Roof Placed on Cornell Cooperative Barn at Tilly Foster

Cornell Cooperative Extension-Putnam County Executive Director Stefanie Hubert explains the barn structure to Stephen Gnojewski and Nat Prentice of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, which has donated to the campaign to build a new home for CCE at Tilly Foster Farm in Brewster.

Cornell Cooperative Extension-Putnam County last week welcomed supporters to celebrate the substantial progress on its new home now under construction at the county-owned Tilly Foster Farm in Brewster.

Executive Director Stefanie Hubert showed off the spruce-wood, two-story building that has been framed by barn specialists King Construction. The metal roof was installed just last week. 

Hubert, who has led the organization since 2019, is acting as general contractor with the help of board member Rodney Dow.

“The building will give us 5,500 square feet, compared to the 1,900 we have now,” she said. “We will have offices, classrooms, and a horticulture lab, and the barn’s beautiful ground-floor space can host community events for up to 100 participants.”

While construction is moving fast, funding is still needed to complete the building, which will provide state-of-the-art agricultural and environmental education spaces, workforce development training, and rooms for community workshops, volunteers, and public programs.

Funds for the $1 million project are coming chiefly from donations through the “Build a Dream” campaign, including gifts from the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley and a $50,000 state and municipal grant through former Assemblyman/now County Executive Kevin Byrne, R-Mahopac, and a CREST grant from State Sen. Peter Harckham, D-Peekskill.

As of Feb. 5, a total of $463,740 has been raised through the campaign.

“This structure will be a resource for everyone in Putnam County, especially the children who participate in 4-H, our widespread network of master gardeners, and those concerned with food insecurity,” said CCE-Putnam Board President Frank Smith. “We appreciate everyone who has given and our partner, Putnam County, for bringing us this far, and we look forward to sharing the enjoyment this barn will bring.”

CCE-Putnam started in 1944 and has been operating in the same location for the past 30 years. Since 2019, it has grown to reach more than 110,000 “Friends of Extension,” who have received programming through the organization.

Its top three service areas are 4-H youth development, a community horticulture (Master Gardeners) program, and strengthening community and economic vitality – with many new initiatives in development.

The goal is to build a two-story barn that will fit into the current footprint of an older building and blend into the aesthetics of the historic Tilly Foster Farm.

To donate to the campaign, visit cceputnamcounty.org/build-a-dream-at-tilly-foster-farm.