L-R: President of the Rockland Farm Alliance, John McDowell; Clarkstown Supervisor
George Hoehmann; Councilman Dan Caprara; Ed Day; Councilman Frank Borelli; County Legislator
Harriet Cornell; Director of the Rockland County Division of Environmental Resources Allan Beers
NEW CITY – An agreement providing funds to restore the historic New World Dutch barn at the Cropsey Farm property was signed on Thursday
“This action will preserve an important part of Rockland’s agriculture past and provide for the County’s environmental and recreational future,” County Executive Ed Day said as he signed the measure at Cropsey Farm, a 25-acre parcel off South Little Tor Road.
The agreement calls for $1 million in funding to restore the Revolutionary War-era barn.
Clarkstown will pay $390,000 of the cost, with the county covering the rest in the 2017 Capital Projects budget.
Rockland County and Clarkstown formed a partnership to buy the property from the Cropsey family in 2006 with the understanding that it would be preserved for open space and protected from development.
The County has 61 percent ownership and Clarkstown has 39 percent.
The Rockland Farm Alliance has been using part of the Cropsey property to bring it back to its roots: farming. Residents from all over the county take part in the community farm run by the Alliance.
The property has numerous activities that teach residents about Rockland’s farming past and show how agriculture can be an important part of the future.
