The loss of Rudd Pond

The end of February brought bad news to Tri-state residents who have come to take great pleasure in their visits to Millerton’s Rudd Pond. The treasured Taconic State Park site is on New York Gov. David Paterson’s list of 41 parks and 14 historic sites throughout the state that will be shut down due to the fallout of the financial crisis. That list was drafted by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and was surely not a task the agency enjoyed doing, but that doesn’t make it any easier for Millerton and North East to swallow.

The Rudd Pond site is a landmark in the town that attracts visitors throughout the year, whether for swimming, fishing, boating, skating, snowshoeing, skiing, bird-watching, camping or any number of other outdoor activities that one can enjoy in a beautiful and serene setting. It’s a part of town that draws visitors from far and near, people who otherwise would never have discovered the many wonders of life here in the Harlem Valley. More specifically, it does wonders for the Millerton economy, which is a real perk the village can’t afford to lose.

That is part and parcel of why Millerton Mayor John Scutieri is working on a plan to save Rudd Pond. In fact, the mayor is considering taking over the Rudd Pond area entirely. It’s been done before. In 1975, Rudd Pond was closed by the state and the town assumed responsibility for a year. That year the park made $4,000 in profits, which is when the state reconsidered its decision and took the park back. (For more on that history, read Cory Allyn’s story on page A1.)

Currently, town Supervisor Dave Sherman is treading carefully and using great caution about the prospect of diving in and taking over the park, while Scutieri is brimming with enthusiasm. The mayor understands that merchants and residents will be greatly impacted by the closure of Rudd Pond. He’s reached out to congressmen and legislators who may  be able to help and is hoping to  get a group of interested parties together to talk about the village’s and town’s options.

It’s going to be a tough battle, however. According to figures from the state’s Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, in 2009 around 17,000 people visited the Rudd Pond site, bringing in roughly $15,000 in revenue. Yet the state released numbers stating it would save about $40,000 a year by closing the park. A spokesman from the state wouldn’t give a comparison to other state sites, however, when asked if the operating costs were on par with other parks or if Rudd Pond’s numbers were out of whack. That spokesman did say certain criteria were evaluated in making the decision of which parks should close, including attendance, revenue, operating costs and geographic distribution.

Despite the hardships facing Rudd Pond, as well as the village and the town at the possible loss of the state park, Millerton Mayor John Scutieri is pushing onward, searching for solutions that in reality may never bear out. Regardless, he’s making the effort and that’s what counts. How could the site ever be saved if no one even tried? This paper is so pleased that Scutieri is pursuing options — ones we hope will be successful — but certainly ones that need an advocate such as the mayor to move forward in the first place.