Tilly Foster Farm Gets $1.5 Mil. Bond for Further Repairs
In hopes of turning Tilly Foster Farm into a fully operational farm once again, lawmakers signed off on bonding $1.5 million for building repairs and fixing other parts of the county owned property, during an Aug. 4 meeting of the full Putnam County Legislature.
The county Legislature voted 6-2, with legislators Dini LoBue and Kevin Wright voting against the expenditures. Legislator Bill Gouldman was absent from the meeting.
After Preserve Putnam broke the lease with the county last year, the county has spent $475,000 from New York City awarded money and then roughly $150,000 of a $300,000 bond for other upgrades.
Legislator Joe Castellano said while the recent expenses attached to Tilly Foster Farm are hefty, they’re necessary to get the farm up to code and become viable again. If managed correctly, it could be a “giant benefit to Putnam County.”
Castellano noted the alternative to the county keeping the farm workable is having that property become houses and condos, which would flood local school districts with more students and make school district budgets bloated. Residents want to visit the farm and experience everything it has to offer, Castallano said, pointing out how every event held at Tilly Foster has been successful.
In order to get more programs started, like welcoming BOCES, Castallano said the county needs to the money to cover the basic repairs.
“Ten, twelve years down the road, though I don’t believe it’ll ever turn a profit for us, it’ll be a vital property for the people of Putnam County,” Castellano said.
Chairman Carl Albano called Tilly Foster one with “great potential” with Legislator Roger Gross chiming in he’s excited for the future of the farm once it is fully up and running. Legislator Ginny Nacerino noted the bond would be spread out over decades.
Legislator Dini LoBue, who has been critical of the money poured into the property, spoke against the bond resolution. She called the amount of money bonded “absurd,” “staggering,” and “ludicrous.”
The legislature, LoBue said, doesn’t have the details on how the money is being spent, adding letters to the county executive administration requesting information haven’t been returned.
“There was no reason to go in and tear up the place with the exception of the water and the sewer,” LoBue argued.
Legislator Barbara Scuccimarra directly rebutted LoBue’s assertions, countering with “I disagree with just about everything Ms. LoBue says because she takes pot shots whenever she can and this administration always answers anything we ask for.” LoBue responded by telling Scuccimarra, “You don’t know anything.”
The two legislators, who argue often, bickered before Albano slammed the gavel to get the meeting back under control.
“We have to make it a viable place,” Scuccimarra said. “And everyone in this county enjoys going there.”
