holders,” people in the community who would want to go to a quiet place to do artwork, read, write or undertake other creative pursuits.
“We feel that this is something that’s sorely needed in town and it will beautify Millwood, and it will take this property, which is just sort overrun, and put it to what we feel is a very good community use,” Wolfensohn explained.
The swim club closed in 2009 and the lot has increasingly become an eyesore with overgrown brush and rotting and deteriorating fencing and equipment. About a year ago, Wolfensohn and Smith were part of a group of residents that first pitched the idea of a garden to the former town board. That original proposal did not include the idea of creative key holders.
Smith, whose property overlooks the area, said he hoped the town would be enthusiastic about the plan that would vastly improve the area. The garden would be within walking distance of residences, including two condominium complexes.
“I look at it every morning,” Smith said. “It’s sad that it’s years and years of going there and every summer you’d hear the kids playing down there. It’s been kind of a dead end of the street right now.
Councilman Jason Chapin said with the town finally taking title to the property a few months ago, officials are at a point where they can weigh their options and should be able to soon make a decision.
Chapin said that he is encouraged by Wolfensohn’s and Smith’s idea.
“I think the attractiveness of the proposal is the diverseness to it,” he said. “You’re not just doing one thing, you’re doing many things, speaking with many different groups and you also are looking to work with Saw Mill River Audubon, so I think that’s very beneficial.”
While other board members who spoke appeared to be supportive, Councilwoman Lisa Katz said she was hesitant about the plan to charge the key holders to have access to the site. Katz said that it’s understandable if a community member would be charged to have a garden bed, but just to enjoy the garden didn’t sit well with her.
“I like your idea. It’s very creative, the use, and I love that you’ve expanded it to not just a garden but to have all these other assets,” Katz said. “I don’t love that you want to charge people to use the garden. If it’s for the community, this key holder idea sounds like you’re going to charge people.”
Although the land would be privately owned, Wolfensohn said that their objective for charging the key holders would not be to turn a profit, but to cover their expenses, including property taxes. With private ownership, the land would remain on the tax rolls, he said.
He also said that the charge would be nominal, likely $25 to $50 a year.
While officials raised the possibility of putting the sale out to bid, Supervisor Robert Greenstein said since Wolfensohn and Smith have made several pitches to the town, their plan should be evaluated.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
