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The property, which is located at 99 E. Middle Patent Road, is co-owned by Hope Levene and her relatives, according to Christie.
Levene, a 93-year-old Bedford resident who formerly lived in North Castle, has a long local history. In a July interview that focused on her six decades of volunteerism at Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), she discussed the various roles she had over her lifetime. They included serving as the only trustee of a small school district that included a 1-room schoolhouse, and later as a Bedford Central school board member. Levene has also been involved with Twigs, a thrift store that supports NWH.
Christie noted that Levene used to serve on his organization's board. He appeared before the North Castle Town Board on Monday evening at a special meeting. The Town Board voted to authorize Supervisor Michael Schiliro to sign a conservation easement, which will cost $500,000
The easement, which will cover 68 of the site's acres, will be paid for by using open-space funding. It was disclosed at the meeting that the funding stems from a 2004 voter referendum that authorized the town to bond up to $3 million for acquiring open space and for conservation easements.
The Town Board voted on Monday because town's ability to utilize the bond expired after 10 years, according to Schiliro. Monday was the expiration date because it was the next business day, the supervisor explained.
It has not been decided yet what will be done with the five acres not included in the easement, according to Christie. Those acres include a cottage.
In a presentation to the board, Christie noted the property's wetlands, steep slopes, ridgeline and inclusion of the Piping Brook.
“So it’s kind of one of those key puzzle pieces that fits in a lot of different criteria," Christie said.
Christie discussed why preservation of the site is a priority, bringing up how the Piping Brook area is connected to a reservoir that serves as a water supply for more than 100,000.
Additionally, Christie cited the property's connectivity to two other properties that his organization protects.
Kerri Kazak, who is chair of the town's Open Space Committee, expressed support for preserving the site. In doing so, she cited the same factors as Christie
“From a wildlife perspective, this is a large ecologically intact parcel,” she said.
The Town Board is scheduled to revisit the topic again on Wednesday. Schiliro noted that there will be another presentation.
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