What is the Future of the Greenburgh Nature Center?

(Updated on Wednesday August 14: This afternoon, the Town Board proposed a contract that meets many of our needs, including the 25-year commitment we need to continue our programs and projects, and apply for multi-year grants.)

The Town has agreed to restore funding for the services we provide, but there are circumstances where that funding could be cut or eliminated. There’s still work to be done on a fair framework for how those cuts would be determined.

Has the Greenburgh Nature Center become the latest pawn in the longstanding fight about Edgemont Incorporation?

That’s one theory as to why the Greenburgh Town Board has not renewed the Nature Center’s 25 year contract, though their agreement with New York State requires them to maintain the GNC as public park land and to operate it as an outdoor recreation space and preserve.

We spoke to Cathy Ludden, who is a Board Member of Nunataks, the non-profit organization that provides the programming at the center. Why Nunataks? It’s an Inuit word that means “rocky outcropping,” and is the original name of the estate where the 33 acre center operates.

The Nature Center is now two years away from the expiration of their second 25-year contract with the Town of Greenburgh and needs a renewal to continue to operate, to hire staff, to apply for grants and to pass their audit. Under the current contract, the Town of Greenburgh pays $337,000 a year which serves to pay the salaries of five employees. The town also maintains and indemnifies the property. Ludden points out that the funding is a minimal portion of the Town’s budget, only ¼ of 1%. In addition, the $337,000 is only 20% of the GNC’s budget. They raise the balance through grants, corporate and individual contributions and programming fees.

So why is the Town Board dragging their feet on the renewal?

Two years ago the Nunataks’s Board put the Town of Greenburgh on notice that they would be happy with the same $337,000 a year with a cost of living adjustment. Sounds reasonable, right? They heard nothing and then in May 2024, the Town came back with a contract that provided no funding at all – and said the Nunataks Board would still be obligated to provide programming. Asked for a reason for the cut, the Town Board said they were worried about the prospect of Edgemont Incorporation and couldn’t provide a long-term contract.

Eager to reach an agreement, the Nunatak’s board then proposed a contract that said if Edgemont incorporates and the town’s budget is reduced, the Town Board could reduce payments to the Nature Center to zero.

The Greenburgh Town Board said no to this too.

In late May Nunataks got a contract from Town Attorney Joe Danko that took away their financing all together. Under this contract, Nunatek would be responsible for maintenance of the land and the property and they would have to underwrite all the insurance.

Baffled by the terms, the Nunataks Board met with the Town Board on June 4, 2024. Their reply as to why they would not provide a contract to keep the Nature Center open was, “Anything can happen. We can’t guarantee a set number for 25 years.”

A petition to get a new contract for the center under the original terms now has almost 5,000 signatures. Greenburgh Town Supervisor sent an email saying that the GNC was not at risk – but failed to come up with a contract that would allow them to remain open.

Like so many issues in the Town of Greenburgh, the fate of the Greenburgh Nature Center appears to be tied up in an age-old controversy about the fight to incorporate Edgemont. Paul Feiner, who has held the position of Greenburgh Town Supervisor since 1991, is the longest serving chief elected official of any municipality in Westchester County and the battle for Edgemont seems to be have been going on for as many years.

Another meeting is planned for Tuesday night August 13, 2024.

Learn more about the status of the Greenburgh Nature Center here