UPDATE: Muscoot Farm: Budget Cut, Name Change

Editor’s Note: Staffing at Muscoot Farm would be reduced by two in 2016 under the county executive’s budget proposal. The number was incorrect in the original version of this article. Patch regrets the error.

Historic Muscoot Farm, which is owned and operated by Westchester County, will be re-named after Al DelBello, who served as Westchester County Executive from 1974-1982.

DelBello, a Lewisboro resident who died May 15, served as mayor of Yonkers in the early 1970s, was elected three times as County Executive, and served as Lieutenant Governor.

He and his wife Dee are credited with saving Muscoot Farm -- a Victorian era property in Somers on which the county was planning to build an ice-skating arena -- and instead turning it into the interpretive farm that is one of the stars of the county parks system.

SEE: Letter to the Editor: Westchester’s Own Al DelBello

County Executive Rob Astorino made the announcement about the name change at the Westchester County Association’s Fall Leadership Dinner Nov. 19.

Astorino’s other plan for Muscoot is to cut its staff in 2016. His county budget proposal would reduce staff at Muscoot by two.

Operations at Muscoot Farm are proposed to continue with a Farm Manager, Farmer, Assistant Farmer and three hourly workers, said county Communications Director Edwin McCormack.

Two positions – a laborer and curator – are proposed for elimination but with important steps being taken to taken to address any impact, McCormack said.

To make up for the cut to the laborer position, additional funding has been put in the hourly budget and laborers from other parks can be assigned to Muscoot on an as needed basis. As for the curator position, the Parks Department is planning to have those services delivered through a redeployment of staff on a broader basis rather than one curator designated to a single park.