Legislature Revisits Options for Public Park in County Seat
- 24 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Holly Crocco
The topic of what to do with the dilapidated county-owned building at 34 Gleneida Ave., in Carmel, is back up for discussion and while options for that space are varied, one thing is absolute – a new home for United For the Troops must found before any moves are made.
“We have an opportunity to change the look of 34 Gleneida,” said Bill Gouldman, R-Putnam Valley, chairman of the County Legislature’s Physical Services Committee, at its July 16 meeting.
He said the building has been up for sale for the last seven years, and while offers and proposals have been made, there has always been some discrepancy on the Legislature regarding whether the building should be sold, knocked down, or repurposed – and how.
The site, which is a prime piece of lakefront real estate, is the former Putnam Motor Sales building. Throughout the years it has housed Putnam County SCORE, the Industrial Development Agency, and other county offices, as well as the county’s archives. Its current occupant is United For the Troops, a local nonprofit organization that organizes the sending of care packages to service members overseas.
“I’m not here to say please don’t take away 34 Gleneida,” UFT founder Jim Rathschmidt told lawmakers. “I’m actually here to say thank you for having us here for 10 years… If there’s something that can be arranged for us to stay there and the building can be taken care of, that would be wonderful.”
In a letter to county lawmakers, Carmel Town Councilman Robert Kearns said he has followed conversations online regarding the property, in which residents suggest it be transformed into a youth or family center, and said the town is committed to taking a leading role in pursuing a long-term investment there.
“To help protect the site and this downtown corridor as these conversations continue, I have proposed a moratorium on new site plan approvals in the zone where 34 Gleneida Ave., is located,” he wrote. “This step was prompted in part by information suggesting that outside investors may be interested in purchasing commercial real estate along our downtown corridor with the intent to demolish the existing building and construct multifamily housing. I do not believe that outcome would serve our residents.”
Kearns encouraged lawmakers to consider an alternative vision for the property, transforming it into a passive park or courtyard with outdoor seating, leading to the Putnam County Courthouse – which represents a large county investment.
Kent resident and former Legislator Richard Othmer agreed, saying that when the new courthouse was built, the original plans called for a town green in front of it.
“When they were building the courthouse they were supposed to simultaneously demolish the building, but it would have been a cluster – building one (structure) and ripping down the other at the same time,” he said.
As vice commander of Carmel American Legion Post 270, which neighbors the property, Othmer said that when Memorial Day or Veterans Day ceremonies are held – or when protests or rallies take place on the steps of the Historic Courthouse – people just spill out into the street.
“We have people all over the place right on the road,” he said. “We need some park space and a green… This is our county seat, I just can’t imagine an apartment building in front of it.”
Othmer referenced the “hideous apartment condos” along Route 6 in Mahopac that are taking up lakefront real estate, instead of providing access to local residents.
He even provided renderings that show what the site could look like.
“I’m asking you to have a vision,” he said. “If you build an apartment building there and the judges are up on the second floor, they’re going to be looking at some guy standing there in his underwear making macaroni and cheese at the stove out the front window of the beautiful courthouse, when they could be looking at the lake.”
Legislator Tommy Regan, R-Brewster, was persuaded by the presentation.
“I’m solidified in the feeling that I’ve come to in the last 60 to 90 days, that I don’t think we should sell this building,” he said. “Don’t sell it. This is in front of the county courthouse. God’s not making any more land and it’s an important location.”
Connecticut resident and local developer Paul Camarda, who owns an office down the road from the location, also praised the idea of creating a park at the site.
“I consider Putnam County an oasis in a very vast, ugly desert around us,” he said. “I look at that property and think no way you can develop it. There’s no development that belongs there. You really want to bring people into this area? You should be having benches on the lake. This park should have a little water feature to it – nothing extravagant. You want to open it up. You want to see people walking the sidewalk.”
Camarda even suggested the county petition to get New York City to install park benches along the lake, which is regulated by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection since it is a drinking water reservoir for the city.
Resident Angela Briante said that if the building remains, retail space should stay on the bottom floor. “We are losing our main streets” as properties are rezoned from commercial to residential, she said.
Legislator Jake D’Angelo, R-Carmel, suggested a engineering study be performed, or a consulting firm be brought in to analyze the building and the site.
“With the building being off the market, it can’t just sit there,” he said. “There has to be a plan moving forward – whatever that may be… This is the main corridor in Carmel. Whatever decision we make is going to be very impactful.”
Respectfully, Othmer said that considering how long this has been a topic, the county needs to take action.
“We need an engineer to build things, we don’t need an engineer to knock things down,” he said. “Just pull the pin on the grenade, blow it up, and get it done with. Don’t procrastinate. Just get it done.”
But first, of course, take care of the veteran organization that calls the space home.
“Before we take one shingle off that roof we have to find an alternative place (for UFT),” said Othmer. “That’s a priority.”
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