CARMEL – Town officials in Carmel have called on the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to honor a commitment made more than 20 years ago to preserve and restore the 1760 Thomas Belden House in Carmel hamlet.
Supervisor Mike Cazzari recalled on Tuesday that the promise to restore the nationally significant landmark was part of a “broader agreement between the city and Putnam County that secured long-term protection of New York’s drinking water supply.”
“For decades, residents, businesses and local governments in Putnam have accepted strict watershed protections and land use restrictions to ensure that Nedw York City’s drinking water remains among the cleanest in the nation. Putnam has fulfilled its obligations under that agreement. New York City has not,” Cazzari said.
In the summer of 2006, the New York City DEP announced it would invest $2.9 million to restore the Belden House.
“Twenty years later the promise remains unfulfilled and rather than being restored the historic structure has been left to deteriorate through years of neglect,” Cazzari said.
He has called on DEP Commissioner Lisa Garcia to reaffirm its commitment to restore the Belden House by providing a timetable for stabilization and restoration of the building in addition to show and “project milestones necessary to complete the restoration.”
Friends of the Belden House also have hope that the building may be saved from the wrecking ball since that the Putnam County Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Directors voted to authorize continued discussions with the Department of Environmental Protection, Friends of Belden House, and other potential partners regarding the future preservation, rehabilitation, and stewardship of the property.
Ann Fannizzi, who has championed the Belden House restoration for decades, described the old building as “more than a historic structure. It is one of the last surviving complete historic farmsteads in the West Branch watershed and a rare connection to the agricultural landscape that existed before construction of the New York City reservoir system transformed the region.”
Conservation District Chairwoman Cassandra Roth said Belden House stands for a “rare opportunity to advance multiple conservation, educational, agricultural, and historic preservation objectives at once.” She said their vision “is to preserve and rehabilitate the historic farmstead as a permanent headquarters for the Putnam County Soil and Water Conservation District, while also serving as a Friends of Belden House historical and interpretive center, a hub for agricultural and conservation demonstration projects, educational programming, and community gathering space. The vision also contemplates opportunities to partner with DEP on an East of Hudson watershed public education and interpretive center highlighting the region’s watershed stewardship efforts and vital role in protecting New York City’s drinking water supply.”