Putnam Allots $400,000 For Golf Course Renovations

Putnam County officials allocated $400,000 from the federal American Relief and Recovery Act to make repairs to the Putnam Golf Course while asking municipalities such as the village of Brewster and town of Southeast for feedback about the possibility of partnering with the county to use some of the $19 million the county was allocated last spring.

The golf-course plan drew opposition from some residents and two of the county's eight legislators, who said the golf course didn't need the money because it runs at a profit and also has a special savings account.

After the vote, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell issued a news release, saying county officials were putting together a list of projects to consider funding, "including requests from outside agencies, the women’s resource center, substance abuse and addiction services, seniors, veterans, law enforcement and infrastructure from roads and bridges to sewers."

The news release also quoted Legislator Carl Albano, Chair of the Physical Services Committee, who is running for county executive.

"We moved a shovel-ready project — the $400,000 Putnam County Golf Course renovation plan— to the front of the line so that the work could be done in time to open the facility for the season and keep the public safe," he said. "There had been water damage and, in investigating that, we found that asbestos abatement needed to be done."

The county was notified of its ARPA allocation late last year and held preliminary internal discussions, Odell said. "In the tradition of not counting our chickens before they hatch, we decided to wait for the release of the U.S. Treasury’s final rule before formalizing our plan for spending of these funds.

"The final rule goes into effect April 1," she said. "When the rule is finalized, I have no doubt we will have a healthy list of diverse projects to pursue from one end of the county to the other."

“We are just at the beginning,” Legislator Ginny Nacerino said at the Feb. 1 meeting, according to the news release. “We want money for mental illness, for education, for housing, for infrastructure. We didn’t get there yet. This just came because time was of the essence.”

“Our auditors are an outside agency,” Legislator Chairman Neal Sullivan said. “We will have an independent review by an outside agency to make sure that where we spend the money meets the guidelines of the ARPA grant.”

County officials in the news release said "the golf course is a gateway for tourism in Putnam County. This is a reinvestment in a proven money- and job-generating business that saw almost 50,000 guests in 2021. It will increase jobs and county revenue for years to come. "

Another suggestion for promoting tourism did not gain traction at the Feb. 1 meeting.

Legislator Nancy Montgomery suggested that Putnam restore the financial assistance it once gave Cold Spring, the county's tourism Mecca. Not only do its shops and restaurants draw thousands to the village every spring, summer and fall weekend, but its train station is a popular destination for hikers from New York City headed to nearby Breakneck Ridge State Park. The park has drawn more than 3.1 million visitors over the last decade — an average of more than 300,000 a year. In the spring of 2020, the state actually closed all trails and parking areas along the corridor including Breakneck Ridge, Notch Trail and Mount Beacon because so many people were walking on Route 9D.

Legislator Paul Jonke said he didn't think it was the county tourism bureau's job to supply port-a-potties or remove trash in Cold Spring.