Conservatory Foundation Completed at Lasdon Park

SOMERS, NY — County Executive Robert P. Astorino joined other county officials and members of the Friends of Lasdon Park organization Thursday to mark a milestone in a construction project at Lasdon Park.

The foundation for the new 2,500-square-foot glass house conservatory at Lasdon Park, Arboretum and Veterans Memorial has been completed, according to a county spokesman.

Astorio said the success of the conservatory projects exemplifies what can be achieved with the county partners with local and private groups.

“It took nine years of very hard work by this partnership to raise money and to begin construction on the first major new feature at Lasdon in years,” he said.

Astorino was joined by Westchester County Parks Commissioner Kathleen O’Connor, Friends of Lasdon president Michael Katz, and Christine and Pete Monteleone, the owners of A-Team construction.

The project, which began in early June of this year, took over 200 yards of concrete, 5 tons of rebar, 26 tons of crushed stone, 250 linear feet of six-inch bluestone and more than 200 tons of native stone for the foundation façade, county officials said.

Rough Brothers Inc., of Cincinnati, OH is firm that is constructing the glass house and transporting the parts for the structure. The company has built conservatories around the world, including the New York Botanical Garden, the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington and the Royal Botanical Gardens in London.

The new conservatory will feature horticultural exhibits and will be made available for weddings, events and concerts. It will also provide needed space for Lasdon to expand its own traditional holiday shows and events.

Westchester County allocated more than $1.3 million to the project from its capital program. The conservatory was also made possible by nearly nine years of fundraising and sponsorships through the Friends of Lasdon in conjunction with the County Parks department. A-Team Construction has donated much of the project’s construction work, valued at more than $350,000.

The Friends of Lasdon presented Astorino with a $500,000 check yesterday for the exclusive use by the Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation to help with improvements to the Westchester County Parks system as well as will contributing $200,000 to the conservatory project.

The Lasdon Family Foundation, the 9th District Federated Garden Clubs of New York State and the Westchester Parks Foundation also contributed significant funds to the project. Additional support came from New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG), M&T Bank, Sav-a-Tree, Prospero Nursery, Ledley Food Service and the Helen Lindsay estate, a county official said.

Lasdon Park, Arboretum, and Veterans Memorial, a Westchester County Park, is located on Route 35 in Somers.

Photo credit: Westchester County.